...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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...Macbeth, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century, expresses clearly the strong pull that desire for power can have over a man. Macbeth, the title character of the play, is often expressed as being the villain of the tragedy. However, through studying the play closely it is clear to see that, rather than being an innately evil character, Macbeth is in fact a tragic hero, doomed by fate from the start to descend into the madness which he did. Had it not been for his hamartia and his interaction with the witches and his wife then the play would have had a very different ending. Like every tragic hero in literature Macbeth suffered from a tragic flaw, or a hamartia. In his case, his flaw was his vaulting ambition, combined with a lust for power. Macbeth himself recognises this ambition in act I, scene 7 where he states in a soliloquy “I have no spur to ***** the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition”. This comment suggests that he knows that the only thing that prompts his actions is his ambition. While ambition alone is not in fact a bad trait, when added with a lust for power, this ambition can become dangerous. Did having these qualities mean that Macbeth was indisputably corrupt? No, they simply meant that he, like all human beings, had a flaw and a weakness. Indeed, at the start of the play, Macbeth was seen as the hero, being described as “brave Macbeth” in act I, scene II, and shown as a loyal and brave solider on the battle field. He is also...
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...Macbeth: Macbeth - A Human To A Killer In Shakespeare's play Macbeth the character Macbeth proves to be somewhat dynamic in his human representation. He starts off as being very human; he is actually a war-hero. However the seed of change is planted right away when he meets the witches and they tell him their prophecy of him becoming king. This makes Macbeth ambitious, and 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...
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...William Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy, “Macbeth”. In Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, the theme vaulting ambition is portrayed because it leads to Macbeth’s eventual downfall and destruction, and...
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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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...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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...Macbeth: Macbeth - A Human To A Killer In Shakespeare's play Macbeth the character Macbeth proves to be somewhat dynamic in his human representation. He starts off as being very human; he is actually a war-hero. However the seed of change is planted right away when he meets the witches and they tell him their prophecy of him becoming king. This makes Macbeth ambitious, and 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...
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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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...Macbeth: Macbeth - A Human To A Killer In Shakespeare's play Macbeth the character Macbeth proves to be somewhat dynamic in his human representation. He starts off as being very human; he is actually a war-hero. However the seed of change is planted right away when he meets the witches and they tell him their prophecy of him becoming king. This makes Macbeth ambitious, and 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...
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...famous quotes that Lady Macbeth says, this is said before they kill King Duncan, Macbeth is having second thoughts about murder and Lady Macbeth tell him that it will make him a better person, stronger, and more manly. Lady Macbeth may look like a pretty, sweet, innocent woman, but in truth, she is strong willed and ambitious. Throughout the play her mental state changes and can relive that she does indeed have a heart. Lady Macbeth changes throughout the play from willing to kill and then to having a guilt that overcomes her. Lady Macbeth at first is the one very eager to kill Duncan. She is the one to push and persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan. When Lady Macbeth first hears...
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...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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...Lady Macbeth is one of the most contrasting characters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth; in the beginning of the play, she is greedy and selfish for her husband and herself. She was presented by Shakespeare as a devious, plotting character, who, it seems, is willing to go to any length to become superior. In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth, having just read Macbeth’s letter, describes her husband as being ‘too full o’th’milk of human kindness,’ to be successful. She knows about the witches’ prophecy and also knows that, in order for it to happen, Duncan must be killed. Eager to gain power, she persuades her doubtful husband to murder Duncan, leaving them to reign over Scotland, as King and Queen. After reading the letter, confident Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to forget about his conscience and do what she wants, to allow them to become royalty. ‘Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue.’ This presents her as a controlling, manipulative person. She calls upon the spirits; ‘Unsex me here.’ As a woman, she believes she could not possibly be cruel enough to murder. ‘Fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty.’ She begs all of the evil spirits to fill her with spite and aggression, which she believes to be masculine characteristics. Although she wants this brutality, she also calls upon the ‘thick night’, so as to hide her wickedness from heaven and let her remain a good person. Perhaps this is a sign that Lady Macbeth...
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... Evolution of Evil in 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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...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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