William Shakespeare, an eminent playwright, wrote a number of inspiring plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. He wrote many plays in the Elizabethan era but wrote Macbeth when King James I came on the throne (Jacobean era). Macbeth is a great man torn apart by vaulting ambition. Three witches, a superstition of the time, show Macbeth is future to send his life spiralling into oblivion. Witches were the terror the era. The Jacobeans were very conscious about whom they would socialise with as everyone and anyone could be a witch. You were killed if you were a witch but then the witch trial would kill you if you weren’t. You would nearly always die if you were an old woman that lived on her own; she had a pet usually a cat, a bird or a toad and sometimes a mark on her skin. So witchcraft was taken very seriously in those times. Macbeth was a real king in the Jacobean era who committed regicide against King Duncan of Scotland. In the Jacobean era all of the citizens believed that God chose the king and that the king had a high status in the chain of being. The chain of being was a hierarchy that people were born into, for example God was at the top and the earth was at the bottom. The place, on the chain, which you were born into, cannot change because God chose it and if you did challenge it you would be seen as a sinner because you went against God’s wishes. This could also be called the natural order, gender also played a large part in this because it was natural for a male to be higher than a female.
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony a lot to build tension throughout the play. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony when Macbeth does his soliloquy and tells us what he is feeling and what he thinks he should do. This builds tension...
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...nsure of the characters thoughts and what they are going to do in the scene. When Shakespeare uses thunder and lightning in the scenes this also builds tension because it’s mysterious but also because it shows the supernatural powers of the witches.
As Macbeth was a real king that committed regicide it makes the story more realistic for the audience and makes the play come to live. This builds tension because they know that this could happen and that it is possible. It is also very believable because at this time there was war and treachery happening all over England and Scotland. Similarly because they believed in the great chain of being and the natural order of things it became all real as this is how they life in real life. On the other hand it would be unreal when Lady Macbeth was the dominant figure in the relationship and then became a ruler of Scotland.
Macbeth could justly be classified a “Tragic Hero” as his tragic story fills out the defined criteria for a tragic hero. Macbeth holds a significant social status, reveals essential truths about humanity through his suffering, has tragically wasted talent, contains a “tragic flaw” leading to his downfall and finally he finds some relief in his death.
... and ambiguity. Shakespeare uses the ironies found in the play so that we will remember his play's limits. It cannot produce an ideal, nor can we as an audience.
In “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare the main character Macbeth is a general in the Scottish army. After Macbeth and Banquo another general return from battle they encounter three witches the witches give Macbeth and Banquo three Prophesies. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesy that Banquo will produce a line of Scottish kings although Banquo will never become king himself. King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has been named thane of Cawdor. The previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians and Duncan has condemned him to death. Macbeth’s wife Lady Macbeth hears about king Duncan coming to their castle and try’s to persuade Macbeth to murder king Duncan. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and a number of supernatural visions, including a vision of a bloody dagger. Macbeth now becomes king and Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his way to a royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes but kills Banquo. Lady Macbeth later kills herself while sleepwalking and Macbeth becomes depressed. Later Macduff comes with his army and beheads Macbeth. And Malcolm becomes king.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero who is constantly struggling with his fate. In the opening scene of the play Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches. They proclaim that he will be the thane of Cawdor. He responds by saying, “By Sinel’s death I know that I am thane of Glamis/ but how of Cawdor”(I, iii, 70-73)? At first, he does not realize to earn this title what he must do, but when he realizes he is taken aback. His bewilderment prefigures his perpetual struggle with his fate. Macbeth also is excessively ambitious which constantly affects him throughout the play. He is too determined to become king and will kill anyone to ensure that this will transpire. Macbeth’s struggle and ambition make him the quintessence of tragic hero.
William Shakespeare’s dramatic and poetic techniques and his use of hyperbole are used to describe the characters emotions and weaknesses. The use of dramatic irony is used to create personal conflict. This is done throughout the play to describe the characters concerns and their situations.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a fictional play written by English poet William Shakespeare. The play is set in eleventh century Scotland, during the reign of King James the first. Shakespeare evidently writes in this time period to describe the link between leaders and their supreme or ultimate power. The play was first performed in the year 1606, at the world famous Globe Theatre, and is considered one of the most profound and compelling tragedies ever told. The Tragedy of Macbeth tells the tale of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth and his ambitious desire to become king of Scotland. While he and another commander named Banquo return home from war they stumble into three hagged looking witches. The witches offer the men an enticing prophecy that leads to a more pivotal role found later in the play. Throughout the play Macbeth is seen confronting his own moral ambiguity to the heinous acts he must perform to get the position he most desires. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, [s]hakes so my single state of man” (Shakespeare 1.3.152-53). This uncertainty, present in the scenes of Duncan’s murder, the feast, and the witch’s final predictions each unfold the ambiguity needed to understand the basis of the work as a whole.
Yet in the very next scene Macbeth is portrayed as a vision of valour. Shakespeare has made the play more palatable by depicting these traits through the words of other characters, this device gives Macbeths character more validity. Even after the flourishing testimonial of his sergeant, our minds still hold the witches mention of his name.
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.
The most obvious use of dramatic irony is in the prologue. The chorus summarizes the entire play in a fourteen line sonnet, revealing the plot and the conclusion of the play. The prologue creates a sense of fate because the audience knows and expects that Romeo and Juliet will die despite all their efforts to sustain their true love.
William Shakespeare on his bloody tragedy, Macbeth, introduces the spectator into a mind-blowing historical event transformed into a play. Though with some questionable accuracy about the real event, Macbeth tells the story of a brave general named Macbeth who, from the encounter with three sister witches, receives the prophecy about him becoming king of Scotland in a near future. Because it is unknown how Macbeth will become king, Shakespeare uses this fact to unravel an array of mysteries around the different characters throughout the play who are moved towards the accomplishment of such prophecy. Through its presentation of human behavior, Shakespeare’s Macbeth suggests that people are willing
Political ambition undermines man’s loyalty. In the play, Macbeth decides to kill his king because of his ambition for position. At the beginning of the play, he portrays himself as a noble person. He fights in the battle against Norway and proves his loyalty; however, as soon as the witches prophesize that Macbeth “shall be king hereafter'; (1.3.53), he is not longer trustworthy. Ambition for power starts creeping into his head. After Macbeth’s internal conflict over whether or not to kill Duncan, he decides to do it quickly (1.7.3) in order to hasten the predictions. He decides to kill the king because he wants to extend his power all over the country by becoming the new monarch. He desires to be more wealthy and respected by the nobility as well as by the common people. Becoming king represents the highest rang in the political pyramid. The act of murdering is the only way to make his dreams come true because Duncan’s fair and prosperous rule over Scotland experience the support of the whole population. As Malcom and Donalbain fly to England, he automatically takes possession of the throne. Macbeth displays political ambition first of all because of his wife. After she reads her husband’s letter about his meeting with the witches, she suggests for Macbeth to kill Duncan so she could be queen. At the beginning Macbeth hesitates to talk about such a thing and even lists the reason not to kill: he is his king, his uncle and his guest. Not completely sure about it and victim of his own desires for power he finally accepts Lady Macbeth’s plan for murdering the ruler of Scotland. This decision portrays Macbeth’s dirty morality and easily manageable personality.
Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.
In this play, it the influence of the witches and their prophecies led to a snowball effect. The original prophecies set all the actions in motion. Once Macbeth killed King Duncan, he felt the need to keep on killing people. He tried to secure his throne by preventing the prophecy of Banquo’s children becoming kings from coming true. In doing this he had to kill both Banquo and Fleance. This led to the murders of Lady Macduff and her son. Macbeth became ruthless and cruel. It is as if the prophecies dehumanized him because Macbeth was so caught up in having them go his way. He was prepared to take any measure needed in order to keep his title of King of Scotland. In addition, Macbeth never really doubts the witches. After the prophecy of his title “Thane of Cawdor” is right, he believes anything and everything they say. On the other hand, Banquo is a little more cautious. He is intrigued by the words spoken by the witches but does not completely trust the information they are giving. If the witches were excluded from Macbeth, all the murders throughout the course of the piece may have never occurred. It is interesting to see how significantly the supernatural influenced the plot. Shakespeare wrote this play “to enlighten King James I as to the consequences of a belief in witchcraft and the terrible wrongs already committed in punishing those accused.”
Dramatic irony is used many times throughout the play to intensify the themes of the story. This dramatic device can be found when Macbeth was given the title thane of Cawdor, when Macbeth murdered the king, when Macbeth’s castle’s porter acted as if he was the porter of the gates of hell and also when Macbeth ordered his servants to kill Macduff. These dramatic ironies also support the themes of the play such as the deadly strength of unbridled ambition and differences between tyranny and monarchy. Through these scenes, foresight was given to the audience on events that were going to happen but it did not reveal how they would occur. This element made the story even more interesting and exhilarating by leaving the mind of spectators to imagine the events yet to occur and be surprised to see how they really occur in the play. As the character of Macbeth developed further, the story became much more fascinating and the audience was kept anxious. This is a wonderful work that is performed on stages everywhere and the name of William Shakespeare continues to be heard throughout the world.
The first scene of the play is very short but gives us a good impression on the play. Instead of Shakespeare starting the play showing Macbeth we firstly see the three weird looking witches who introduce us to a dark and evil story line. The opening line, ‘when shall we meet again in thunder lightening or rain’ It trys to draw our attention to witchcraft. In Shakespeare time witchcraft was a great enemy and everyone became captivated by these suspicious witches. In Shakespeare time there was such thing as a ‘witch hunt’ when many people were accused of being witches, the witches were stereo typed as being dark, evil, powers, dress in black and can make things float. In Shakespeare time if you were assumed of being a witch you would be tied up tightly and thrown into the river. If you sunk then you were innocent and if you floated you were a witch. In witches soliloquy there use of language and thinking aloud shows us the witches are bad but powerful.