Throughout its history, literature has often illustrated the struggle of the individual against society. Two works of literature—one classic and one modern—provide valuable insights on this topic: William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Will Ferguson’s 419. Despite the vast difference in the respective settings of medieval Scotland and modern Nigeria, both depict a hierarchical society in which ambitious individuals resort to blind pragmatism, isolate themselves in self-detachment, and endure an ultimate karmic downfall, demonstrating that ambition must not be placed above morality. This is shown in Macbeth through the title character, a Scottish thane obsessed with his prophecy of becoming King of Scotland, willing to murder for it, despite knowing
Macbeth’s isolation from reality insulates him in a sense of safety; believing that “no man that's born of woman/ Shall e'er have power upon [him]” (Macbeth 5.3.6-7), as the Witches prophesied. He does not consider the alienation of his citizens with his murderous actions, the most egregious being the murder of Macduff’s family and servants. Taking revenge, Macduff kills Macbeth as he wished, “Front to front...Within my sword’s length set” (Macbeth 4.3.232-234), delivering seemingly destined karmic retribution to Macbeth. Similarly, Winston also endures this ultimate downfall; his money is taken by Laura, who threatens to have the “EFCC [Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission] knocking down [his] parents’ door with a battering ram” (Ferguson, 344) if Winston does not “give back what [he has] taken” (Ferguson, 345). His downfall is karmic as he loses the money he had made through pursuing his greedy ambitions through the manipulation of his detached family, descending back into poverty. The downfalls of Macbeth and Winston are perpetrated by victims of their immoral acts in a fashion reminiscent of their rise, creating a sense of poetic justice in both works. Thus, both Ferguson and Shakespeare demonstrate the ultimate karmic downfall one suffers after an ambitious rise based upon
Throughout the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth continuously decides bad choices and the consequences of these decisions catch up to Macbeth and result in his mental deterioration, however with Macbeth’s almost infant feel for ambition this makes him susceptible to manipulation, which then grows into an insatiable appetite for power. The acts of this with the manipulation from outsiders, causes his blind ambition, his false sense of security and then finally his guilt, which all contribute to his derangement.
Handling the adversity that develops within a character’s life is something that requires ultimate determination, dedication and thought. However, when the given adverse situation is handled in a violent manner, the following occurrences include downfall and destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, he is able to convey the realistic negative consequences that may follow the effects of violence on adversity. From the very genesis of the play, Macbeth is constantly handling adversity, which at times results in various dilemmas as a result of his tragic flaw. The violent acting on adversity or challenges placed before main character Macbeth, causes him to build a “snowball effect” of downfall and dismay throughout the play. Initially, Macbeth begins handling his challenges in different manners and is constantly altering his procedure. From handling situations cautiously to thoughtlessly, or having his own opinions to none of his own at all, and finally from fighting the truth to accepting his fate, regardless of the type of task, his violent handlings of them causes his own domino effect of transformations. By applying a variety of literary techniques such as personification and foreshadowing, William Shakespeare is able to effectively prove that acting violently upon adversity has a strong potential of resulting in pure disaster.
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 brief, the three scenes discussed above are illustrations of the compunction the two Macbeths are equally afflicted with after they preside over the murders of their king, a close friend, and an entire innocent family. Neither one was expecting such a strong impact on their minds, but neither could hide from their guilty consciences after the fact. Inevitably, Lady Macbeth is overcome with despair and commits suicide, not surprising given her poor, ravaged mind. Macbeth, too, seems to succumb to his inexorable destiny by Macduff’s sword, solidifying the pervasive theme that unchecked ambition must lead to an unpleasant end.
Unlike many literary works, The Tragedy of Macbeth however, is a perfect example of a tragic hero who could lose all their gains by the mistakes they subconsciously make. Consequently, Macbeth's downfall is the outcome of flawed judgements with the combination of external forces such as the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth as well as the idea of Fate verses Free will. Various literary works look at the lost of a characters prosperity and statues which usually begins to diminish at their highest point during the narration of the text, this is clear through the course of Macbeth's characterisation. The protagonist is illustrated as a Tragic Hero, a character who has captured the appreciation of many. Reaching his Climax and hoping for extensive power, it created suspense for Macbeth's downfall. Needles to say, a tragic hero such as Macbeth caused distraction to himself and pain to others by the inhumane crimes he committed. A vital example of this is where Macbeth does not want the second prophecy told by the witches to come into
...ntrasting his unselfishness deeds with the selfish ambitions of Macbeth. Macduff is the hero Macbeth could have been had he not chosen darkness. Everything Macbeth does goes against the human kindness he once had. He forces himself not to feel when guilt from his murderous actions catch up with him, sinking lower and lower. Macduff's choices all reflect his heroic nature, as he chooses to feel the death of his family like a man, while resolving to fight the against the evil that caused it. The passion that both men possess drives them to kill; one does it for selfish desires and the other for justice. Macbeth's murder shows how deeply his ambitions run, while Macduff's killing of Macbeth reflects how deep his sense of justice runs. In the end, we see that the tragic hero and the just hero of Macbeth are formed by their own choices and have reaped what they sowed.
Macbeth is a very gothic, persistent tale of a great general in the Scottish army who causes his own downfall by listening to the dark prophecies of the three witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth’s self-consciousness fails to play an important part in the murder of multiple kinsmen causing the death of his wife and his mental health. Macbeth is not necessarily a horrible leader; the problem with him is that his ambitions exceed his expectancies. Macbeth’s character has constantly evolved from the point he was introduced into the play. Initially he seems as an extremely humble person, but as he learns more about the prophecies, his hindsight fails to overlook the complications of his ambitions. Macbeth’s faith in the apparitions and the witches ultimately cause Macbeth’s downfall and the unnecessary death of his beloved kinsmen such as King Duncan and Banquo.
Macbeth’s blind ambition leads him to surrender to his dark desires that taunt him throughout the play. Macbeth is frequently tempted to result to the wrongful methods that seem to roam inside of him. In the beginning however Macbeth tends to ignore these desires and depends on chance. He declares “if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir” (Shakespeare, act 1, scene 3, 143-144). This declaration by Macbeth shows his initial stand, which is reliant on fate and sin free. Yet as Macbeth’s character develops throughout the play, he moves farther from his dependence on chance and closer to his darker desires. Eventually his blind ambition to become king overp...
Macbeth is so paranoid that he has Macduff’s family slaughtered. Macduff is not there to protect his family, when the murderers arrive at his home because he ran away to England. When the murderers arrive and announce that Macduff is a traitor for leaving Scotland, Macduff’s son denies all accusations. When one of the murderers hears this, he kills Macduff’s son by stabbing him. The murderer then runs after Lady Macduff. This tragic message reaches Macduff while he is in England. While in England Malcolm and Macduff plan to take the kingdom back and kill Macbeth. The assassination of his family pushes Macduff more into killing Macbeth. Later in the play Macduff succeeds in killing Macbeth. I think this act suggests that all of the evil that evildoers do, will soon catch up with them or come back to haunt them in the end, such as it did for Macbeth.
Typical of Shakespeare’s works, the play Macbeth has a protagonist who ultimately experiences a downfall that lead to his demise. The protagonist or tragic hero of this play is Macbeth, once brave and honorable, who eventually becomes tyrannical and feared by many due to what Abrams describes as his “hamartia” or “error of judgment or, as it is often…translated, his tragic flaw.” In this case, Macbeth’s tragic flaw proves to be ambition; however, he cannot be held solely responsible for his downfall. As a result of many outside influential factors, including the witches’ prophecies and a rather coaxing and persuasive wife, one should not hold Macbeth entirely culpable for his actions and tragic end.
Macbeth is swaying between the forces of good and evil. He wants to stop killing but he also wants to become king and in his mind the only way to do that is to kill whoever is in his path, saying “I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (3.4.168-170). Macbeth is already deep into this situation and if he were to turn back now, it would cause him greater hardship than relief. Macbeth has been dealing with this inner conflict ever since he was told by the weird sisters that he is fated to become king. This conflict ties everything together, between fate versus free will and sane or insane. Macbeth started the play as being a glorified war hero, however as time moved on he transformed into a bloodthirsty tyrant. Macbeth has gone through so much that he has shifted into a guilty man haunted by nightmares and hallucinations but will not stop until he gets what he came for. Macbeth has gone so far into the void of guilt that his name has now fell into infamy, as shown by quote by Young Siward saying “The devil himself could not pronounce a title/ More hateful to mine ear.” (5.7.10-11). Macbeth had already grown a name for himself while he kept his innocence, however with all the killings macbeth has made, he has done nothing but shame his name. Macbeth name to others is more hateful and there is nothing that Siward would rather do than to end Macbeth’s life, thus ending all the guilt and evil inside
William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth shows the gradual descent of the character Macbeth into the moral abyss. Macbeth's yearning for power draws him to the murder of King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff's family. It is difficult to understand how a courageous, gentle man such as Macbeth, could be involved in such villainous activities. In truth, it was the witches and Lady Macbeth that transformed into evil Macbeth's natural desire for control and authority. The play, Macbeth clearly illustrates that wicked intention must, in the end, produce wicked action.
In Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”, Macbeth was once a loyal knight in his king’s army, but he transforms into a greedy felon. Shakespeare shows that greed can be a person’s demise. Macbeth is true to this statement because he lets the greed to be king engulf him; he blatantly executes malicious deeds to make true his fate foretold by the three witches. Macbeth is gullible/naïve for the witch’s prophecies, ambitious to be king, and is influenced by external forces.
Elloway, David. A. Tragic Ambition at Macbeth Macmillan Education Limited. 1985. The. Nostbakken,.
His best friend was also given a very agreeable prophecy about how he could rise to power. Threatened by this similar outcome the witches gave Macbeth, he has his dear friend killed in order to hold onto his newly appointed power. This particular death gave Macbeth additional guilt which was slightly different from Duncan's death. He would be haunted by his friend and see his face around the palace, enough so to make a scene at a dinner banquet. The cost of power for Macbeth is constant guilt, regret, and murder which over the course of the play becomes constant themes. He received another prophecy from the witches about when his time ruling would end and he was determine that it should not come true. A main point of the fall from power prophecy regarding Macbeth was that his reign would end when the Birnham woods reached his castle. He did not know that MacDuff and his forces of rebellion would disguise as the woods in order to camouflage their way into the castle. One main reason that MacDuff is against Macbeth ruling is not just that he was a poor ruler who was running the country into the ground but the fact that Macbeth killed his whole family. Macbeth sent in murders to MacDuff’s own castle to kill his wife and son. He did this for his own personal agenda and to preserve his own power ruling. He had become desensitized to killing for his own personal gain after Duncan died and did not