In the Elizabethan Era, society was highly suspicious of the power of supernatural forces and it was commonly accepted that one’s life was governed by fate and was predetermined. Shakespeare’s Macbeth challenges the Elizabethan ideology of fate by privileging that although Macbeth was a victim of his “vaulting ambition” (1:VII 27), he was ultimately responsible for his villainous actions. Shakespeare has foregounded certain events to privilege that a person has free will and a concience and the cosequences of going against one's conscience, thus challenging the assumption of the Elizabethan Era. The audience is invited to sympathise with the protagonist, Macbeth, and see him as a tragic hero. Before his descent into evil, Macbeth exhibits noble qualities qualities, such as loyalty, bravery and the capacity to love, which invites the audience to respect and identify with him. After commiting henious crimes, Macbeth constantly struggles with his guilty conscience. Even though the audience sympathises with Macbeth, they understand/realise the choices he makes, which lead to his descent into evil.
Each Shakespearean tragic hero possessed a fatal flaw, Macbeth’s was his “vaulting ambition” (1:VII 27). In Act One Scene 3, when Macbeth heard the first prophecy of the witches, his initial reaction was to murder King Duncan, “Yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair.” (1:III 147) This illustrates that it was not fate, which lead Macbeth to regicide, but rather his deliberate choice to follow his "vaulting ambition" (1:VII 27). Macbeth could have chosen to allow chance to "crown (him) without (his) stir" (1:III 157-158), letting fate take its course, as Banquo did, however he did not not. Macbeth took d...
... middle of paper ...
...th could have followed suit, however he chose not to. This further foregrounds that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions.
Macbeth was a tragic hero, who was a victim of his own flaws, but nevertheless, he was ultimately responsible for his villainous actions. This is challenging the Elizabethan ideology that one's destiny is predetermined and is controlled strictly by fate. Certain events were deliberately foregrounded to illustrate that Macbeth was aware of and resposible for his actions, through conscience and free will. Macbeth struggled with his conscience, which humansised him and invited the audience to relate with him. The protaganist, Macbeth, has been deliberately portrayed as a tragic hero to invite the audience to sympathise with him. Macbeth, although a victim of his "vaulting ambition," was ultimately responsible for his own actions.
Some will argue that all the choices made by Macbeth were continuously his own, that he had these opportunities as a man to put his foot down and say no, and be able to draw the line where things should come to an end, the
Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs
The novel Macbeth is usually described as tragedy written by William Shakespeare presents how a good hearted man can develop to a cold-blooded failure due to his egotistical mindset. The character Macbeth is a tragic hero in this novel. He had too much faith in the three witches who promised that Macbeth will presume to be king of Scotland. Although Macbeth carried uttermost ambition and this only resulted to deficient bearings. His inferior behaviorism can only predict how much of a downfall lies ahead of him.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
In the story Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare every character in the story seems to have their own pre-determined destiny. Macbeth being the focus, could be seen as a “tragedy of fate or character” in many different ways. But, Shakespeare has a way or writing and portraying the emotions in a character by his style. For Macbeth, He is a bigger tragedy/Vitim of Character rather than fate.
It is obvious that Macbeth is constantly enacting his free will on his life. His fate does not entirely dictate what transpires in his life. Macbeth would never have become King, killed Banquo, descended to madness, and be killed, without choosing to commit the actions ...
Shakespeare clearly explores the themes ‘Fate and Free Will’, and ‘Ambition’ within this tragedy. Shakespeare weaves these themes around the character of Macbeth, showing us the depth of his insight into human society. Macbeth fell victim to his interpretation of supernatural prophecies and the influence from his wife. His impatience for the throne led to his crimes, subsequent guilt and acknowledgement of his sins. Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s life to his audience as a moral tale, warning them how men should be careful how they regard the ideas of fortune and fate and how in the end, evil intents and actions bring with them their own punishment.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson describes Macbeth’s character. He decides to do evil acts and crimes, consequently, he was killed. By deciding to be an awful, evil person, Macbeth’s destiny was doomed to be disastrous all along, and ends with him beheaded. The characters in the play only influenced him to do certain wrongdoing, but they could not change his destiny, only he could do that by changing his own actions.
Among the greatest gifts that the renaissance produced was the eloquent and incredible Shakespearean plays. Written mostly in the 1590s these plays have been performed and admired countless times; entertaining mass audiences by providing interesting tales that explore the depth of human insights and the different universal themes. Among the many Shakespearean plays Macbeth, written in 1606, stands out with its short composition but multiple themes. This tragedy narrates the tale of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s quest to grasp ultimate power by ignoring their morals and succumbing to their dark desires, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This tragic play portrays the desires, needs, and temptations that accompany ambition in men and women. However the ambition in Macbeth is blind, it does not abide to the morals, but it allows space for dark actions as means necessary for accomplishment. Blind ambition serves as the main driving force that drives Macbeth to subdue to his dark desires, defy his noble behavior, and ultimately his downfall.
...ce to happen and he had the chance to his mind. He could have avoided the whole situation; he could have just accepted the titles that were placed upon him. Greedy Macbeth wanted more power. He let his better judgment be tested by all of the motives that was placed in his way as an obstacle. Crimes were committed and the death of Duncan brought upon many more killings by the hand of Macbeth. Blood was shed over greed and the prophetic word of the three fortune tellers. Macbeth should be guilty in the first degree, and punished with the capital punishment.
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.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the theme of guilt and conscience is one of many explored throughout the play. Macbeth, is a well respected Scottish noble who in the beginning of the play is a man everyone looks up to; however as the play progresses he makes a number of bad decisions. Eventually, as a result of his actions he suffers guilt and this plays heavily upon his character until his personality is completely destroyed. Shakespeare uses a range of techniques in order to develop this theme such as, characters, imagery.
The character Macbeth in the story of Shakespeare’s Macbeth faces decisions that affect his morals. He begins as an innocent soul, dedicated to serve his kingdom and its king, Duncan. As time passes and opportunities present themselves combined with the deception of the evil witches, Macbeth begins his descent into madness. Macbeth’s innocence and loyalty are completely corrupted due to his over confidence, guilty conscience, and the inevitability of human nature. Macbeth looses sight of what is morally right to do in life because his logical choices are changed by these factors.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, first published in 1606, is an endearing tale outlining the dangers of unchecked ambition and moral betrayal. In the subsequent centuries after first being performed, Macbeths critics have been divided upon whether Macbeth himself was irrevocably evil, or if he was guided by the manipulation and actions of the women in the play to his ultimate demise. Although Lady Macbeth and the witches were influential with their provocations in the opening acts, it is ultimately Macbeth’s inherent immorality and his vaulting ambition, that result in the tragic downfall. It was Macbeth’s desire for power that abolished his loyalty and trustworthiness and led him down a path of murder. It is evident through his actions and words
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores a fundamental struggle of the human conscience. The reader is transported into the journey of a man who recognizes and acknowledges evil but still succumbs to its destructive powers. The character of Macbeth is shrouded in ambiguity that scholars have claimed as both being a tyrant and tragic hero. Macbeth’s inner turmoil and anxieties that burden him throughout the entire play evoke sympathy and pity in the reader. Though he has the characteristics of an irredeemable tyrant, Macbeth realizes his mistakes and knows there is no redemption for his sins. And that is indeed tragic.