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Macbeth character analysis
Macbeth character analysis
Character analysis in macbeth
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In Macbeth, lust for power was shown in the play where it was unfair how Macbeth became the King of Scotland and got the power of the throne which wasn’t the right way of getting those power. In the play, it demonstrates and foreshadows that a person shouldn’t do illegal or lawful things that would lead them behind the bars. They should be patience, be equal and take the difficult way to understand the journey of getting those powers. But there is always one person like Macbeth that has the thirst for power that leads to their tragic end. In the play Macbeth, lust for power was seen as supernaturally given to him, temptation, and greed. The way Macbeth got his power was the supernatural way that he believed were the three witches prophecies. …show more content…
Those prophecies had taken over his mind which meant they wanted him to get his desires and fulfill them. The witches told Macbeth that he would become the King of Scotland in the future. For example, in the play, the conversation between Macbeth and the three witches, Macbeth said “Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earth-bound root?
Sweet bodements! good! Rebellion’s head, rise never, ... Reign in this kingdom?... then all the witches said Show!... and Macbeth said And points at them for his. What, is this so?” (4.3.104-134) This would be when the witches have told Macbeth the prophecies and to rise in his power. At the same time, when the witches told Macbeth the prophecies which would depict his downfall from power. That is when Macbeth wanting the power and the control over the Kingdom. That ties in with Temptation of lust for power which happened after meeting the witches the thirst for power started to grow and his fatal flaw was exposed to be ambition. The temptation started with Macbeth wanting the crown that is what had encouraged him in murdering the King. This didn’t keep his interest in becoming the King of Scotland because of his temptation and the struggles that he was suffering that were contemplating going through with committing murders which would lead him to disaster, but his power was too tempting. In the play, it demonstrated that the temptation led him to the murder and then the murder created many problems for him. This also ties in with greed that he had murdered a lot of innocent people (that were Duncan, Banquo, Macduff’s family) which was only to save his throne and he was blinded in foreseeing his
actions. His greed and ambition for the power which he hasn’t given any reasons for murdering those people for the desire for his power which was already enough to him. Hence,
Power can be used to a person’s benefit, but it also can bring about the corruption of a human’s character and moral foundations. Unfortunately, power is the key to the downfall of events that occur throughout Macbeth. When Macbeth is given prophecies about his future, he is skeptical at first. However once one of the prophecies is fulfilled, Macbeth becomes power hungry and he seeks to know the unknown. As he seeks the unknown, his mind begins to corrupt as he questions the extent to which he will go in order to gain the power that he desires so strongly.
Macbeth's killing uproar was the start of a longing for power. Macbeth achieves his power in the wrong way. He was in no way in line for the throne unless he would have acted as he did. Since Macbeth achieves the throne wrongfully, he was doomed for disaster. Macbeth in Act five was at the lowest point in his life in the play. He is told the witches prophecies and one is that "Macbeth shall never be conquered until Birnam wood comes to Dunsinane hill.
Humans are always fascinated by power. Sadly, they do not realize the danger of it until it is too late. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare's underscores how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both consumed by power. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth dominates Macbeth, manipulating him to kill Duncan. After the death of Duncan, Macbeth becomes ambitious, and hires murderers to kill Banquo without notifying Lady Macbeth. Even though he is a decorated soldier, when Macbeth rises to power, he becomes ruthless. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth becomes weak, and insane. Shakespeare illustrates how Macbeth’s obsession with power undermines his moral judgement, leads to his mental deterioration, and ultimately results in his death.
The longing for power can seem to be that empty hole that anyone would try to fill inside themselves, but one should always be careful what they wish for, because as we can see in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth’s ascension to the throne of Scotland is unlike the typical reign of a monarch in any country for that matter. The rising glory of Macbeth is primarily what this play focuses on, but there are several steps Macbeth must take to reach his desired destination. There are multiple aspects that lead to Macbeth becoming king, but in actuality, there are three key ideas that are the most compelling. The first of these three factors happens to be Macbeth’s ambitions just in general, especially in early parts of the play before the
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, how is power portrayed and for what purpose does it serve? In William Shakespeare Macbeth, the composer emphasizes the controlling force that power possesses over another being. Shakespeare utilizes many types of powers in different contexts, such as domestic power, supernatural power and the power of the natural order within Elizabethan society. The composer employs these powers within the text to not illustrate but also highlight their controlling and possessive influence on the central figures within the text.
An idea such as power establishes itself in most societies throughout the world. Power sets the basis for order and civilization, but it also causes chaos and collides with other human instincts such as greed and ambition. Power presents itself in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a confusing manner. Macbeth yearns to gain power and has the means to gain it, but the method of his gaining of power have been questioned by critics since its inscription in 1623. Macbeth, while tyrannical in gaining his power in the murdering of Duncan, sets the premise of the story and in this murder makes a name for himself on his leadership qualities. A man’s gain of power should not determine who they are as a ruler or even
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.
Macbeth chooses the wrong path to accomplish his ambition. Killing Duncan is wrong and he knows it but can’t help himself. An example for dominance of power in addition to Macbeth can be presented in Brian De Palma’s movie Scarface. Al Pacino as Tony Montana creates excessive wealth from distributing cocaine because he thrives for power. As the movie progresses, the drugs make him crazy and he kills more and more people who die in violence followed by the main character. Similarly, Macbeth’s ambition for power becomes his weakness which finally brings tragedy to his character. He is a tragic hero because he can’t seem to help himself even though in the beginning he was good and was a hero in Scotland. Similarly to Dr. Mathur, Faith Nostbakken argues that “The witches do not completely determine Macbeth’s actions. If they did, Macbeth would simply be a victim rather than a tragic figure who suffers the consequences of his own choices. As he wades deeper and deeper into his own darkness, pulling the kingdom down with him, the weird sisters spur Macbeth to his own corruption…In the service of evil rather than good, they equivocate in their prophecies, encouraging destructive behavior.” (Understanding Macbeth
The vigorous desire to achieve and willingly attain something holds the capability to greatly affect one's life. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth establishes the immense effect and influence of ambition. After gaining power over his country Scotland, the protagonist, Macbeth, experiences an internal downfall as he battles between his wants and moral judgement. He struggles to maintain stable relationships with others as his selfish desires and goals hurt those around him when achieved. In addition to clashing with himself and others, he is seen as a tyrant leader and is slowly turned against by Scotland's nation as well as England. Shakespeare's play Macbeth provides the reader with a clear understanding of ambition's corrupting power in Shakespeare's tragic character Macbeth, through his inner conflicts, struggle to maintain stable relationships with those surrounding him, and clash with society.
Macbeth's destiny and his lust for power, confirmed by the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth, leads to destruction. Every act that Macbeth commits effects the kingdom as a whole. Macbeth's indecisiveness and his understanding of success cause this destruction. This lust for power leads Macbeth, as it would all men, to an evil that exist in everyone. It is his destiny to fail.
In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a strong theme of power. Macbeth is a king who is given three predictions from three witches, one of which is that he will become king. The one problem is he doesn’t know what he has to do in order to become king. His wife then decides that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. This one murder then leads to others in order to cover the original murder up. Once Macbeth becomes king, he doesn’t want anything to change, he wants to stay king until he dies. He then begins to kill again, but instead of killing to cover something, he is killing anyone who stands in his way of staying king. Macbeth’s fate is affected by the personality trait of bravery, his ability to be manipulated, and his determination.
In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Shakespeare creates the ruthless character Macbeth, who is willing to go beyond any measure in order to attain the power of being king, including murder, deceit, betrayal and overpowering the chain of being. Macbeth was first tempted by the idea of kingship when three witches presented him with their portent of Macbeth becoming the next King of Scotland. Ebullient, Macbeth, immediately informed his wife of the news and they both pondered the thought of having the power to rule all of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, a power seeker herself, promptly schemed a plan to kill King Duncan in order for her and her husband to rule, displaying her ready ambition for power. Macbeth’s thirst for power ate away at his conscience
Introduction: ‘Power lacks moral or principles. It only has interests’ Power is an amazing thing, and when used in the correct way and for the right thing it can lead to greatness. But when power falls into the wrong hands such as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Professor Daniel Marais from The Power of One. It can be used to manipulate and cast a shadow of power over its victims. Through the use of verbal irony, imagery and tone these characters portray their thirst for power and how the will stop at nothing to do so.
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, Macbeth is driven by his desire for power to commit heinous crimes against those who trusted him the most; Duncan and Banquo. Throughout the play, Macbeth is fueled with prophecies from witches that he will become king of Scotland, with this information he will do everything to make sure the prophecies benefit him. As Macbeth continues to kill, he no longer feels guilty but he feels as it is something that needed to be done. Shakespeare’s depiction of human desire for power is on point throughout the play, as Macbeth murders those close to him and detaching himself from gulit the more he kills. It is clear, humans desire for power, though cruel and inhumane, is peoples only way of being successful.