The Emotions of Ambition, Remorse and Fear in Macbeth by William Shakespeare The most important emotions that we see in Macbeth are ambition, remorse, and fear. They are significant because they provoke Macbeth to do evil and cruel things. Ambition takes control of him earlier in the play when the witches tell him he is going to be king. After he already has done the deed, killed Duncan, he is remorseful for his actions. Out of fear for himself, Macbeth murdered Macduff’s family and killed Banquo.
Duncan is murdered by Macbeth in order for him to become King and this murder makes Macbeth more ambition and determined which leads to his downfall. Lastly, Macduff is another minor character to lead to Macbeth’s downfall. Macduff’s importance arises from Macduff murdering Macbeth. There are many minor characters in Macbeth that have the same significance as major characters on Macbeth’s death. However, the witches, Duncan and Macduff are three vital influences on Macbeth’s downfall.
Macbeth further compromises his honor by arranging the murder of his best friend, Banquo. Banquo’s places Macbeth in a precarious situation; he is deeply entrenched in suspicion and there is no way out. Macbeth’s vision of Banquo’s ghost at a royal banquet only drives him closer to insanity. Macbeth has changed dramatically as a character throughout the play. Macbeth was tortured with remorse after Duncan’s murder but upon hearing of Banquo’s successful assassination he is elated.
Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! 2. Witch. All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
The witches Prophecy upon Macbeth cause him to feel restless and have thoughts about if it is destined for him to become king. Macbeth ends up going through with the murder of Duncan. After the murder takes place, Macbeth’s morals and his judgement begin to become opaque. Guilt commences Macbeth an... ... middle of paper ... ...itant about making the prophecy of killing Duncan a reality until, Lady Macbeth makes him feel un masqulin. Macbeth now convinced that he must prove his manliness by becoming king and he must make this happen by murdering Duncan.
Shakespeare uses the title character of Macbeth to effectively develop the theme of guilt and conscience in his play. Several times in the play we see Macbeth’s character crumbling as a result of a guilty conscience. At the beginning of the play he meets the witches with Banquo, and this prompts the first step toward killing the King. This helps in developing the theme because we get the idea that Macbeth does not trust the witches, nor does he fully believe them. Unfortunately his ambitious nature gets the better of him and causes him to listen carefully to how he might acquire his kingship.
The lyrics express the ambition to get what you desire. Also, the words “I want it all and I want it now” clearly show the aspiration and the urgency of the speaker. In this play, it is obvious in many occasions t... ... middle of paper ... ...have judgment here, that we but teach/Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return/To plague th' inventor: this even-handed justice/Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice.” (Act 1, scene 7, Lines 8-12). It displays that he is scared that if he kills the King, he will teach the future generations to do the same thing to him and kill him. Thus, he is very disturbed and unsettled if he should continue with the murder.
Lady Macbeth is the first to strategize a way to kill Duncan. As a character foil to Macbeth she juxtaposes their possession of guilt and ruthlessness, which creates irony and excitement to the play. Originally, she is very power hungry and wants to utilize her husband’s position in status to become queen. Macbeth objects to the plan to kill Duncan because he believes Duncan is Macbeth’s kinsman, host, and an overall virtuous ruler (Act. 1 Scene.
However, when Macbeth encounters three witches during a journey through a moor, he believes the prophecy they tell him and kills his closest friends in order to become king. People become aware of his killings and eventually Macduff kills Macbeth. Throughout the novel, fate and time play an important role to reveal Macbeth’s ambitions and his struggle towards determining
Interestingly, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, clearly illustrates Macbeth’s ambition to becoming the king. In order for Macbeth to become king he uses poor judgment when he decides to kill King Duncan. After he is king, he struggles in maintaining his position. Moreover, it is also argued that Macbeth’s judgment became negatively influenced by the witches prophesies, as well as Lady Macbeth. It is as if they were able to poison his mind and alter his sense of moral and ethical judgment.