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Macbeth As a Dead Butcher
After Macduff has murdered Macbeth, Malcolm remarks that Macbeth is a
'dead butcher'. To find out if Macbeth is a dead butcher, the events
of the play must be reviewed.
The Collins English dictionary defines butcher as-
Butcher; A person who kills needlessly, showing no remorse.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a hero, 'good
and hardy soldier', with his associates describing him as 'loyal',
'valiant' and 'brave'. He is also trusted to a great extent by Duncan,
who expresses this by calling him 'worthy' and 'noble'.
Macbeth has just returned from battle, and the captain has informed
Duncan that Macbeth's sword 'smokes with bloody execution'. This is
ominous; Macbeth is already being connected with death, and murder.
When Macbeth meets with the witches for the first time, they proclaim
that he will be 'Thane of Glamis', 'Thane of Cawdor', and 'king
hereafter'. This makes the scene more dramatic for the audience, as
they already know that Duncan has just told Rosse to have the old
Thane of Cawdor executed, and to give Macbeth the 'title' Thane of
Cawdor.
Macbeth reacts fearfully to these prophecies, and asks them to
"Speak if you can, what are you?"
Banquo picks up on the fact that Macbeth is afraid, and asks him why
he 'seems to fear' thing that sound so 'fair'. Macbeth does not reply,
but seems insecure when he demands that the witches tell him 'more',
and asks them why they have appeared by him to tell him prophesies.
After Angus and Rosse have informed Macbeth that he is to given the
title Thane of Cawdor, his personality gradually start...
... middle of paper ...
... calculating, but even though he is a
butcher, while he is on the throne, he is never happy. He is always
looking over his shoulder, worrying who is going to become suspicious
of him next, though this stops when the witches inform him that he
cannot be killed until 'Great Birnam wood' comes to 'high Dunsinane
hill'. Then he becomes more arrogant, and feels superior to others,
because he thinks he knows what is going to happen in the future.
By the end of the play, Macbeth has nothing to live for. He has hardly
any friends, and nobody sees him as a noble warrior any more. People
have lost all respect for him, his wife has died, and he knows that he
is not invincible, as Birnam wood has come to Dunsinane hill. When he
is killed, the Scottish people are glad, because he abused their
loyalty, and he was a 'dead butcher'.
The twenty-first century judicial system goes back in time to solve murders in the past. Many high school students before they proceed to college will read the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, this play like many have very relatable universal themes such as greed, relationships, and good versus evil. If the play Macbeth was applied in today’s judicial system for killing Duncan the prosecutor would have to look at all the angels of the crime right down to the motivates and the purpose of what drove him to commit the murder.
This is my account of Macbeth’s downfall from a popular, successful soldier, quote “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won”, who has received great honours for his loyalty, his courage, his bravery and his nobility. At the end of the play the only respect he has is because of the fear that his subjects have of him.
...it by his wife, Macbeth is plagued with guilt when he sees Banquo’s apparition, and him being panic-stricken by the prophecy all exhibit the fallacy of Macbeth’s character. Were it not for the external factors that surround Macbeth within the play, then maybe there was a chance that he would have never committed the acts. “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more” (5.5.26-29). Macbeth reflects on his exceedingly ambitious life and how it really had no meaning to the world. Because Macbeth never got to enjoy any of his accomplishments in life, Shakespeare proposes that it is far better to achieve your goals fairly rather than foully. Also, if Macbeth followed his ethical instinct the result would have never transgressed into his death, or perhaps it was just meant to be.
ambition. The way she persuades him makes out as if he is a puppet and
Macbeth thinks he is unstoppable now because of this revelation and continues with his conspiracy to kill people even though at times he regrets it.
Through the chronicles of history there have always been heroes. Men and women that stand up and take charge and are moral leaders of countries. Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Genghis Khan and Churchill are only a few examples of people that are remember eternally for what they have done. There are also other leaders that people would like to forget because they are moral cowards killing their subject and causing evil. Stalin, Fidel Castro, and the Character of Macbeth are all examples of this. Macbeth is a moral coward. During the play Macbeth often shows that he is morale coward. For instance, when he is planning Duncan’s murder. Likewise he also shows cowardice by killing Banquo. Lastly he shows how spineless he is when he orders Macduffs family to be murdered.
When looking back on the recent decades or even last week, it is not difficult to find a Macbeth-like figure in mainstream American culture. In this it is meant that these individuals experience a downfall in an attempt to gain power. One such figure was former President Richard Nixon.
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...
The tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare is based on a thane in whom is corrupted by greed and a negative ambition. The character Macbeth contradicts his moral responsibility in this play a great deal; many moral questions are brought forth to Macbeth. He questions himself and whether or not he should follow through with the evil deeds that he does. Macbeths ambition causes him to compromise his honour, he doesn’t take into consideration that he is being trusted and that every action that he takes will have a reaction. Macbeth attains his position as king unjustly. As is evident by the conclusion, justice prevails as usual and Macbeths demise is a result of his evil deeds.
The songs that I will be dedicating in this play are for the character Macbeth. He is the most unique entity who is constantly changing his personality and developing more evil traits. These songs will represent all of the Macbeth’s major characteristics and the events that led to demonstrating and revealing what kind of person he is. Every crime he committed had a big consequence on his conscience. The lyrics or the mood of the song will, in some way, describe Macbeth and his behavior in this play.
At this point, Shakespeare has provided sufficient evidence to prove that Macbeth is mentally troubled. His death and his mental deterioration are inevitable. He is haunted by the deeds he has done and the witches’ prophecies. Macbeth claims that life is utterly meaningless when he says, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing.” (5.5 27-31). He no longer has the will to live with knowledge of what he has done. The witches, however, have revealed that he cannot be killed by “one of woman born.” Upon hearing this, Macbeth believes himself to be invincible. During the battle of Dunsinane, he fights recklessly against his foes, under the impression that none can harm him. Macduff then enters the scene. He reveals that he was not of woman born but “from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripped” and therefore has the ability to kill Macbeth (5.8 19-20). Afraid for his life, Macbeth remains persistent and declares that he will not surrender. In the end, Macbeth is slain and Malcolm becomes King of Scotland. Ultimately, Macbeth’s mental deterioration led to his downfall and imminent death. Before Macduff slew him, Macbeth was almost wishing for death. He was overwhelmed with guilt, regret, ambition, power, paranoia, and the blood on his hands.
instill in him the need to be King. Still, desire is not enough for Macbeth and he is thus driven "to seek certainty as his one objective. He wants certainty from the witches . . . at whatever cost" (Campbell 228). Macbeth, however, is not completely lost yet; honour and justice remain in him, and although it takes him some time to fully consider the consequences of the witches' words on him, he rejects his horrible thoughts of murder and postpones all action: "If chance will have me king, why,chance may crown me, / Without my stir" (I. iii.143-144). For the time being, Macbeth's true essence is in control, that of loyalty and honour.
Macbeth is seen as a “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” (I, ii, 24). He is a brave warrior who is well respected in his community, until the witches prophesied to him that he would one day be king (I, iii, 50). Macbeth interprets that he must act to fulfill the prophecy. He sends a letter to lady Macbeth asking what to do. She suggests that he should kill Duncan. Macbeth follows the plan and kills Duncan (II, ii, 15). Directly following the murder Macbeth can no longer say amen (II, iii, 31-33). Macbeth also hears a voice in his head say, “sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”(II, ii, 35, 36). For the rest of the play Macbeth suffers from insomnia. When Macbeth pretends to be surprised by Duncan’s death he says, “ Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time, for, from this instant, there’s nothing serious in mortality. (II, iii, 92-95) he is saying that if he had died before he murdered Duncan he would have lived a great life, but now that he’s committed murder, life is just a game and nothing is important anymore. These are suicidal thoughts and show how his grip on reality has greatly slipped.
In the The Tragedy of Macbeth, the play by William Shakespeare, Macbeth meets a tragic fate of death after being tricked. Then after his death he is remarked by Malcolm, the prince and to-be king, to be a “dead butcher.” Moreover, as Malcolm remarks those around him agree with him. claims were then agreed by all those around Malcolm and is justified for many reasons. These reasons are many in number, but only three stand out to highlight and solidify his role as a bloody “dead butcher.”
According to the classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does macbeth do this?