...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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...In Macbeth, ambition is characterized as a dangerous quality. Ambition is the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which triggers the murders that take place in Macbeth. Although, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition, it is the driving force of the play which is influenced by Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Lady Macbeth plays a major role in the downfall of Macbeth. She influenced and convinced Macbeth to commit the murder about Duncan, believing that the power would bring both of them happiness. Lady Macbeth says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise thee with the valour of my tongue. (Shakespeare 353)” It is as though Lady Macbeth is Macbeths bad conscious. She remarks, that she will solve his dilemma by poisoning his mind with her evil plan of murdering Duncan. Unlike her husband she is made of sterner stuff and has no moral scruples because she is evil to the core and decides to convince Macbeth to murder the king. This is the first murder victim of Macbeth. After the death of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth commits suicide which it is another breaking point of his down fall. Macbeth’s quest and desire for the power caused him to become a man of no emotions. Macbeth is an easy person to persuade and convince. Since the three witches gave him his prophecies, Macbeth’s character changed gradually over the course of the play. He became obsessed with making sure the prophecies come true as well as having a strong desire for power as...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
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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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...correlated in the play of Macbeth since his impulses and desires greatly affect its surrounding especially while having the authority over a country. Macbeth experienced the fall of his very own ambition which granted him his very own demised. Evil describes Macbeth’s human nature and not only does he experience it, he consults with it too. The witches are highly regarded as a freak of nature which promote evil, as for Macbeth they were his advisors therefore he will make his decision based on the prophecies where they are immoral or virtuous. In consequence of Macbeth’s embracement of his best human quality (Evil) he called upon himself a death sentence. Shakespeare reflected greatly on the position of the king discreetly without stirring up too much controversy particularly on the theory of “Divine right of monarchs”. Though Macbeth attained the power of the thrown he did it through an unorthodox way excluding him from the power of God therefore made him susceptible to any pending attacks. Having Macbeth steal the thrown from Duncan in such a despicable manner is an offense to the Almighty and a violation to the natural order. Shakespeare puts great emphasizes on the legitimacy of his current non-fictional king by creating a psychopath of a king called Macbeth. Macbeth tyrannical decisions lead to his dismiss by others mutinying against him in; seem like Shakespeare borrow some inspiration from the actions of the gun powder plot in 1605. Macbeth can certainly relate to James...
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...All in One A Critical Analysis of Macbeth 4:2 The classical tragedy Macbeth, written by the world renowned playwright William Shakespeare, is a text that has been studied for centuries. Indeed, Faith Nostbakken said in her book Understanding Macbeth: A Student Casebook..., “Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies, and is studied often in the classroom.” This play itself is very complex and was intricately written by Shakespeare when you look at how he was able to weave themes together throughout the duration of the play. There are numerous themes that are prevalent in Macbeth and all of them show up in different phases of the play. The one scene that brings all of the themes together in a brilliant culmination is the second scene...
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...Jekyll and Mr Hyde and William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, I will explore the struggles the main characters’ have within themselves in their fight for good over evil. How Macbeth and Dr Jekyll change throughout the stories and explore the similarities of each of them and why they came to change. These two books are worlds apart from one another. ‘Macbeth’ is about a great warrior who fights for the King and is set in medieval Scotland, while ‘The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ is set in the upper classes of Victorian England where everything is done correctly and bad behaviour or wild ways are not tolerated. Dr Jekyll is a Physician who is curious about separating the good side of a personality with the bad and begins to experiment and invent potions to control the evil side of a person. However, both of these books have mystical themes about them, the witches in ‘Macbeth’ that can see the future and plant the seed of success in Macbeth’s head and the strange disappearances of Dr Jekyll and the sudden mystical appearance of a Mr Hyde. These main characters, Macbeth and Dr Jekyll evolve from being heroic, well-respected men into twisted, ruthless killers and their nature completely changes throughout their lives. Both characters become so obsessed with ultimate control they are prepared to remove anyone who gets in their way or tries to stop them from reaching their final goal. The obsession of their ambitions make both, Macbeth and Dr Jekyll eventually turn their back on the...
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...3/17/14 Eng III Essay In the play Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth’s verge of sanity is lost when given the upper hand which employs how power leads to the flaw of his ambitions and also to his corruption and demise. Macbeth acquiring the wealth and absolute threshold of the throne isn’t the only power that he can taste. The three witches that supposedly help out Macbeth with future truths that persuades his beliefs of having the advantage and full control. Once he has this mindset becoming a lunatic isn’t that hard which then his guilty conscious becomes in the way with hallucinations and no sleep. A perfect phrase fits into this situation and it states that when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. The witches provide truths to Macbeth leading to him overthinking what could be the ending possibility. Thus convincing himself because of the half truths told by the evil witches from the beginning of the play were seen as incredibly beneficial. “Commencing in a truth? I am thane if Cawdor”(I: iii: 140). Throughout his evil desire for power his lady trash talks Macbeth into proving himself otherwise causing a big influence to act on him forcing his actions. She has the chance to be queen as much as Macbeth so persuading him would be the easiest and best way to becoming powerful. Lady Macbeth mocks Macbeth about being a man and not having the guts to do it. Eventually he gives in and kills the king a long with the guards being spread with blood as they were drunk passed...
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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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...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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...Tragedy of Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1606.This play was written for James VI of Scotland who went on to occupy the English throne. The story is based in Scotland and is connected to James VI via the character Banquo who is supposed to be James’s ancestor. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s most powerful and emotionally intense play. It is one of the shortest and bloodiest tragedies written by Shakespeare. It is not as complex as other plays like The Merchant of Venice, Othello and Hamlet which explores the fine nuances of the characters but is a drama with a sharp and 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...
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...Shakespeare's dark tragedy, 'Macbeth' was written in 1605 under the reign of the superstitious James I but set in the eleventh century. Macbeth is a colossus and ambitious Scottish warrior and the first impressions we get of Macbeth is that he is 'valiant' and 'noble', a captain says of him "brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name" this suggests many people had great respect for him especially his army. Polanski, a film director that has created a modern adaptation portrays Macbeth at the outset to be a 'brave' 'warlord' as he shows the gory battle scene in which Macbeth "unseam'd him from the nave to th'chaps" which is what a captain says of him. Macbeth's bravery is perceived using animal imagery, "as sparrows, eagles, or the hare, the lion" at the start of the play as he has won victory for Scotland. King Duncan, the king of Scotland, rewards Macbeth for his courage by giving him the title 'Thane of Cawdor’; but what is ironic about this is that the title first belonged to one who was "a most disloyal traitor". However even though Macbeth is perceived that way that is later changed as he is a noble hero who's fatal flaw - his vaulting ambition - brings about his downfall. -LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE INTO NEEDS TO BE COPIED IN- * FIRST BANQUET SCENE NEEDS TO BE COPIED IN – Act 2, Scene 2 – Polanski begins this scene with dog’s barking whilst howls hoot throughout to set the tone and has Lady Macbeth’s face half in light, half in dark representing her dual personality...
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