Lady Macbeth by William Shakespeare

This proves his vaulting ambition and how it had taken over Macbeth. Macbeth continues to murder Banquo and does so out of fear of losing the throne. This is evident in (III, i, 47 – 50) where Macbeth says “…To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. – Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be fear’d…” this demonstrates Macbeths fear and the threat he faces. Macbeth says that Banquo’s royalty of nature should be feared, through this we are able to understand that Macbeth is evidently lost his grasp on his moral conscience and begins to take down any threat he sees, even if that threat is his best friend.

As the king 's "kinsman" and " host"with "double trust", Macbeth "should against [the king 's] [murderer] with protection" rather than "bear the knife [himself]"(I. vii. 12-16). But as a man who"dares [to] do all", the expansive power could not be given up. In addition, Macbeth acts irresolute due to his halting attitude towards his destiny. While being afraid that the throne might be "stolen" by Malcolm, Macbeth is puzzled by his remaining faith.

The contrast between Macbeth's ambition and his passivity-caused by reluctance to do evil-is depicted clearly by his actions and thoughts that occur before he murders Duncan. Macbeth focuses on "the deterrent, not the incentives"; he is plagued by the "spectral bloody dagger" rather than the though... ... middle of paper ... ...o Macbeth, they point to the unfolding of his evil. He was ambitious enough to want to be king but not shrewd enough to have thought through the eventual consequences of his conniving. Although there were many contributing factors to Macbeth's downfall, the primary cause was his own character flaw. His internal contradiction between ambition and passivity allowed him to become susceptible to the witches' prophecies and Lady Macbeth's wickedness and eventually led to his downfall and death.

This extract comes from act three scene one after Macbeth has killed the king, Duncan, in order to ascend to kingship and fulfil the witches’ prophesies more rapidly. It focuses on the effect the prophesy given to Banquo “thou shall get kings, though thou be none” (1.3.69) has on Macbeth’s mind and over his actions. There are two parts to this extract, the first being in the style of a soliloquy, the better to show Macbeth’s inner fear of Banquo, and the second being a dialogue with the first murderer, which establishes for the reader the extent to which Macbeth is willing to go to protect both his life and his crown. This extract focuses on two major parts of the play and how they affect Macbeth: ambition and morality. Ambition is Macbeth’s hubris and the entire play focuses on his ambition and how it brought his eventual downfall.

Because Macbeth follows the Classical Tragic Mold, he is a Classical Tragic Hero. The first step of the Classical Tragic Mold is recognizing the problem. The problem in Macbeth is not a true problem that presents itself outwardly. The problem for the character of Macbeth is deciding if he should listen to his ambition and kill Duncan. At first, he ponders reasons why not to kill his king.

This shows Lady Macbeth’s superiority over her husband. “would be” indirectly indicates that he is a wimp and a coward and that if he does not kill the kin... ... middle of paper ... ...To conclude it can be said that Shakespeare has crafted Macbeth into attracting sympathy. If all the sins that Macbeth committed were just told to a person then it leaves the reader no choice but to consider him evil and immoral; yet when the book is fully read the audience understands his mental anguish, a feeling of sympathy is aroused. Macbeth was a victim of his own power and ambition. He breaks down mentally losing power of himself, becoming very paranoid.

Macbeth: Downfall Due to Ambition and Human Weakness William Shakespeare through one of his most well known plays portrays a tragic downfall of a king through his ambition and human weakness. Shakespeare develops the play Macbeth by showing the changes in the protagonist and the effects others have on him. Shakspeare's use of detail helps to show the changes in Macbeth through a gradual process. Before actually completing his horrendous act of killing the much loved King Duncan, Macbeth suffers mental conflict "having no spurs to prick the side of my intent" between the "vaulting ambition which leaps over itself and falls on the other" and the "deep damnation of his (Duncan's) taking off." At this point in time, scene 7 of the first act, Macbeth exposes sensitivity and knowledge of what he may do is wrong.

Finally, he's able to excuse his own role in Polonius' death, ending with both his and Laertes' demise. Hamlet's concentration on reasoning and rationalizing is what delays his ability to act immediately and leads to fatal endings for both him and the people around him. While Hamlet did agreed to achieve the satisfaction his father desired, a major setback he has is wanting it not to be morally complicated. If he truly believed he was justified in avenging his father's death, he would have acted and not have concered himself with the optics of appearing heroic . During the prayer scene, Hamlet instantly draws his sword when he sees the King alone.

He stops at nothing to meet his goals, "After Fleance's escape, Macbeth's fear and suspicions fall upon Macduff, whose wife and children he has murdered...." (Campbell 485). Macbeth's second flaw is his most tragic flaw and it is that he can't think for him... ... middle of paper ... ...ill Duncan and Banquo and make Macbeth a Tragedy. Her ambition is a major theme of Macbeth and William Shakespeare uses it to show how Macbeth was a weak man and not the hero that was the historical Macbeth. Shakespeare uses Lady's ambition to make as a fatal downfall for both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Some critics blame, "Lady Macbeth for precipitating Macbeth's moral decline and ultimate downfall" (Dominic 34).

Up to this point in the book, William Shakespeare has made us think that Macbeth was quite a warrior. In Act I Scene II, the captain describes Macbeth as ‘brave’ and talked about how he fought, fearless of death. King Duncan decides to award Macbeth for his heroic actions and gives him the title of ‘Thane of Cawdor.’ Of course, it’s extremely ironic to find Macbeth wanting to kill the king a couple of scenes later. It’s this irony that’s interesting to follow through the book. In this soliloquy, we noticed his insecurity.