English Coursework: Macbeth
In this essay I will be discussing who is responsible for the death of
King Duncan In Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’.
The main character in the play, Macbeth, murders King Duncan. However,
I feel that he was not totally to blame. I believe that both Lady
Macbeth and the three witches played a part in his death and this
should not be overlooked.
The three witches are all sisters. We first meet the witches in the
very first scene of the play when they are on the heath casting a
spell. Shakespeare sets the mood of the play by having them on the
moor in the thunder and lightening. This creates a feeling of evil.
This is where the witches first mention Macbeth.
Where the place? Upon the heath. There to meet Macbeth.
The witches first meet Macbeth in scene three of act one when he is
riding home after being one of the heroes in the war. He is with
Banquo when he bumps in to the three ugly sisters. Macbeth is amazed
to hear the witches’ prophecy. They foretell that he will be the Thane
of Cawdor and will go on to be King.
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter.
This stuns Macbeth because he knows that the Thane of Cawdor is still
alive.
He doesn’t understand how he will become King of Scotland either. He
wants to know more from the witches.
Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more:
By Sinel’s death I know I am Thane of Glamis;
But how of Cawdor? the Thane of Cawdor still lives,
A prosperous gentleman; and to be king,
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
The witches’ prophecy has put the idea of becoming king into Macbeths
mind. He starts to think about it and how it can become true. By th...
... middle of paper ...
... Act 1 Scene 7. But his wife forces him to do the deed
by saying that she will leave him if he does not kill him. So that
shows that he would not have done it unless his wife (Lady Macbeth)
had threatened to leave him.
He then kills the king but it is all thought out by his wife so that
he will not get caught. Showing that it is that wife that wants it to
happen more than Macbeth does.
In conclusion I would like to say that I think that lady Macbeth is at
most fault because Macbeth would not have done it if Lady Macbeth had
not of forced him. But it is true that she would not have got the idea
unless Macbeth had heard it from the witches. I don’t feel that
Macbeth is at any blame because as I have said he would not have done
it unless his wife had forced him. I also feel that the death of King
Duncan was half Lady Macbeth’s fault and half the witches.
upon him that lead to him deciding to kill Duncan; who is his king. I
The story of Lady Macbeth throughout Macbeth is one unlike those of its time in its unusually forward-thinking portrayal of a woman with thoughts and actions which would have been considered indecent. This is seen through the representation of her relationship with Macbeth and how they interact. It is also illustrated through Lady Macbeth’s morals and their effect on how she acts and reacts in situations which would weigh heavily on most peoples’ conscious. Her power-hungry attitude is one often reserved for men, especially in this era of literature. All of these factors create a character in Lady Macbeth which is dissimilar to the classic portrayal of women in the seventeenth century.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare examines the significance of time in the form of one’s present and future through the unfortunate character of Macbeth. Macbeth is an ordinary soldier, loyal to the king as the Thane of Glamis, prior to his meeting with the three witches. The three witches reveal to Macbeth his future “All, hail Macbeth! Hail to three, Thane of Cawdor! All, hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3. 49-50). For the most part one does not know his or her own future. Our futures are uncertain and predictions like these do not always come true, yet Shakespeare has set Macbeth up in a way that he knows these predictions will come true. Not long after the witches state their claims
that the only way they will marry is if she promises to obey his commands.
He decides that murder is beyond his boundaries and to let fate determine his future.
play and this could be a reason to whey she is so compliant of his
both, he is reluctant to do so, and she says that she might change her
the worst bit for him is knowing that the man she ran away with is a
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.
text of the play seems to imply that Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own
with her. He also wants to inform his love that he will give her a
leads him to control her life. In this way, as long as he is there to
thoughts. He lets his ambition to become king run a wild. The murder of Duncan
Macbeth’s fortunes in the end leaves the audience filled not with pity, but also awe, at the realization that
ordered to punish him as much as she does, all he wants is a loving,