Shakespeare also allows the witches to possess a large amount of power, and these witches similar to Lady Macbeth use their power for corruption and destruction. The witches, although female, are bearded and control the fate of many characters in the play especially Macbeth. The witches’ prophecies mirror the ambitions of Lady Macbeth, but in contrast, the witches’ prophecies hold even greater value than Lady Macbeth’s ambitions because they are concrete, they cannot be changed. Their prophecy leads to Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s insanity. They have the power to make nothing seem normal, and they control the fate of Macbeth via their prophecies. Macbeth certainly holds no power of the like, and extending the comparison further, he barely …show more content…
For example, the witches’ prophecy makes him believe he will have nothing to worry about in battle, and anyone born of woman, he feels, cannot slay him. At the plays end, Macbeth displays how women are typically regarded. He uses birth to show that women weaken men because they are born of them. This presents the strongest gender theme in the play. Macbeth feels that he cannot be beaten in war because of his detachment from any feminine qualities, which his enemies have to their disadvantage. However, Macduff was stripped of his ties to femininity by way of a cesarean section and Macbeth is slain by him. On the other hand, he has no problem slaying Young Siward. After slaying Young Siward he said, “Thou wast born of woman, but swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn brandished by man that’s of a woman born.” (5.7.14) The resemblance of gender here is strong in that no living thing born of womanhood had the power to destroy the king. This emphasizes Shakespeare’s point to display that a woman could in no way ever be fit to hold the power of a king. Shakespeare symbolized this idea through Macduff. If someone born of womanhood had slain Macbeth, the submissive role expected of females would not have appeared as strong, and it would have suggested that women have access to the
Power: The possession of control or command over others. Witchcraft: magical influence. Combine the two, and a dangerous concoction will arise. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the downfall of a valiant man is portrayed as supernatural forces implant the idea of power into his mind. Macbeth takes place in the 15th century, a time when witchcraft was at an all-time high. In the 1400s and leading up to the early 1600s when Shakespeare wrote this play, witches were seen as subjects of Satan who were sent to carry out his tasks. King James I (1566-1625) feared witches so much that he wrote a book called Demonology, expressing his hatred and fear of witches. People suspected of committing witchcraft were burned at the stake, drowned, or hanged. In Medieval Europe there was a general mistrust of witches. The treatment of witches at this time explains why Banquo tells Macbeth not to believe in their prophecies at the beginning of the play. The supernatural plays a huge role in Macbeth, motivating Macbeth to commit evil actions and to have too much faith in his own mortality.
Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.
The more power one desires, the more corrupt actions one takes to fulfill those desires. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, “Macbeth” the main character, Macbeth, becomes hungry for power which ultimately leads him to his tragic death. This is shown through the use of foreshadowing and apostrophe to prove Shakespeare’s theme that the gaining of more power leads to more corrupt influences. It is evident that there is no positive outcome from the craving of power and the act of doing morally or ethically corrupt activities in order to achieve a higher place in society.
The switch in roles exemplifies inverted gender and social roles during their era. After Macbeth discovers the Witches’ prophecy, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth about it. She reacts differently than one would expect a woman to act. She begins to mock Macbeth and ridicule his masculinity. By the conveyance of her speech, Lady Macbeth emphasizes that she is in charge and that Macbeth needs to follow her in order to achieve anything, as she states, “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness/To catch nearest way” (1.5.16-18). Shakespeare employs the rhetorical device of a metaphor to describe Lady Macbeth’s view on Macbeth’s personality. Her comparison between him and the milk of human kindness infers that Macbeth is kind and compassionate. Lady Macbeth believes due to Macbeth’s nature, he will not have the determination to go along with the plan and its consequence. The way in which Lady Macbeth speaks is ironic seeing as Lady Macbeth is a woman and she is calling Macbeth a coward and criticizing his role as a man. In cultural stereotypes, men were known to have control over the women by making all the decisions for the household without any different perspectives. Lady Macbeth seems to embody these male-like characteristics. On the other hand, Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as a feminine male
Power is a theme used by Shakespeare throughout the play Macbeth. The plot involves Macbeth trying to gain more power. Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan so that he will become king in his place. Macbeth also is persuaded to kill anyone who threatens his chances of being king, including Banquo. Power is used by certain characters in the play to influence others. One such character is Lady Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, she is a strong-willed character. She takes on the role of a dominant male. She has great influence over her husband, who appears to be weaker than she is. It is her influence that convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth is the dominant partner at the beginning of the play, she persuades Macbeth to achieve his goal, and she plans the murder of Duncan.
When Macbeth becomes king he controls almost everyone, from servants to assassins. He even attempts to order the three witches to do his bidding. However, Macbeth’s actions and demeanor later in the play are the result of Lady Macbeth, who holds sway over her husband. It is she who at first coaxes and controls Macbeth, resulting in the change in his personality. The supernatural, in particular the three witches, exert control over both Macbeth and his lady. In fact, it is their influences that initiate the sequence of events, and are therefore an integral part of the play.
Gender roles in Macbeths society automatically expect men to be physically and emotionally stronger than women, however, lady Macbeth plays as a juxtaposition to Macbeth; encapsulating the emasculating woman prototype. She wants to abandon all her feminine qualities as she recognises that the characteristics she wants are not acceptable for females. She asks the spirits to "unsex" (1.5 46) her and to fill her "from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty" (1.5 46). It is in gaining these ‘masculine’ characteristics in Lady Macbeth ultimately attacks Macbeths biggest insecurity- his masculinity. Lady Macbeth is more ambitious and power hungry than Macbeth, and uses him as a vice for her own power conquests. It is at times when he doubts what is right and wrong for his own ambition, that Lady Macbeth uses her power of manipulation to call his manhood into question. At first, Macbeth suggests that killing the King would make him less a man and would cause him too loose his humanity, however, he changes his mind as Lady Macbeth proposes that a real man keeps promises and acts on his ambitions: "When you durst do it, then you were a man;/ And, to be more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the man" (1.7 54-56). Macbeth therefore murders Duncan to prove that he would be defeated neither by his fear
Throughout the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the struggle of gaining power is seen very often among the main characters. The main character, Macbeth, struggles to gain power over others, in addition to Malcolm, for they have internal and external struggles they continue to face throughout the story in hopes of becoming king.
Humans are always fascinated by power. Sadly, they do not realize the danger of it until it is too late. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare's underscores how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both consumed by power. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth dominates Macbeth, manipulating him to kill Duncan. After the death of Duncan, Macbeth becomes ambitious, and hires murderers to kill Banquo without notifying Lady Macbeth. Even though he is a decorated soldier, when Macbeth rises to power, he becomes ruthless. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth becomes weak, and insane. Shakespeare illustrates how Macbeth’s obsession with power undermines his moral judgement, leads to his mental deterioration, and ultimately results in his death.
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.
Lady Macbeth and Power in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Lady Macbeth Amongst the most essential of characters in the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare is Lady Macbeth. Upon the introduction of Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth is brought into the plot of the play. In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth comments on her thoughts after having read a letter from her husband, Macbeth, informing her about the witches' prophecies on the possibility of Kingship. A variety of well-known topics are explored, including the revelation of the true traits of characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. " Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised; yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o'th'milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way.
Throughout history women have fought for the same rights of men. In the time of William Shakespeare they were seen in society as weak and vulnerable. They were seen to be good, caring and not as powerful as men. Men were the superior and ruled the land. Shakespeare has taken the stereotypical image of the women of the time and turned it on its head in ‘Macbeth’. Lady Macbeth is shown as a very powerful, strong woman. She has an evil about her that Shakespeare has used to make ‘Macbeth’ a supernatural play. Women were seen to be good and not as powerful as men, in ‘Macbeth’ Lady Macbeth is the dominate character and commands and persuades Macbeth to commit the murders and crimes that he does.
Evil is a destructive force; it causes harm to those who embrace it and their victims. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fall into the hands of evil. Evil is what drives people to commit unnatural actions of destruction. Macbeth succumbs to evil through his fatal flaw, greed, and it causes him to disrupt the chain of being. When Macbeth willingly murders, massacres, lies and deceives, he loses his heath and sanity. Evil corrupts everything it touches, and Macbeth decides to be evil's servant. But, when Macbeth embraces evil, it corrupts him, and it ultimately destroys him as well. Lady Macbeth is a victim of Macbeth's fatal flaw, since she is drawn in, and becomes greedy for power herself. She pushes Macbeth into destruction when she adds the small touch that plunges Macbeth into a chain of murder, destruction, and lying followed by the loss of their sanity and health. After Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are well into the depths of corruption and greed, it is clearly seen that their guilt will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The harm they have caused others will be returned to them as revenge and they have lost their sanity in order to gain power. The fate of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth clearly illustrates that to embrace evil is to negate our own need for order and well being.
Shakespeare argues through Macbeth that ambition is evil and women are the cause of ambition, so they must be evil as well. The witches spawn the idea of ambition in Macbeth's mind, Lady Macbeth reasserts that idea, and the ambition leads to the downfall of both Macbeth and the kingdom as a whole. The witches, the first of very few women that appear in the play, plant the idea or at least cement it in Macbeth's head that he is meant to be king of Scotland. They first refer to him as the "Thane of Glamis", something that is already true, then predict two achievements which he has not experienced yet, calling him "Thane of Cawdor" and then saying he will "be king hereafter" (1.3.50-53). When the second statement comes true and Macbeth b...
The Evil Lady Macbeth In Shakespeare's play, "Macbeth", there is a definite difference between male and female roles. Women were not to hear violent information, nor speak their minds. Although Macbeth committed the murders himself, Lady Macbeth was the driving force and evil behind him, making her more responsible. She drives her husband to perform the murder and therefore is more to blame than Macbeth. Lady Macbeth possesses more dominant characteristics in the relationship and uses them against Macbeth, pressuring him into murdering King Duncan.