...strived to be accepted as manly, and Shakespeare's Macbeth is no exception. Shakespeare's Macbeth (1623) is about a man named Macbeth and his journey to gain power and his struggle to keep it. In the play Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches on the moor. The witches make a prophesy that Macbeth will be King of Scotland and that Banquo's blood line will rule Scotland even though he will not be King. Macbeth later kills Duncan, the current King of Scotland, and becomes King himself. Macbeth orders for Banquo and his son to be killed, but Fleance escapes. The longer Macbeth is king the more suspicious he becomes of the people around him and the more worried he is about securing his blood line as the ruler of Scotland. The play concludes with Macduff killing Macbeth, and Malcolm (the rightful heir and son of Duncan) becomes King. In Macbeth the definition of a true man can best be seen through gender stereotyping, reversal of gender roles, and the depiction of men who uphold the manly virtue. One of the most important views on being a true man is that of Macbeth's. This view can best be seen in the scene when Macbeth is talking to the murderers about killing Banquo. Macbeth asks the murderers if they are men. Naturally they respond, "We are men, my liege" (3.1.90.). But that is not good enough for Macbeth. He agrees that they are men because they are of the male gender: "in the catalogue ye go for men" (3.1.91). But for Macbeth manhood is not given to one at birth; manhood is a...
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...“Significant ideas are raised in plays” Discuss significant ideas in Macbeth Throughout the Elizabethan era, literary work was written for performance on the stage in order to entertain an audience. These performances, known as plays raise significant ideas that are the underpinning issue or idea that propels and sustains the play. As time passes, different generations look at the significant ideas in Shakespeare with new eyes, redefining and reinterpreting as influenced by the political, social and cultural conditions of each era. These significant ideas that are raised in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth (1606) include supernatural, ambition and temptation, and violence. Macbeth introduces an element of fantasy into the normal tragedy narrative through the characters of the witches. The witches are important figures in the play, as their function is both to predict Macbeth’s fate and to signal to the reader what is to come. Far from serving as a distracting element, the witches help focus the audience on some of the darker and more sinister aspects of the play. Shakespeare’s use of this supernatural idea is raised throughout the entire play. If the witches’ prophecy is understood to be imposing a supernatural order on the natural order of things, the natural order can also be understood as responding with tempestuous signs. Following Duncan’s death, Lennox describes the “unruly” night in detail and his personal emotions. Similarly, Ross notes that “the heavens, as troubled...
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...To what extent can Lady Macbeth and the witches be held accountable for the actions of Macbeth? In the dramatic play ‘Macbeth’, written by William Shakespeare, showed us that the King of Scotland, Macbeth was being played and controlled by the people he trusted the most, his own wife, Lady Macbeth and the witches. His wife, Lady Macbeth was very evil, selfish, cunning and manipulating and the witches misguided him with their prophecies, which resulted him losing his sanity and making very bad choices. Therefore, even though Macbeth was greedy and ambitious himself, Lady Macbeth and the witches were to some extent accountable for Macbeth’s actions. What happened to Macbeth was a combination of events that lead him to believe that one day he would be King. He was influenced by the witches, who gave him a prophecy that contained information that he will be King of Scotland. They didn’t know when it was time for him to rule, but they predicted it would happen. (THIRD WITCH: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter.” Act 1, Sc 3, 52) Macbeth became so thrilled with the witches prophecy, that he thought that he should be King right now. Even though Macbeth was a loyal servant to King Duncan, he became very angry at him when he saw Duncan name his son, Malcolm the next King of Scotland. He was the heir to the throne. He got so angry he killed Duncan with the help of Lady Macbeth. The witches were partly responsible for putting the idea of becoming King in Macbeth’s head. He...
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...The story Macbeth is like no other in plot and poetry. It sets itself apart from the rest by having a protagonist becoming evil. What makes Macbeth such a complicated character is the way his outlook keeps on changing throughout the play. This essay will prove that Macbeth is an evil man and was not overpowered by ambition to get what he wanted. This essay will also determine that certain characters like the witches did not force him to do evil; they simply triggered it. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown as a hero in the Scottish army that is ironic because Macbeth has defeated a traitor and he will become one. We feel that a person of his loyalty could never commit evil unless he had a good reason or if he would be provoked. After Macbeth's first meeting with the witches, we learn from his aside that he has thought about killing Duncan " My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical" 1(Macbeth 1.3.152). Macbeth also says " If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir." 2(Macbeth 1.4.157-159) which means that maybe he does not have to murder the king to gain that title. Luck has been very generous to him and might continue and make him king. Macbeth's true evil thoughts about being king are first shown when he finds out that king Duncan has named his son Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland. He now shows his evil and his true feelings. " Stars, hide your fires; Let not night see my black and deep desires. The...
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...Macbeth is a man of contemplation and reaction. When the witches tell him the prophecy, he does not believe that he has to do anything to see it come true. Lady Macbeth is a very driven, conniving person who comes to the conclusion that King Duncan must be killed so Macbeth can take the throne. Lady Macbeth is also manipulative and far more intelligent than her husband. She is not so superstitious and guilt-ridden. She like to work to achieve her dreams rather than leave them up to Fate. In the play Macbeth, there are four major behaviors that explain the reactions and demeanour of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are ambition, strength, insanity and guilt. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience those behaviors during the play. However, the behaviors change differently. Macbeth starts out cowardly and weak but then ends out stonger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth, however starts strong and ambitions but becomes reserved and soft. Lady Macbeth is the one in control first. She plans the murder of King Duncan. She questions Macbeth's courage when he gives gives her reasons to not kill the King. She forces him to commit the murderer,which turns him into a murderer. Then after killing Duncan, he shows guilt for his crime, which makes Lady Macbeth take control again. She takes the bloody daggers from him and places them by the drunk guards, to set them up. From this point on, Macbeth slowly takes control of his own actions. He plans out the murder of Banquo and attempts...
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...To put Macbeth into perspective, you'll need to know a little about William Shakespeare and why the play is still so popular over 400 years after it was first performed. William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon Avon in 1564. His father sold gloves and became an important person in the town. William, one of eight children, was the eldest son and was probably educated at the local grammar school. He married when he was only 18 and his wife, Anne Hathaway, was eight years older than him. They had two girls and a boy (who died aged 11). Nobody knows how Shakespeare began to write or when he entered the theatre, but we know that he became a leading member of the theatre troupe known as 'The Lord Chamberlain's Men'. The company proved very popular and later, when King James I granted them the right to perform at his court, the troupe became known as 'The King's Men'. Shakespeare wrote over 30 plays for 'The King's Men', making it the most important theatre company in the country, and he often wrote parts for particular actors. He was very successful and wealthy in his time, and his work has remained very popular ever since. The popularity of Macbeth Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's best known plays. There are all sorts of reasons for this but perhaps the main one is that the basic story still strikes a chord with modern audiences. It is a bloodthirsty tale of ambition, and the evils we will go to in order to get what we want. We follow the central character...
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...In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is given his fortunes by three witches. However, he and his wife become obsessed with fulfilling the prophecies out of greed, and begin committing murderous crimes to achieve it. His wife, torn with guilt, commits suicide and Macbeth, filled with false confidence, is beheaded. Feminism creates the persuasion for Macbeth to go through with his deceptive plans where he inevitably meets his fate. How did the role of patriarchal society play in female oppression in Macbeth's time period? Because of the patriarchal society assumption of female insignificance, it sets up undermining capabilities to create a unknown dominance in women. As a result of the time, patriarchal culture presumes weakness unto women, creating an unforeseen influence Lady Macbeth. “Patriarchy defines Lady Macbeth’s intelligence as a flaw and as an indicator that she is unnatural and “unfulfilled” as a woman”(Davis, www.studentpulse.com). For that reason, society creates Lady Macbeth to fall into a negligible classification which ultimately questions Macbeth’s capability. This forces him to later undergo the atrocities. For instance, as a result of Macbeth’s masculinity being inferior to Lady Macbeth, in all it creates Macbeth to believe he is a coward which pushes him further into committing the murderous acts where ironically gives ironically gives Lady Macbeth influential power. “‘We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail...
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...soon as the Macbeths become accomplices in regicide, their relationship irretrievably falls apart.’ Discuss to what extend do you agree that the physical horror of King Duncan’s death kills the Macbeth’s marriage. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, King Duncan’s death caused a great turmoil in the minds of the Macbeths and left no space for love, hence, their relationship began to crumble, as they reacted to the murder in different ways: Lady Macbeth, entering insanity, and Macbeth, thirsting for more power. Nevertheless, even at the end, Macbeth’s love for his wife, however strained, did not completely perish. Lady Macbeth is a ruthless, ambitious wife and it is questionable that her love for Macbeth was truly real since the beginning of their marriage. Instead, she lusted over his status and wealth. Immediately when she received the letter from Macbeth, she began to plot the death of King Duncan, and steeled herself from her morals, asking that she is ‘unsexed’ so that she may have a mind of a man who is strong enough to handle the thoughts of murder, as she made known through her famous ‘Unsex me’ speech: ‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty…’ (p.15) As opposed to Macbeth, she was easily drawn to the possibility of power and had not a moment of indecision to do anything necessary to obtain the throne and to involve her husband in it. This gives a hint that Lady Macbeth may not have...
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...Macbeth Analytical written response ‘Macbeth achieves the power he has longed for, but it comes at a terrible price’ What does the play have to say about this? ------------------------------------- Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a character study of a man who, through his own relentless quest for power and the influence of others, loses everything he loves and eventually, his own life. After Macbeth’s success in battle against the King of Norway, glowing reports of his bravery are given to King Duncan, who prepares to promote ‘noble Macbeth’ to Thane of Cawdor. Before Macbeth hears of the king’s decision, he and his fellow general, Banquo, are told by a group of witches that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and “King thereafter”. They also predict that some of Banquo’s offspring will be kings. Both men wonder if they should take these “imperfect speakers” seriously, but their doubts are swept away when Macbeth is declared Thane of Cawdor. Remembering the second part of the prophecy, thoughts of murder enter Macbeth’s mind. There are two factors that cause Macbeth’s thoughts to develop into a plot. He reasons that if part of the witches’ prediction has come true, there is a chance that the rest of it will too. When he confides in his wife who is described as being “top-full of direst cruelty” Macbeth, who she likens to “an innocent flower”, falls under her evil influence and together they hatch...
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...“So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (1.3.39). These were Macbeth’s first words in this play. Macbeth was oblivious that this was the beginning of his tragedy. A tragedy he could have avoided. How could he? He was given a glance of the future and now he craves for more. The seed of darkness that the witches planted in him started to grow slowly. No! He wasn’t going to let anything intervene with fate. Hence he had to make sure the witches’ predictions will come true, though only what he want it to come true. Macbeth had his ear sweetened by the witches. The prophecy of him becoming the thane of Cawdor and king sounded very good for him and his wife’s aspirations. He had to believe them since he did become the thane of Cawdor. Unfortunately, his fall starts when he contemplates killing Duncan, the King. Macbeth starts an inner fight between wrong and good. In my opinion Lady Macbeth I the intellectual author of Duncan’s crime while Macbeth is only the material author. Lady Macbeth planed the crime, which make this crime a premeditated one. Lady Macbeth is a controversial character and in my opinion a key piece in this play. Many would argue that Macbeth was a good man that was push by his dreadful wife. However I believe that Lady Macbeth did what she believed she had to do to fulfill her avarice. As per Tillyard in The Elizabethan World Picture he explains the following “The conception of world order was for the Elizabethans a principal ...
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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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...relevant since Shakespeare wrote it 100’s of years ago till today. Macbeth, as tragic heroes are, is flawed. Pride is a weakness in Macbeth. Three witches told Macbeth that no man born of a woman could kill him. Macbeth then became very prideful and fearless because as far as he knew, he was invincible. Mad with power, he brags, “They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly, but, bear-like, I must fight the course. What’s he that was not born a woman? Such a one I am to fear, or none.”(Shakespeare v vi-vii 1-4) Macbeth is basically saying that he is as powerful as a bear and fears no man. Macbeth is truly blind because power is an illusion, so being prideful because of ones power is truly foolish. He shows his pride when Young Siward asks for his name, Macbeth responds with, “Thou’lt be afraid to hear it” (v vi-vii 5-6). He then fights Siward and kills him. Afterwards, he said to himself, “Thou wast born of woman. But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, brandished by man that’s of woman born.”(v vii 15-18) showing that he has been turned evil by an illusion of power and his conscience is nowhere to be seen. A bad conscience leads to bad karma. Macbeth based his power on what a witch told him, that no man born of woman could kill him. Macbeth realized his mistake all too late, “Despair thy charm and let the angel whom still hast served tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.”(v viii 17-20). Macbeth picked a fight with Macduff, who had a c-section, so he was...
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...Shakespeare’s Macbeth uses three main literary elements throughout the play. In this paper I will discuss the symbolism, irony, and metaphors portrayed thought this play. I will use the play from our required text from the Ashford University online book, “Journey into Literature “by R.W Clugston, Ch.14.3 (2010). The parts leading up to, during, and after the murder of the character Duncan shows these three literary elements to their fullest. The use of symbolism, irony, and metaphors has captured my attention, and I find it interesting on how they all tie in together. Symbolism is defined as “One thing stands for another.” (Wikipedia). In the play Macbeth, I believe that Shakespeare uses symbolism to capture the reader’s attention and keep it thought the entire piece. For an example when Lady Macbeth helped commit the murder of Duncan, she could not escape her feelings and emotions of compassion and the guilt became overwhelming which drove her insane. Lady Macbeth dreaming of a blood on her hands is how Shakespeare portrays her guilt. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! (Clugston, 2010, Shakespeare Act V scene 1). The blood is symbolic of Lady Macbeth’s guilt of the murder. According to our book, irony is “created when a discrepancy or contradiction occurs between what is expected to happen and what actually happens in a situation (situation irony) or in an expressed statement (verbal irony). (Clugston, 2010). Shakespeare uses irony to connect the murder of Duncan and Lady Macbeth going...
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...From shamming ones feminine acts to discriminating because of gender, Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, is infused with quotes that reveal how each character portrays gender roles. Determined to become King, Macbeth kills anyone that gets in his way. Lady Macbeth has an important role in Macbeth's actions; throughout the play she provokes him to do specific tasks when he fears that he has gone too far. The theme of gender is a prominent theme that exposes the personalities of the different characters and forwards the plot of the play. Characterization is an essential element to help the viewers connect with the characters and further the understanding of the story. To begin with, at the beginning of the play when Lady Macbeth fears that her husband might not be up for the brutal task of killing another person, she says, “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top – full of direst cruelty” (1.5.40-42). This quotation shows that Lady Macbeth wants to become more cruel. Lady Macbeth is saying she wants to be stripped of her femininity to become more masculine because in her mind to be cruel is a more masculine trait that her husband lacks. Secondly, Lady Macbeth states that she would be cruel enough too kill her own child in order for her husband to advance to become king. Lady Macbeth says, “I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done this” (1.7.56-59). Again this...
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...Acton once said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Macbeth by William Shakespeare is the tragic story about the kind of destruction ambition and the struggle for power can cause. Even the noblest of people are corrupted by the idea of power and will do anything to achieve it. Symbolism, irony, foil, theme, and imagery are some of the literary elements and techniques Shakespeare uses to portray Macbeth, the protagonist, as a greedy tyrant willing to sacrifice all others to accomplish his goals. Shakespeare not only represents Macbeth as the protagonist, but also as an antagonist to himself and others in the play. The author characterizes Macbeth at first as an honorable man willing to fight for the freedom of his kingdom. Shakespeare foreshadows to the reader a developing change within Macbeth’s character after his encounter with the Weird Sisters. His convene with the witches arouses in Macbeth the idea of becoming king. The motivation for Macbeth to become king spurs from the prophecies told by the witches in the beginning acts of the play, which were evidently coming true as he gained the title “Thane of Cawdor” as the prophecy stated. Below the surface Macbeth is a melting pot of emotions, which engaged his character in the idea of becoming a supreme ruler undoubtedly causing him to commit shameless acts. The character of Macbeth is usually described as being flawed by ambition, but this interpretation is not...
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