Children are consequently taught from generation to generation that when people decide to cause evil or harm to others, it will often end up coming back towards the inflictor to their self-harm. In “Macbeth” By William Shakespeare, karma is a major thematic message in the form of Macbeth killing his own king Duncan to claim the throne. However, this first betrayal leads to many others as Macbeth becomes more concerned about keeping this power. As a result, Macbeth’s betrayal of others through acts of murder leads conclusively to his downfall by depriving himself of his humanity-his emotions/relationships. Accordingly, this can be shown throughout the play via his loss of morality for his actions, development of paranoia, and isolation from …show more content…
At the start of the play, Macbeth is known to be a fearless and known to value the trust of others. To demonstrate, during the battle between Norway and Scotland, a wounded soldier described Macbeth as “sparrows, eagles, or the hare, the lion.” (1.2.39). Namely, Macbeth before choosing to murder Duncan also first reminds himself that he is a loyal kinsman to his king and should not commit the murder. “First, I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against…Not bear the knife myself” (1.7.13-16). Nevertheless, Macbeth becomes much more fearful and suspicious of others in fear of losing power. For instance, Macbeth schemes to murder Banquo and Fleance out of the fear that Banquo’s sons could possibly become King. “To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus: Our fears in Banquo stick deep;” (3.1.52-54). Through the act of hiring murderers to commit this deed also shows cowardice and fear over guilt itself. Moreover, the extent of his paranoia can also be seen when he tells Lady Macbeth: “There’s not a one of them but in his house/ I keep a servant fee’d” (3.4.132-133). It shows that Macbeth has developed fear in lords not involved in the conflict as well. In short, Macbeth’s development of paranoia has also led to his downfall by paranoia as it results in him depriving his inner …show more content…
Furthermore, this is by losing his allies while developing enemies as a result. Specifically, this is seen when his tyranny becomes revealed to others through the state of Scotland, which have led most of the people to abandon him during the final battle between him and Malcolm. “Bring me no reports; let them fly all;” (5.3.1). This is a deep contrast to when soldiers were honoured to fight for Macbeth, such as when during the war between Scotland and Norway, a wounded soldier tells King Duncan, and the other soldiers: “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- / Disdaining fortune…Till he faced the slave;” (1.2.18-22). In essence, the isolation from his betrayal of Duncan has led him to lose a king who tried at his utmost power to reward Macbeth for his loyalty. “Would thou hadst less deserved;/ That the portion…More is thy due than more than all can pay.” (1.4.21-24). Macbeth also considers this when he tries to decide whether he should kill Duncan or not: “Besides this Duncan//Hath borne his facilities so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office,” (1.7.16-18). Hence, Macbeth becoming isolated from people who once cared for him has also cause his downfall by having left no one to fight for
After Macbeth committed a dreadful crime at the start of the play, he realizes that by killing even more people he can get what he wants whenever he wants. Macbeth reaches a point where he is too busy fulfilling his own ambitions that he was not fulfilling his obligations as king. “Those he command move only in command, / Nothing in love…” (5.2.22-23). His obsession with power caused him to murder his good friend Banquo, and Banquo’s son. Macbeth’s out of control ambition has caused him to lose his emotion. He progressively sta...
After murdering Banquo, Macbeth begins to fear other powerful men around him, such as Macduff. The witches provide Macbeth with Apparitions that tell him his fate for the future as king. The second Apparition, a bloody child tells Macbeth that no individual born from a woman can harm Macbeth. Macbeth then replies “Then live Macduff; what need I fear thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure and take a bond of fate. Thou shalt not live, that I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, and sleep in spite of thunder” (4,1,93-97). Even though Macbeth gains the knowledge that no individual born from a woman can harm him, he acts cowardly to protect himself. Macbeth turns to murder instead of facing the powerful Macduff himself. As Machiavelli said men act cowardly, and Macbeth demonstrates just that by murdering anyone who seems to pose even a slight threat towards him as king. Macbeth believes murdering Macduff will allow him to “sleep in spite of thunder.” Macbeth uses this metaphor of sleep by saying the people who sleep are innocent and the ones who don’t sleep are guilty. Macbeth believes if Banquo is dead, he can sleep as an innocent person. Macbeth presents a cowardly character who believes murder is the “right” way of handling his problems. As a result of Macbeth murdering more and more people out of fear, his people will think of him as a cowardly king. Macbeth wants his people to think he is a strong king, but by killing good people out of fear, individuals will have their idea of Macbeth’s character alter into being a
After Macbeth kills Duncan, he is too scared to even carry the daggers back into the king’s chamber. When the king’s body is discovered, he kills the two guards that were in Duncan’s room, and places the blame for the murderous deed upon them. His fear forces him to act this way in order to make him seem innocent. Macbeth’s fear of being caught acts as an indicator of his guilt; however at first none of the other characters are able to realize this.
A main theme within Macbeth is that the characters experience paranoia when they have committed a guilty action. One obvious example of this is when Macbeth witnesses Banquo’s ghost right after he hears the news that his plan to kill Banquo was a success. When he first see’s the ghost he says, “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me. ”(3.4.61-2)
Macbeth betrays lots of people in the play. However, he also receives consequences at the end as karma.
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
After Macbeth was successfully crowned, his fear did not let go of him. Earlier in the play right before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth was afraid that if he would kill Duncan this sin would come back to haunt him. “ This even handed justice commends the ingredience of our poisoned chalice to our own lips”(Act 1 Sc. 7 p. 39). So now when everything seemed fine, Macbeth was actually very afraid that something was wrong.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth there were many cause and effects situations. All the events that occurred had a negative impact on the characters that were associated with the crimes. There was the betrayal of Thane of Cawdor, the murderer of King Duncan , and also the murderer of Banquo. Macbeth is a play about crime and punishment because the choices people made lead to their discipline physically or emotionally.
Lady Macbeth began to see the consequences of her actions, but couldn’t handle the repercussions. Her decisions had a negative outcome, despite her initial intentions being positive. The reader can look at Lady Macbeth as an excellent example of karma. Karma is the ancient belief that ever action has a negative or positive reaction, balancing the universe. Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare teaches the audience that all actions have consequences. She wanted the best for herself, but hurt others to achieve that. So, what could have been an astounding life turned in to a living hell.
Importance of Fear in Macbeth &nbs & nbsp; Fear motivates many to act upon matters, be they right or wrong. In the play Macbeth, it was fear that was the main motivating factor that influenced the outcome of the play. Macbeth was fearful of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done – this led to the murders that followed after the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth's actions were also driven by fear of the witches' prophecies - he was afraid they would come true and tried to stop them from happening. Lady Macbeth, was also plagued by fear as evidenced by the constant washing of her hands, sleepwalking and other similar behavior. This entire play was inspired by fear and what it does to a person. To begin, we'll address Macbeth's subsequent murders, following Duncan For Macbeth, he's just killed the King of Scotland and blamed it on his son. It worked and he became King, however he remembered the witches' prophecies.
After Duncan’s death, Macbeth feels that Banquo is suspicious of him because he knows about the prophecy. With the goal of eliminating a possible threat, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth convinces the murderers that he is not only their enemy but, “so is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ that every minute of his being thrusts/ against my near’st of life,” (III.i.119-121). Here Macbeth explains that Banquo is also his enemy, and that every minute Banquo is alive, is a threat to his own life. While Banquo may be suspicious, this is far from the truth. Banquo is Macbeth’s closest friend, and his willingness to kill him without hesitation shows how much he has changed. He is willing to harm not only his best friend, but also Banquo’s innocent son who may pose a threat in the distant future. Macbeth’s instinct for self-preservation outweighs his morals, and his extreme caution leads to the downfall of others. In doing so, he digs himself into an even deeper hole, and is surrounding himself in secrets in order to protect himself. This takes a toll on Macbeth mentally, because he fears that everyone is his enemy, and that he can only trust
As found in Macbeth, a fictional play, it can be noticed that the amount on paranoia found in the book is astonishing. William Shakespeare creates an environment where the reader can identify the situations where Macbeth is paranoid and how it clouds his judgement to make him do things that he never imagined himself doing. Killing King Duncan, the greatest ruler, and framing his children in order to have all of the power while also killing others in order to keep his spot at ruler of Scotland.
When one’s life or personal interests are threatened by outward forces, the individual initially reacts in a completely unpredictable and haste way, to the extent that even the individual questions “what have I done” or “what am I doing”. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the author presents the idea that threatening forces towards an individual causes a sudden reaction and desire to completely exterminate the threat by any means, in order to protect one’s personal interests and life, which results in loss of and disconnection from family, friends, and one’s own identity. In Macbeth, when Macbeth viewed Duncan as a threat and barrier to attaining the crown, he immediately thought of murdering him, neglecting his values of loyalty,
Macbeth become king. As a result of his Paranoia, he called upon murderers to execute Banquo, a friend of his that knew about the prophecies. Paranoia had taken over his life so much that his wife was left out of his plans. He had become so paranoid, his feelings had become numb. This is shown in act 5, scene 5, when he says: "I have almost forgot the taste of fears: The time has been, my senses would have cool'd to hear a night-shriek.
The tragedy of Macbeth opens up with him returning home from a victorious military battle, displaying his honor and excellence. This is, also the first time he is presented with the opportunity for power. His success covered him with glory in defense of the crown. Macbeth is busily basking in his own glory and soaking up credit when Duncan basically steals his spotlight from right over his head, proclaiming Malcolm, Duncan's son, as the heir-apparent. This action also belittles Macbeth's achievement, since the procession of the throne is not necessarily dictated by bloodlines. Duncan is basically announcing that Macbeth, while noble, is inferior to his son Malcolm. This is where Duncan provokes Macbeth to hate him and also points out what Macbeth must do to become King. Duncan even tempts Macbeth, by pronouncing him as the Thane of Cawdor. This gives Macbeth a taste of power and he begins to have a desire for more. This desire or ambition is his fatal flaw. Shakespeare, by using Macbeth as a guide, shows that even the honorable men can fall into the hands of evil just like everyone else. No one is safe from his or her own ambitions of power and success. It is clear that Macbeth ends up a far more brutal and simple...