In the beginning of the play, Macbeth’s loyalty towards the king has been overthrown by the prophecies. Macbeth has replaced loyalty with greed for power and betrayal. In doing so, murderous deeds have been put into action. Lady Macbeth and the witches fill Macbeth with such ambition, which lead to the death of him. The impact of Macbeth’s ambition reflect death and guilt upon himself and others. Regarding Macbeth’s loss of loyalty, he fools many around him, being devious and cunning. Being against divine right, Macbeth commits a dreadful sin that throws Scotland in an unnatural state. Easily persuaded, Macbeth’s ambition was the success and fall of him.
In the play Macbeth is the main and most important character in the play. Macbeth is a strong and brave warrior that has a soaring imagination. He also has strong emotions that fill him with suspicions. Macbeth is portrayed as an energized, assertive, and strategic warrior in the beginning of the play. He is viewed as the bravest of any other warrior and loyal to King Duncan. Although when the witches tempt him with prophecies Macbeth does feel some strong emotions and then urges to want to quickly gain power. Lady Macbeth say in (Act 1, scene 5) that, “t is too full o'th milk of human kindness. She affiliates her husband with a man of great compassion and affection. She says he is a man of contradictions and full of motivation, he is not evil
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
A great tragic story/play “Macbeth” was written by one of the greatest writers, William Shakespeare. He wrote a play/Story about nobleness and manipulation. It goes into depth about what just a few words can do to a normal man, and what they may prioritize to follow their “fate”. Macbeth is a man of nobility and loyalty in the beginning of the story, until he gets manipulated and brainwashed by the witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth. His entire purpose in life changes as he uncovers how much power he can have, and therefore ambition and determination is placed into his mind guiding him to stop at nothing, in order for the prophecies to stay true. This obviously creates a lot of chaos, and people such as Macduff, who looked up to Macbeth, end
Many people admire Macbeth because he is a loyal and honourable Scotsman. In the first act of the play a wounded soldier says, “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves the name), / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel.” The solider is saying that Macbeth is courageous on the battlefield and in life. He is a brave man who deserves his title and should be proud of who he is. The first sign of Macbeth changing is when his wife, Lady Macbeth, convinces him to kill his friend King Duncan. Another sign of Macbeth changing was when he believes the witches prophecy and fantasizes about what it would be like to be the king. Macbeth becomes selfish and kills Duncan so that he can be king. Macbeth becomes selfish so that he can keep his position as king. Macbeth begins to kill everyone that gets in his way of his throne. Macbeth eventually loses all emotion and allows his ambition to consume him. When Macbeth finds out that his wife has died he says, “Out, out, brief candle!/ Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage.” (5.5.23-25) Macbeth is saying that life doesn’t have any meaning to him anymore. He believes that life ends quickly and we will all be forgotten. This quote proves that Macbeth is cold hearted and does not care about others. His actions cause him to be hated which leads to many people wanting to dethrone him. By the end of the play, Macbeth is killed by Macduff. Macbeth transforms from being a loyal, well liked man to an impulsive man who kills anyone that gets in his
The tragedy of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is one of the most revolting and dark pieces of poetry from the Elizabethan time period. The main character, Macbeth, is one that cannot be related to harmony, warmth and peace. This play is filled with bloodshed and continuous felonies. Macbeth approaches his ambition to become king in a negative manner; he commits treason and murders king Duncan. Yet, even though Macbeth continues with his devious and sinister plots, we still feel pity toward poor Macbeth. For the play Macbeth to work as a tragedy, Shakespeare had to maintain our sympathy for a character whose actions become increasingly monstrous. Firstly, Macbeth was not portrayed as a cold-hearted villain at the beginning of the play. He started as a loyal hero, but eventually changed into ruthless tyrant. Secondly, Macbeth was cursed and faced against the almighty fate in the first lines of the prologue. Finally, we feel pity for Macbeth because he resembles a psychologically challenged victim; Macbeth is firm on the outside, but fragile on the inside.
Because of his ambitious nature, he will fall to his tragic death. When Macbeth and Banquo return from their triumphant battle, they encounter the three witches at the moor. They prophesize how he will become the Thane of Glamis, the Thane of Cawdor, and eventually the king of Scotland. Soon after, Ross, a Scottish noble, tells Macbeth that he has become Thane of Cawdor. Once Macbeth knows that he will eventually become king, he steps aside and contemplates if he should kill Duncan, the king. He states, “This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise and nothing is but what is not”(1.4.144, 154-155). He knows that committing an act of murder is not ethical because he sees that it would scare him so much that he would not be able to function. He even says that the presence of the three witches is not ethical and cannot be good. Then, Macbeth states, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me” (1.4.158). When he contemplates about killing Duncan, the audience can see that Macbeth is ambitious for power and is tantalized over the witches’ prophecy. He wants to become king and if he has the opportunity, he will be take it. The way he handles the situation suggests that he is unsure that being a high-ranking officer is
Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Play
'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare is a play set in 1040 about a
Scottish general named Macbeth. It explores the transformation and
effect of his ambition upon his life. Although it is set in 1040, it
is written in the 1606 under the reign of James 1st. James' very
recent accession to the English throne would have been of great
contemporary importance and a play which focuses on Kingship would
have roused interest too.
The tragedy, Macbeth, was written by William Shakespeare in 1606. Over the course of the play the main character, Macbeth, undergoes a continuous degradation of moral character. This change of character from good to evil significantly impacts Macbeth's attitude towards the other characters, Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macbeth, and the witches.
A tale of how one's need for power can lead you to death, evil, and destruction. Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespear, was a tragic tale of how ones ambition can lead tro deayth and evil.In the beginning macbeth was driven by good and had a good charcater, but his ambition to be king turned him evil. He did many things macbeth wouldn't normally do. Their character was decided by the good or evil actions it took to achieve their goal. Throughout the story of macbeth, a Character's ambition can change their moral from good to bad. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Malcom are driven by different forces changing their character to an unexpected outcome.