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Character analysis macbeth
The play macbeth characters analysis
Analysis on macbeths character throughout the play
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Macbeth is a very superstitious play filled with multiple supernatural scenarios that lead the reader into the mind of man controlled by evil. Throughout this play, the supernatural events that occur are the most important parts and main plot to the story’s timeline. If there were not any source of supernatural events, there would not be any way of knowing how they are as characters and their specific behaviors. The evil spirits not only show how much hatred and anger is inside of Macbeth, but they also reveal how easy it is to harm someone disliked by many. This marks the beginning of a horrible pattern of crime and injustice acts that eventually leads Macbeth to his one and only fate.
Although you can see how insanely crazy Macbeth is throughout the whole play (it is easily noticed in Act 3, Scene 4). Macbeth is slowly going crazy at this point in the play because at a dinner he is hosting at his house, he claims to have seen the ghost of Banquo, someone whom he allegedly killed. In this section of the play, Macbeth states the following can be found in Act 3, Scene 4 (Lines 75-83):
"Blood hath been shed ere now, i' the olden time,
Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal;
Ay, and since too, murders have been perform'd
Too terrible for the ear: the times have been,
That, when the brains were out, the man would die,
And there an end; but now they rise again, 80
With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,
And push us from our stools: this is more strange
Than such a murder is."
This really explains a lot and shows the reader how Macbeth is and the superstitious events that were happening in his world.
Throughout the whole play, the three witches are seen as evil. However, they only told Macbeth what was already inside his ow...
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...wer and above everyone else. Both Macbeth and his wife constantly strived for power and in the end, Macbeth was shown what happens when evil takes over your world. The use of supernatural abilities allows the play to end relatively well considering the amount of knowledge known. Without all of the apparitions, ghost sightings, evil action and of course, the witches, Macbeth would be one of the most boring plays to have ever been written. With all of the dramatic situations and supernatural occurrences, it helps the reader gain motivation in themselves to not only finish reading the play, but to enjoy every aspect of the story line.
Works Cited
"Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 - Banquo's Ghost Appears." Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 - Banquo's Ghost. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
"Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Murder, ghosts, and floating daggers are the usual attractions for most that read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and yet there is an important theme that some might overlook. Written in the early 17th century, Macbeth is believed to be based upon historical events listed in Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland and other current events of the time. Shakespeare constructs the memorable world of Macbeth with a mysterious and sinister atmosphere, incorporating diabolical elements into this world with the appearance of Hecate, witches, prophecies and ghostly apparitions. Throughout his story, Macbeth becomes controlled by desire for power, by allowing himself to be influenced, using evil means to gain and maintain power to the point that Macbeth is blinded to all else. In Macbeth, Shakespeare vividly demonstrates a recognizable theme of the weighty pull that power holds over those with authority.
In the play of Macbeth we notice the works of how the supernatural can control or change
Following this murder, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet. He is filled with feelings of regret and, as a result of his troubled mind, sees Banquo's ghost.
From the very beginning of the play, supernatural and unnatural forces have inspired and encouraged Macbeth. They interfere with natural events and completely change the character of Macbeth and his wife. Witches, apparitions, ghosts, and other unnatural images are used to demonstrate the evil effects and consequences those forces can have. Shakespeare is successful in telling his audience that only evil will come when Macbeth or any other person tampers with natural forces for personal gain.
The witches have a strong effect on Macbeth's character; they highly influence him in his accomplishments and awake his ambitions. They give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths. They are the ones who plant the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man,' (Macbeth, Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 7) Lady Macbeth's constant harassment pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this evil. When you reason things out by yourself you tend to now what is right and what is wrong, a conscience. But with the outside influence from the witches he thinks that that is his destiny and he must do everything to fulfill it. One can wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. He is overthrown and killed. Through his own ambitions, the ambition of his wife and the witches' prophesies, Macbeth has caused his own destruction and downfall. We can now clearly see that ambition not achieved through our own ability leads to destruction. 'Hail Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor and shalt be King hereafter'. (Act 1 Scene 3) These prophecies from three strangers are taken without question and probably without good judgment. Just the thought that he may be King clouds his thoughts and ambition takes over. The witches can predict the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they cannot control his destiny.
that their evil doings are being carried out. The supernatural plays a key role in the shaping of events in the play. as it brings out the evil of Lady Macbeth and using the powers of persuasion forces Macbeth to go against his will to commit murder. It is also far more interesting to have the involvement of witches in a play as it adds in an air of mystery and tenseness to the audience as It is something that scares them and makes them remember the play. well.
How could anyone ever imagine what their life would be like if it was controlled by supernaturalism? After Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603, King James I took over. He’s in bloodline with Banquo and by the time Macbeth was written, King James I was incredibly skeptical of witches. He told his judges to be wary and to not be deceived of the supernatural. The play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare was dedicated to King James I and the dedication is seen through various parts of this play. Supernaturalism, such as the witches and apparitions, are what influence Macbeth into committing horrific actions.
In Macbeth the Witches are shown as being evil, conniving, and cruel. "Here I have a pilot’s thumb, wreck’d, as homeward he did come." The Witches play a major role in convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan. They give Macbeth and Bonquo three prophecies: "all hail Macbeth hail to thee, thane of Cawdor" "all hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter" "thou shalt get kings, though be none." Bonquo doesn’t take these prophecies seriously, but Macbeth shows some ambition for power. "If chance will have me king, why, chance will crown me." Macbeth becomes more dependent to the Witches. In Act 4 scene 1 Macbeth returns to the weird sisters, demanding what the future would bring. The Witches gave him three prophecies: "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, beware the thane of Fife." "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" "Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill."
After Macbeth gets the justification straight in his head, he is equipped to go on his quest for King of Scotland. Macbeth was not virtuous in controlling his own destiny. He let the witches ultimately talk him out of his righteousness and the idea he had that his worthy engagements would make him king one day. The witches of doom were very essential to Macbeth starting disarray within himself and falling into his own fate. Without the witches in the play, foreshadowing and suspense would be lost: Macbeth would have eventually earned King of Scotland in the future with his own bravery and leadership.
...Macbeth made them happen. With the encouragement of the witches and from Lady Macbeth, he made the destructive action of murdering Duncan. Paranoia and guilt start to take over Macbeth`s emotions, which cause hallucinations and multiple suspicions from his closest of friends. Finally anger and revenge cause Macbeth to fall into ultimate destruction and evil. He kills innocent people and everyone that comes in his way. These actions and thoughts are caused by his human nature that resulted into corruption because of temptation and ambition. His aspirations to be king were acceptable, but to kill his way to get the crown shows his inner character and how easily he can be swayed into dark and evil actions. Macbeth gives the audience a sense of how our human nature is naturally inclined to be dark, but how we must be strong enough to overcome evil and achieve greatness.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the supernatural and the role they play in motivating characters is apparent throughout the duration of the play. The supernatural is what causes conflict in the play and the prophecies from the witches in act one scene three is the inciting action in the piece. The supernatural causes the future conflict by motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could become king of Scotland. Through temptation, the supernatural motivates characters to think arrogantly and for their own benefit. The supernatural in Macbeth presents prophecies which tempt Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power. This leads Macbeth to contradict his loyal and courageous personality by planning a treacherous murder on Duncan with the arrogant intention of becoming king and later killing other characters in the play with the only purpose of keeping his own powers. Both Macbeth and Banquo were also tempted by the original prophecies and showed clear motivation to act upon them. However, there is a clear contrast between the immediacy in which the two characters began taking actions and the logic put into their decisions.
Banquo's ghost appears in act 3 scene 4 of the play. It comes and leaves a couple times. It sits in Macbeth's seat, yet his comrades call for Macbeth to take the same spot. (III 4, ll. 37-46) This establishes that only Macbeth can see the ghost. The ghost is bloody, as is consistent with Shakespearean era ghosts, as established by the "gory locks." (II 4, l. 48) This whole vision takes place shortly after Macbeth had his friend murdered by three men. It is also important to note that the ghost never utters a sound, an important difference between him and Shakespeare's other ghosts, as will be established later.
In the English Renaissance, there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is a recurring aspect in William Shakespeare 's Macbeth and is an integral and important part of the plot. The role of the supernatural in Macbeth is to bring out emotional reactions within Macbeth that cloud his judgement, affecting his actions which ultimately leads to his downfall. This is demonstrated through the ambiguous prophecies of the witches, the supernatural phenomenon that Macbeth sees, and the apparitions that foreshadow how he will meet his end.
To conclude Shakespeare used the supernatural, to show how easily someone’s fatal flaw can be exploited to bring them to an end. This is extremely relevant to his audience at that time as well, no one knows, but Shakespeare could have been a non believer in the supernatural and wanted to show it as a figment of the mind, that can only result in insanity or he could have believed the popular opinion that the supernatural did exist and caused terror and evil throughout that period. Either way he wrote Macbeth in such a way to leave questions about the supernatural in peoples mind.
...he supernatural is one element in Macbeth that was used cleverly by Shakespeare to get various messages across to the audience. The messages are brought across between the lines of the plays which requires audiences to reflect critically to get the underlying meaning of his play. Shakespeare did not merely show ghosts and witches in the supernatural as a thriller, but also tied in the political and religious aspects of the society during his time.