...Mental illnesses affect all Canadians at some point in their life, whether it is directly or indirectly. One famous and rather memorable example of a mental disease takes place in a Shakespearean play, Macbeth; which is the story of a loyal soldier who falls into the depths of darkness and despair as he seeks the crown while disregarding any ramification (Bevington). Early in the play, Macbeth’s mental state is a commonplace. He seems to be content with himself. But, as the story progresses so does his mental health. He turns into an unrecognizable man whose guilt causes him to go insane. Belatedly, the witches, his wife, his hallucinations, and his tragic flaw cause Macbeth’s descent into madness. The opening of the play introduces supernatural...
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...Causes of Macbeth's Downfall Essay Macbeth was a noble and loyal man, who would never harm his King. If it wasn't for the influences of the people surrounding him, he would have lived happily as Thane of Cawdor, an honourable title in itself. The downfall of Macbeth was ignited by the actions by those around him, mainly the witches and his wife Lady Macbeth, and eventually, his ambitions took over. Macbeth never had the intention of killing his king, but was ultimately persuaded that it was the correct thing to do. The three witches planted the seed of ambition within Maceth. They were the driving force behind Banquo and King Duncan's killing. The witches prophesised that his life would completely change, by becoming thane of Cawdor, then king of Scotland. At first, Macbeth dismissed their prophecies, but after he was promoted to Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth wondered if he will be King, too. "If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir." Another prophecy made by the witches was that Banquo's son will be king. Fuelled by paranoia, lack of sleep and visions, Macbeth was thrown into a state of confusion and a belief that the prophecies were inevitable. Lady Macbeth urged her husband to commit murder and it was this action that sparked Macbeth's downfall. When Lady Macbeth heard about the prophecies made by the witches, and how one of them had already come true, she called upon evil spirits to guide her through her task - killing the king. .".. Fill me...
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...for the protagonists in both Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Sophocles’ Oedipus The King. Macbeth was given a prophecy that he would become King of Scotland, yet with his power-hungry nature, took it upon himself to speed up the process. Oedipus, similarly, was given a prophecy which read that he would kill his father and his mother, which his hubris allowed him to disavow and try to prove wrong. Their actions...
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...Macbeth Analysis Brian Williams English 125 Melissa Edison April 22, 2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly...
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...Tragedy of Macbeth One of the most important lines in the drama The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare originates from one of the last lines in Act I, Scene I. The three witches speak the simple line “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (I: i, 10) shortly before they disperse. This quotation becomes a prophecy as well as an underlying warning foreshadowing the rest of the drama. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (I: i, 10) can be interpreted as saying good is bad and bad is good. The quotation leads the reader to question their standpoint on the good and bad depicted in the drama. This quotation is a major line in the drama because it implies that some of the characters are not who they claim to be. This quotation affects the Witches because although they speak of the future, they do not seem to affect its course. In Macbeth's case, the prophecies serve only to suggest the future, not to affect it. They do not predict that he will commit murder to become king but simply that he will become king. For example, they hail Macbeth as king by saying, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" (I: iii, 50). So furthermore, even if the witches did not exist, Macbeth would still have taken the throne due to fate. When the line comes from the witches, the reader assumes at first that they are speaking plainly. That the line means that for them, what is fair or good, for the witches is foul or evil; what is evil and foul for the witches is fair and good. And that the witches delight...
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...Macbeth analysis “Macbeth” is a tragedy and was written by William Shakespeare. It was originally written as a play; believed to have been written between 1599 and 1606. Macbeth is the easiest of all of Shakespeare’s plays to follow because the play only has one plot and is constructed in a way that almost everything that happens, refers to the main story. The play takes place mostly in a castle in medieval Scotland. In the tragedy we follow King Duncan’s army-general, Macbeth’s rise to power and his downfall after this, and the wife, Lady Macbeth, when she taunts him to do the things she wants him to do in order to kill King Duncan. But how much guilt can one take before going insane? When will one be too crazy for their subjects to obey? And how does acting against your morals affect one in the long run? The most important characters in the play are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth but the three witches, “The Weird Sisters”, plays a big part too. Macbeth is the main character. The first impression we get of him is, that he is a brave and capable warrior. We get this impression because of the first place in the play, that we meet Macbeth is in the captain’s account of the battlefield. However, this impression changes when he meets the 3 witches, and they tell him, that he is to be king. At this point, we realise that he is a lot more than just brave. His courage is combined with his ambition and tendency to doubt himself. When he is told, that he is to kill the king, he experiences...
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...Title: Macbeth Analysis Instructor: Erin Schwartz English 125 Introduction to literature Amanda Manley 11/25/2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the...
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...“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Shakespeare, I.i.11). The three witches in Macbeth state that what is good, is bad and what is bad, is good. They live in a world where everyone is not what they seem. Appearance versus reality is a theme that repeatedly occurs throughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. In this story, which takes place in Scotland in the early seventeenth century, three witches tell Macbeth that in the future, he will be king. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin to plot King Duncan’s murder so that Macbeth can be king. The three witches, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth all prove that looks can be deceiving in both the play Macbeth and in society. To begin, the three witches use their powers to tell Macbeth his future, however,...
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...William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, takes place in 11th century Scotland, and has its own portrayal of that society. Although it may not be entirely accurate, the society that Shakespeare develops has distinctive gender roles and societal expectations for each gender. In this society lives Macbeth, a military nobleman trusted by the king who eventually becomes king himself, but through a murder encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth. His reign is tainted with inhumane acts such as murdering the family of his former friends, and hiring assassins to kill one of his friends. At the conclusion of the play, Lady Macbeth dies from unknown causes, Macbeth is murdered by Macduff, another nobleman, and Scotland rejoices because Macbeth’s reign of terror...
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...Readers get the idea of negative ambition throughout the play Macbeth. The play Macbeth, is another brilliant written piece by the famous playwright William Shakespeare. The play is about a great warrior, who gets the wrong idea about ambition after being told that he will become King of Scotland. Macbeth believed that the only way to achieve power and wealth is to kill anyone who gets in his way to the throne. Specifically, the use of irony, motif and characterization all prove that negative ambition can...
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...One of the main ideas in the Shakespearian play Macbeth is deception, which is not only practiced by the villains but by other characters as well who have to rely on this at the time of disorder and distrust. However, Malcolm’s deception in testing Macduff’s loyalty and in deceiving Macbeth about the number of his troops is far less crucial as the central motif of the play, for it is the deception conducted by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth that grapples the interest of the audience with its resounding morals about human nature. It is one thing to be deceived by another person and quite another to “fool yourself” by engaging in self-deception. Of all forms of deception, I think it can be argued that self-deception is perhaps the worst. In the words of Bemos Thenes, “Nothing is easier than self-deceit for what man wishes he also believes to be true.” Self-deception is a human weakness. It means that even though something maybe wrong and untrue if an individual believes it enough it will come to pass. No matter what someone may say, it is hard to change ones opinion because that is what the person truly believes. This is portrayed in William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, through the actions of various characters. Shakespeare clearly shows the idea of self-deception through their actions and how this self-deception leads to moral disorder. Deception is introduced to the play right from the beginning when the three witches meet to talk, the mood being nothing is quite as it seems...
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...Name Institution Professor Date Macbeth: Character and Synopsis Review At the start of the Shakespearean play “Macbeth” the character Macbeth; also, the protagonist features a dichotomy in strength and weakness. This is though conformity that several characters in the play are emotionally unstable and tortured. Macbeth, like other characters, has his mind pulled in to conflicting directions consequential to compelling desires, obligations, ambitions, and desires. Three attributes that cause a strain in Macbeths life are ambition, self-doubt, and bravely. Shakespeare uses Macbeth in showing how personal ambitions and guilt terribly affect people who lack a strong personality. The aforementioned three attributes illustrate the struggle for mastery of Macbeth through the play. We first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captain’s description of his battle boldness hence get an impression that he is a capable brave warrior. His nobility and rank are valuable aspects that make him seem fit for his status. However, his encounter with three witches provokes a deep impatient ambition. Soon after the first prophecy on being Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth gets a nasty image of the murder of King Duncan in his mind. This would open a room for him to assume the throne (Bloom 8). Macbeth is though not solely and ambitious as seen in his fright of the murder image that thoroughly defiles his loyalty. Macbeth is portrayed as deeply thinking about being the king. He is though undecided whether...
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...a violent way. They may have mean thoughts but choose to act with kindness. This suggests that how we choose to act defines character. Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a dramatic demonstration that proves it is not one's secret thoughts that determine character; it is one's behaviour. If a person submits to their thoughts then they can be destroyed. A person’s actions can have a negative impact ultimately leading to their demise. Macbeth is a character who validates this statement: he has a shallow persona and he is ambitious. However, he has few redeeming qualities to back him up: at the beginning he is portrayed as a heroic man which makes his decline so tragic. Macbeth is also easily manipulated. Macbeth’s character is defined by his negative behaviour which eventually results in his downfall; he acts on his insecurities and his ambition in a violent and ruthless way and chooses to abandon his morals. Many people in life do not have the ability to look beneath the surface of a situation: they have a shallow mindset which affects their ability to see the bigger picture. The character Macbeth is one of these people; he rarely considers the “bigger picture” when dealing with a complicated situation. When the witches reveal, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (I, i, 70), Macbeth is threatened by the prospect of Banquo’s bloodline gaining power: When first they [witches] put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. Then, prophet-like, They him father...
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...The Fate of Macbeth In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, major decisions made by Macbeth affect the entire play. The result of these decisions and actions ended in the negative outcome of his death. But was Macbeth responsible for the negative outcome, which was ultimately his death? Evidently, Macbeth is responsible for his own fate because he is a liar, he has a tragic flaw, and he is strongly dependent on others. Macbeth determines his own fate by lying. If Macbeth did not lie, he would of not made people suspicious of him and then they would of not rebelled and killed him. Macbeth lies to Macduff about killing the Kings guards. We know he is lying when Macbeth says “O, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them” (Macbeth, 2.3 121-122). Here Macduff becomes suspicious of Macbeth. Macduff’s suspicion leads him to start a rebellion against Macbeth and ultimately resulting in Macduff killing Macbeth. If Macbeth hadn’t lied about killing the guards Macduff would have not been so suspicious of Macbeth and would not have rebelled against him. Macbeth also lies to Banquo. This is Macbeth’s first lie and this starts the ball rolling. Macbeth had said “I think not of them” (Macbeth, 2.1 25). Here he lied about not thinking about the three witches, when, in fact, all he does is think of the three witches. Macbeth lying to both Banquo and Macduff causes suspicion, which caused conflict and then his death. An equally significant aspect of Macbeth determining his own fate is his...
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...Name Institution Professor Date Macbeth: Character and Synopsis Review At the start of the Shakespearean play “Macbeth†the character Macbeth; also, the protagonist features a dichotomy in strength and weakness. This is though conformity that several characters in the play are emotionally unstable and tortured. Macbeth, like other characters, has his mind pulled in to conflicting directions consequential to compelling desires, obligations, ambitions, and desires. Three attributes that cause a strain in Macbeths life are ambition, self-doubt, and bravely. Shakespeare uses Macbeth in showing how personal ambitions and guilt terribly affect people who lack a strong personality. The aforementioned three attributes illustrate the struggle for mastery of Macbeth through the play. We first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captain’s description of his battle boldness hence get an impression that he is a capable brave warrior. His nobility and rank are valuable aspects that make him seem fit for his status. However, his encounter with three witches provokes a deep impatient ambition. Soon after the first prophecy on being Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth gets a nasty image of the murder of King Duncan in his mind. This would open a room for him to assume the throne (Bloom 8). Macbeth is though not solely and ambitious as seen in his fright of the murder image that thoroughly defiles his loyalty. Macbeth is portrayed as deeply thinking about being the king. He is though undecided...
Words: 981 - Pages: 4
