Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3rd, 1496, in Florence Italy. He was born in a time of intense political confusion when blackmail, violence, and power struggles were rampant. Machiavelli thought that if he were to write a book advising a prince how to maintain his kingdom he might change his leaders. Thus The Prince came to be. In his book, Machiavelli lays down rules, guidelines, and suggestions for princes, kings, and rulers to follow.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth during a time of great political stability, around 1604. He even based some of his characters off of real people. Banquo was a tribute to the current king whose lineage was thought to have come from the Scottish noble-men. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shortest, bloodiest, and most popular tragedy. (Sparknotes)
In the beginning, Macbeth, the main character, showed his courage and brevity when he and his army single handedly defeated the Irish and Norwegian armies. A captain later reported back to the king, he asked him if Macbeth had been frightened during the battle. He replied “Yes, as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion (Shakespeare 2).”
Macbeth’s display of courage followed Machiavelli’s principalities to be a king with strength and patriotism. Not only does a king need to have strength and patriotism, but he also needs to instill the same qualities in his army. It is essential for his army to have the same enthusiasm about war as their leader, if not more enthusiasm. Macbeth was able to prepare his troops for any attack. So when Norway attacked, his army was able to obtain victory. Out of all Machiavelli’s rules, this is the one that Macbeth initially performs the best.
King Duncan was impressed ...
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...ctive, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler (Machiavelli 46).” When it was all said and done, Macbeth had failed to perform the simplest king duties. Macbeth let his paranoia of being discovered get the better of him and his time, because of this he neglected his army. Macbeth obviously never read The Prince, because if he had he would not have messed up so badly. In the end Macbeth lost. He had not fulfilled his duties like a true king would have.
Works Cited
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Second. 5. Mineola, NY: Dover Thrift Edition, 2003. 146. Print
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Second. VII. Mineola, NY: Dover Thrift Edition, 1993. 82. Print.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Prince.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 23 Sept. 2011
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name/ Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel/Which smoked with bloody execution/Like valour's minion carved out his passage/Till he faced the slave;
Shakespeare masterfully illustrates the demise of man through Macbeth who falls under the control of the lust of power. Throughout the story, Shakespeare gradually suffocates his character, Macbeth, by the potent grasp of the desire for power. In the beginning, Macbeth is spoken of as a war hero; seemingly not concerned with his advancement, but rather honorably fighting for king and country. As described by a soldier after a battle, “But all’s too weak,
True courage is rarely found, while many strive for it, it is scarcely achieved. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare there are multiple acts of true bravery, which occur because of the desire to set past wrongs right. However, there are also many acts of cowardice because Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become greedy and commit many horrific crimes. It is these yearnings that set this tragic play in motion, and destroys any relationships that stand in the way of gaining it. The inevitable demise of Macbeth was set in motion by Lady Macbeth’s greed for power, but by Macbeth becoming King and gaining all this power his morals suffered greatly, and he became fearful and paranoid of anyone that was a possible threat to his throne.
Muir, Kenneth, and Philip Edwards. Aspects of Macbeth: Articles Reprinted from Shakespeare Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1977. Print.
“I have almost forgot the taste of fears/The time has been, my senses would have cool'd/ To hear a night-shriek/and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir/As life were in't/I have supped full with horrors/Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts/Cannot once start me." During Macbeth, the kingdom of Scotland fell into the hands of three different kings. The allegiant (?) and famous Malcolm and Duncan exhibited the qualities of a great king. However, Macbeth had the skills of an unqualified king because he was a tyrant that abused his power by killing innocent people, not holding power over the citizens of his kingdom, and by forcing the kingdom-ship under his own power. All three of the kings were honorable and had great military skills. Thesis?
The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is a tale of a man and his un-bridled ambition, set in ancient Scotland. Macbeth is a nobleman of the king of Scotland, Duncan, who is in mid-war with Norway. Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter three witches. The witches tell the pair that Macbeth will be king, and Banquo’s children will also be kings. Any person in their right mind would question information given to them by strangers, let alone witches, but for some reason these statements intrigue Macbeth. They temp Macbeth to do evil things such as treason, and worse, to kill. Although un-bridled ambition is his main tragic flaw, there is one more that plays a big role in his decisions and the outcome of the story; Macbeth is far too impressionable.
Macbeth’s unsuitability to be king is exemplified through his way of ruling. Macbeth swears at his servants. When a servant brings Macbeth unfavourable criticism, Macbeth swears at him saying “Go prick thy face and over-red thy fear,/ Thou lily-liver’d boy.” (V.iii.14-15) Even after the crimes Macbeth commits his servant is still loyal to him and serves Macbeth, but Macbeth repays this courteousness by insulting him repeatedly showing that Macbeth is an awful king. Macbeth lacks foresight which is an essential quality to be king. After Macbeth receives the apparitions, Macbeth swears that “The very firstlings of my heart shall be/ The firstlings of my hand.” (IV.ii.146-147) A politician is decisive, keen and cunning and is always ready to outsmart his enemy, but Macbeth puts his actions before anything else and shows that he is lacking in foresight of his actions hence he is a terrible king. Macbeth is an awful king because he insults his servants and lacks foresight.
After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels that he needs to kill Banquo. He is afraid that Banquo is going to be a problem for him. He is suspicious that Banquo believes Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder, "Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared" (3.1.47-49). He plans to kill him, though Banquo has made no direct threat against Macbeth. He speaks of feeling inferior to Banquo, even though he is king. "There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked" (3.1.53-55). Banquo is Macbeth's closest friend, he is starting to lose trust in everyone around him.
In terms of this particular advice, Macbeth is completely lacking in Machiavellian foresight (the ability to foresee the ruin of one's own principality). Instead of gathering all of his potential competitors for the throne, as well as the likely accusers of immoral action, into one location and having them all killed at once, as evidenced i...
Shakespeare introduces the protagonist of the play as a valiant and a prominent character, even before the audience meets him. Macbeth’s fellow soldiers give us a view of his bravery and courageous manner. In order to prove his loyalty towards his king, Macbeth had won the appalling war against Norway, and became a hero:
Even though Macbeth can be called a tyrant and a murderer, he is nonetheless, very courageous. In the beginning of the play, he fights very bravely for his king and country.
After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads
Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, portrays Macbeth as a kinsman, subject and trusted friend to King Duncan I of Scotland. A trusted friend, that is, until Macbeth has a chance encounter with the “three witches” (Shakespeare) or the “Weird Sisters”. The witches predict that Macbeth will become the next King and that his fellow companion, Banquo, will be the father of a line of kings. A change comes over Macbeth after his meeting; he is no longer content to be a follower of the King, he will “be” King at any cost. After killing the King and his friend Banquo, losing his wife to madness and ordering the execution of many, Macbeth is killed in much the same fashion as he has killed. But does this really reflect the real King MacBeth of Scotland? While examining the characteristics and actions of the two Macbeths and decide if Shakespeare’s writing was historically sound or was it just “double, double, toil and trouble” (4.1.22-26) playing with MacBeth’s character.
Macbeth doesn't seem to be anything but a scared coward who cannot stand for himself. He couldn’t even tell Lady Macbeth that he had killed Banquo.