...Lady Macbeth vs. Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth Often, the influences in one’s life alter his or her attitude and point of view of the surrounding world. Lady Macbeth plays this influential role in Macbeth’s life. Her seductive words convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan, which further leads to a change in Macbeth’s personality. These two contrasting characters set the stage for a perfect example of a complete 360 transformation. While it is Lady Macbeth who primarily leads to Macbeth’s transformation, her transformation is more of a self-triggered change. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s fearless, manipulative, and shameless qualities fade, as the once moral Macbeth gains these qualities and turns into an evil, life-taking ruler. Right from the start, it is easy to identify Lady Macbeth’s greedy and manipulative qualities. After finding out that her husband has been prophesized to be the...
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...ENGLISH ESSAY: MACBETH “Macbeth shows us a world blackened by selish desires.” In life, we are often oblivious and undermine the power of evil as we aren’t directly exposed to the dangers and destructive consequences at first. We are presented with this same idea in the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth’s progression and transformation throughout the play demonstrates and a world blackened by selfish desires. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is shown to be a friendly, honest and loyal person. But later, manipulation and deception as well as lust and greed mould Macbeth in to an aggressive, ambitious and possessed man. Finally, through his transformations we are able to identify a world blackened by selfish desires. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is shown to be a friendly, honest and loyal character. Shakespeare demonstrates Macbeth's loyalty to his king and to Scotland as the Captain recalls, "brave Macbeth killed [Macdonald]." Macbeth is well respected by his peers and maintains good relationships with them and is willing and committed to acting to protect Scotland. Furthermore, we are introduced to Macbeth by Malcom in act one scene two as a “good and hardy soldier” further highlighting his brave and courageous nature. On a different level, Macbeth shows he is a loving and respectful character in his attitude and approach towards his wife as he calls her his “dearest partner of greatness.” Additionally, we are able to measure the strength of the...
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...In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth experiences a dramatic change in character, leading to her demise. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is a powerful woman. She is able to manipulate and convince her husband into committing murder for the crown. Throughout Acts I and II, Lady Macbeth’s strength and evil nature overpowers Macbeth. She takes control and plans Macbeth’s first murder. The murder of King Duncan reveals Lady Macbeth’s ruthlessness and persuasive skills. However, by Act III, Lady Macbeth’s entire character changes; she becomes depressed due to her husband’s lack of attention and newly found confidence. He no longer needs her to make his decisions. Guilt starts to consume her, and her mental state weakens. In...
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...At the end of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are described as ‘the dead butcher and his fiend like queen’, and this is all they are. Do you agree? The play “Macbeth” is based on the exploration of the two main protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as they deceive and manipulate others to fulfill the witches’ prophecies. As a result of their heinous acts to achieve their desire for power and position, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are labeled by the people of Scotland, at the end of the play, as ‘the dead butcher and his fiend like queen’. The description of the Macbeths as the ‘butcher’ and ‘fiend’ coincide with their attitude, actions and character throughout the play. The prophecies the witches’ made highlights that Macbeth is responsible for his own demise as well as reveal his true corrupted character. Secondly, Lady Macbeth’s ‘fiend like’ profile is evident when she pressured Macbeth to commit murder instead of preventing him from doing so. Lastly, the Macbeths’ denial of fault, even though their actions manifests in their guilty conscience, shows that they are nothing more than ‘the dead butcher and [the] fiend like queen’. The prophecies the three witches’ made highlights that Macbeth is responsible for his own demise as well as it reveals his true corrupt character. The transformation of the Macbeths’ initial portrayal as valiant, strong, good natured and loyal characters into villainous and evil characters is a revelation of their true identities, it also...
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...Lady Macbeth’s Conscience The events of Shakespeare’s Macbeth are triggered by an innate sense of self-serving ambition, present especially within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth himself is a dynamic man whose ambition transformed him into an entity existing without any sense of morality. This perpetual, growing ambition clashed with his conscience, a clear differentiation between right and wrong, in a way that had eradicated it. Adversely, Lady Macbeth, driven by the same determination, had never proven to possess a conscience or even the desire to cultivate one. Frederick Kiefer suggests the contrary, claiming that “[t]he book of conscience entails personal responsibility”, a responsibility that had apparently manifested itself in Lady Macbeth’s writings during her sleepwalking scene. He theorizes that her writings were confessional, thus proving the presence of conscience. Yet Lady Macbeth’s role in Duncan’s death and as a motivator to her husband’s cruelty automatically signify a lack of conscience which is not redeemed in the sleepwalking scene. Her anxious reflections are only motivated by that same self-preservation; she ruminates in fear for her reputation but not necessarily out of guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth was introduced as a ruthless woman motivated by a selfish desire for power. She was equally ambitious and evil as she persuaded Macbeth to murder King Duncan for the sake of social mobility; for this reason, she openly renounced her humanity and requested...
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...it leads to his demise. Once he kills Duncan the change rapidly begins to accelerate. By the end of the play, and Macbeth's killing spree, his transformation is complete and all of his human thoughts and feelings are gone. Macbeth changes from being a great individual to the focus of everyone's fear and anger, because he loses his human characteristics of conscience and remorse. As the play starts Macbeth is very human; he has feelings and friends and he is a war-hero. As time elapses, he begins to change into a ruthless killer, "a tyrant". Once he meets the witches and learns he will become king he begins to plot and think murderously. When he arrived at a plot to kill Duncan, and told Lady Macbeth, he realized it was the only way. However, in doing this he made a lot of people suspicious. This meant that more people would have to be killed, and this included the king's son who was next in line for the throne. At this point Macbeth experiences the first of a number of breakdowns, and he begins to lose his human characteristics. Macbeth begins to fall into a murderous rage after killing Duncan. He thought this would clear his name, but it only made things worse. Each person he has killed results in another that needs to be killed. With each kill Macbeth makes he loses feelings. Macbeth's conscience is soon deteriorated to nothing, and his killings are numerous. After killing Banquo and...
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...it leads to his demise. Once he kills Duncan the change rapidly begins to accelerate. By the end of the play, and Macbeth's killing spree, his transformation is complete and all of his human thoughts and feelings are gone. Macbeth changes from being a great individual to the focus of everyone's fear and anger, because he loses his human characteristics of conscience and remorse. As the play starts Macbeth is very human; he has feelings and friends and he is a war-hero. As time elapses, he begins to change into a ruthless killer, "a tyrant". Once he meets the witches and learns he will become king he begins to plot and think murderously. When he arrived at a plot to kill Duncan, and told Lady Macbeth, he realized it was the only way. However, in doing this he made a lot of people suspicious. This meant that more people would have to be killed, and this included the king's son who was next in line for the throne. At this point Macbeth experiences the first of a number of breakdowns, and he begins to lose his human characteristics. Macbeth begins to fall into a murderous rage after killing Duncan. He thought this would clear his name, but it only made things worse. Each person he has killed results in another that needs to be killed. With each kill Macbeth makes he loses feelings. Macbeth's conscience is soon deteriorated to nothing, and his killings are numerous. After killing Banquo and...
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...entice the audience, but also each reader is able to relate to Poe’s character on at least one level. Similarly in Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are illustrated as paralleling one another’s feelings of guilt and anguish because of their mutual crimes. These emotions are seen through Shakespeare’s symbolism of blood, sleeplessness and darkness. Macbeth’s guilt is most notably seen by his references to the blood of those he killed. Shakespeare uses this symbol to illustrate how the conscience weighs on Macbeth’s thoughts. When Macbeth imagines to see blood covering his hands, he cries, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” (2.2.57-59). The immense guilt, already beginning to trouble Macbeth’s conscience, is set off by the enormity of the deed he has committed against King Duncan. He feels as though nothing can wash away this crime, and goes on to say that the blood on his hands would even turn all the oceans red. Also, during the battle as Macbeth sees Macduff coming towards him in his castle, Macbeth yells, “Get back thee. My soul is too much charged / With the blood of thine already” (5.7.5-6). Macbeth knows what will happen when they fight, and he does not want to deal with any more of the guilt. The blood of Macduff’s family is hanging on Macbeth’s conscience, and the thought of suffering even more makes Macbeth nervous. Shakespeare skillfully uses blood to make it the easiest symbol to recognize...
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...because it leads to Macbeth’s eventual downfall and destruction, and...
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...it leads to his demise. Once he kills Duncan the change rapidly begins to accelerate. By the end of the play, and Macbeth's killing spree, his transformation is complete and all of his human thoughts and feelings are gone. Macbeth changes from being a great individual to the focus of everyone's fear and anger, because he loses his human characteristics of conscience and remorse. As the play starts Macbeth is very human; he has feelings and friends and he is a war-hero. As time elapses, he begins to change into a ruthless killer, "a tyrant". Once he meets the witches and learns he will become king he begins to plot and think murderously. When he arrived at a plot to kill Duncan, and told Lady Macbeth, he realized it was the only way. However, in doing this he made a lot of people suspicious. This meant that more people would have to be killed, and this included the king's son who was next in line for the throne. At this point Macbeth experiences the first of a number of breakdowns, and he begins to lose his human characteristics. Macbeth begins to fall into a murderous rage after killing Duncan. He thought this would clear his name, but it only made things worse. Each person he has killed results in another that needs to be killed. With each kill Macbeth makes he loses feelings. Macbeth's conscience is soon deteriorated to nothing, and his killings are numerous. After killing Banquo and...
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...Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime. Lady Macbeth is a dominant character as soon as she is introduced into the play. A.C. Bradley wrote about her as “…the most commanding and perhaps the most awe-inspiring figure that Shakespeare drew” from his article titled Lecture X. She became a image known for her ambitious nature. Her thirst for power and disregard for life was shocking to the audience, as to her own husband. The moment she learns of the prophecies, she decides to stand behind Macbeth and see him to the throne. She is immediately set on her quest for more power. As it reads “Glamis thou art, and Cowador, and shalt be/ What thou art promised (1.5.13-14) This moment is...
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...jagged theme which flows rapidly from the beginning to the end. Macbeth is a story of a brave and courageous Scottish general (Macbeth) who on receiving a prophecy of becoming the future king (by witches) and instigated by his wife goes on to murder the king (Duncan) and seize the throne. The fear of losing the throne and to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, Macbeth commits even more murders and soon becomes a tyrant. The bloodbath finally drags Macbeth and his wife to madness and death. Character Analysis: Of the many characters in the play, two characters form the core of the whole play namely Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth – The play introduces Macbeth as a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis. Macbeth’s initial image from the play is that of a brave and courageous soldier. The following speech from the Captain illustrates Macbeth’s bravery: For brave Macbeth -well he deserves that name- Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like Valor's minion carved out his passage Macbeth is also shown as a very loyal kinsman of the king. His devotion to his duty is illustrated from the following lines: The service and the loyalty lowe, In doing it, pays itself. Your Highness' part Is to receive our...
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...Macbeth In Macbeth, the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth undergo drastic changes as the play unfolds. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth regress from logical and human like people, into evil characters that would be found in a horror film. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem like two usual human beings, but after hearing about possibly becoming king and queen these characters turn to the dark side and resort to murdering the current king to take the thrown. Once the characters resort to murder, regret and guilt begin to consume their lives, resulting in death for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play Macbeth, the elements...
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...Macbeth: A Tragic Hero? William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, attains a protagonist that evidently portrays himself as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character that is not completely good or evil and has a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero because he starts off as a noble man until his own actions, also influenced by others, bring him to his own death. The events that help take Macbeth to his end are the prophecies told to him by the three witches, Lady Macbeth's pressure that drives him into committing horrible actions, and his own ambition that takes over him and leaves him as nothing but a power and money hungry character. Macbeth starts off with Macbeth and Banquo being praised after battling bravely in a war against the Irish Invaders. “At the beginning of the play, he seems the epitome of a loyal subject, valiantly fighting the rebel forces to protect the king and preserve his power.” (Elaine Pilkington 1) King Duncan believed that Macbeth was tremendously heroic in the battle and decided to name him the new thane of Cawdor after executing the old one because of his betrayal. However, before hearing from the King, Macbeth and Banquo were on their way to the King's court when they were suddenly accompanied by three witches.The witches greet Macbeth as the thane of Glamis, which was his original and only title, and as the thane of Cawdor, which Macbeth was not yet informed of. The witches also tell Macbeth...
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...construct the play and without them it would have been a totally different story line. The three witches effect characters’ lives, orientate the plot, they are related to most of the themes or motifs and appeal the audience's attention. The witches, or three sisters, have a strong effect on the characters of the play- especially Macbeth. When Macbeth meets the witches for the first time, they greet him as the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is Thane of Glamis and does not know about Cawdor, he hasn’t heard that the Thane of Cawdor has died. “I know I am Thane of Glamis, But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives” (Act 1 Scene 3). When Macbeth learns that the thane of Cawdor has in fact died, it is almost as if a bit of evil has been put into Macbeth’s head that will soon grow to dominate his mind. In the play the witches, with their spells, plan the downfall of Macbeth. They cannot directly harm him themselves, so they tell Macbeth predictions for his possible future, in order to make him act on them. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become the thane of Cawdor and then king...
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