It Takes More than One to Achieve One’s Destiny William Shakespeare on his bloody tragedy, Macbeth, introduces the spectator into a mind-blowing historical event transformed into a play. Though with some questionable accuracy about the real event, Macbeth tells the story of a brave general named Macbeth who, from the encounter with three sister witches, receives the prophecy about him becoming king of Scotland in a near future. Because it is unknown how Macbeth will become king, Shakespeare uses this fact to unravel an array of mysteries around the different characters throughout the play who are moved towards the accomplishment of such prophecy. Through its presentation of human behavior, Shakespeare’s Macbeth suggests that people are willing …show more content…
“That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe topful / Of direst cruelty!” (1.5.38-43). In these lines, Lady Macbeth asks to be filled with masculine strength and be stripped of her feminine weakness in order to take over the crown because she is not sure about the manhood of her husband Macbeth. The reader sees Lady Macbeth as woman that may influence the whole play and drive the action towards an unexpected end. However, Lady Macbeth is a character that gradually falls into the despair of being the driven force behind King Duncan’s murder. For example, in these lines Lady Macbeth struggle to get rid of some “damned spot” which will not disappear, regardless of much water she uses to wash them out. These blood spot serves as a reminder of her involvement in King Duncan’s murder and thinking about it will drive her crazy. “Out, damned spot! out, I say!—One: two: why, then, / 'tis time to do 't.—Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! / A soldier, and afeard?” (5.1.35-37). From a strong, cynical and influential character, Lady Macbeth gradually crumbles into a weak, vulnerable and tormented woman who feels guilty for being the driving force behind her husband 's killing spree in order to complete the …show more content…
Albeit a brave character, at the beginning of the play, Macbeth did not show any sign of a decisive and cold blooded person. These traits were necessary for him to become king in order to organize his actions and plot the killing of King Duncan but, at the beginning of the play, he did not possess any of these traits. Macbeth seemed surprised with the prediction of the witches because, as he said, becoming Thane of Candor “stands not within the prospect of beliefs” (1.3.72-75). This suggests that Macbeth did not entertain the idea of becoming king before the encounter. Therefore, a gradually transformation of character was needed in the play for Shakespeare to explore the descent of a hero to evil that works towards the completion of his
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreMacbeth's desire to become king is strongly supported by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is a highly ambitious woman who, like her husband, is willing to do anything to obtain power. Shakespeare uses a series of imagery to vividly portray the desire for power in Lady Macbeth's soliloquy: “Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/Of direst cruelty!” To achieve her ambition, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth “to catch the nearest way.” This means she wants him to kill Duncan so that he can become king. However, she fears that Macbeth is “too full o' th' milk of human kindness” to “catch the nearest way.” When Macbeth is reluctant to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth starts attacking his masculinity. “Then you were a man,” she said. Lady Macbeth also uses the power of emotional blackmail to manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan.
Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself, as one would expect, exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs multiple methods of characterization in order to highlight the protagonist’s transformation from hero to villain as a result of the influences of the people surrounding him, namely the Weïrd sisters, Lady Macbeth, and Macduff, including extensive foreshadowing, a general shift in tone corresponding with turning points in the plot, and the inclusion of long-winded soliloquies to mark a critical change in Macbeth’s character.
`Act 1- The three weird witches meet and they are planning on when they are going to meet again to talk to Macbeth. In the next scene King Duncan talks to the injured captain about the battle against the invaders, who are under the command of Macdonwald. The captain tell King Duncan how he saved Malcolm and Macbeth was very violent and fought with great force. Then the Captain is taken away by the servants then Ross enters and he tells Duncan that Cawdor has been beaten and the Norway army retreated. Then King Duncan comes to the decision to kill Cawdor and then Macbeth will "become Cawdor". Then Duncan sends out Ross to go tell Macbeth about what had happened at this time. In scene three the witches approach Banquo and Macbeth when they were on their way to Forres. The witches inform Macbeth and Banquo about what had happened in the kings court and they tell him he is the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis and that Macbeth will eventually become king. Then Banquo is told riddles that his children will be royal and he will not. After the witches disappear then Ross and Angus come up to them and Ross informs Macbeth the news which he just heard. Then Macbeth contemplates whether he will have to spill blood to become king, then when he is done they all continue to Forres. Then Duncan finds out that Cawdor dies because his son killed him. Then Ross, Angus, Banquo and Macbeth arrive. Then Malcolm becomes the heir to Duncans throne and Macbeth has Duncan dine at his castle that night so he rides to tell his wife. When Macbeth gets home he tells his wife the news and she starts to plot the murder of Duncan and Macbeth fallows. Then Duncan and the Scottish lords arrive and they are tak...
In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare does an excellent job describing his characters and their settings. Throughout the play Shakespeare connects several different situations to things that are happening with the characters. Shakespeare uses his characters to represent things, such as good and evil, and also to describe their surroundings at that time by adding details about the characters environmental settings in the act and scene. Macbeth, Macduff, Banquo, and King Duncan are the main characters in the play and Shakespeare uses them to get his good vs. evil point across even more.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a brave general of Duncan’s army because he had triumphed with victory over the traitor Macdonwald. A Soldier, who has fought alongside with Macbeth states “For brave Macbeth –well he deserves that name --/ Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel” (1.2.17-18.) The soldier’s message makes the reader develop a positive first impression for Macbeth, since his bravery is being praised. Later, when Macbeth first encounters the three witches with Banquo, he is told that he will be King of Scotland after the third witch says “All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.53.) Macbeth believes the witches and says to himself aside “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical/.../ If chance will have me king, why, change may crown me.”(1.3.149-155.) He immediately thinks of killing Duncan to become king, his impression of a brave general completely change. This shows that although Macbeth has the power to bring justice and proper order while fighting for Duncan’s army, he chooses not to and instead uses his power for injustice and he own needs.
As the concept of traditional female is significant in Elizabethan society, Lady Macbeth is rather contradictory as she is ambitious and takes control to persuade Macbeth. To begin, when Lady Macbeth receives Macbeth’s letter with the witches appearance and the prophesies, she realizes that her husband is weak-willed and plans to persuade him to remove any obstacles. Worth mentioning is that not only she takes control of the situation but she spurs Macbeth into murdering Duncan by saying “…When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.49). She acts out of her role as she insults his manliness and declares that she would have “dash’d the brains out” (1.7.58) her child while it was feeding at her breast. This reveals her unwomanly characteristics as Lady Macbeth do not care for her children. At the same time, Lady Macbeth overrides the source of evil as she believes in witchcraft and calls for evil spirits for help. She state...
The one who is at fault in the play of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is not all who presume it is. Some say the blame is on the Witches, some say Lady Macbeth, but Macbeth is the real man at fault. He was at choice of his decisions, only slightly pressured by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth dug himself into a hole he was not able to climb out of. There was no return to the light side for him as he had no regrets, he was inhumane, and cold-blooded. There are many examples that show his inhumanity towards others throughout the play, one cold-blooded act to another with no turning back. It was a painful ending for Macbeth since no one showed sympathy for him as his head ended up on a sword. Macbeth is at fault for all the critical events within the play as he is the one that killed Banquo, King Duncan, and Macduff’s family.
Macbeth, like any other man, had succumbed to some form of temptation. Shakespeare utilizes him as a model, to show how no matter how strong you may be; even the strongest man can be taken in by evil. When Macbeth came across three witches [I.iii], was tempted by evil, then fell for it. His character, being a solid and heroic one, becomes severed off from his men and his creator [God] for the point that he reached out to evil. Macbeth saw how the only way he could become king, was alternatively taking his own path away from that of God [betraying God, who wrote that his destiny was not to become a king], with the help of Satanic or evil forces to accomplish his inner most desire. The audience sees how a devilish Macbeth is automatically broken off the path of God, as the witches discussed his position as the bearer of the throne.
Macbeth learns that the first prophecy has come true. He thinks deeply about being king as he has a huge craving for power and status. Macbeth was persuaded into this evil act. This is evident when we read 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man, ' (Act 1 Scene 7) . This suggests Lady Macbeth is saying Macbeth is no longer a man. And then, trying to persuade him, she says that to be king "more than what you were" would be to be much more of a man. Lady Macbeth 's constant aggravation pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this
Macbeth Character Analysis Assignment: Macbeth Is Evil! In Shakespeare?s play Macbeth, Macbeth is motivated to commit his evil acts by three forces. For example, the witches in the play give him the first idea that he will be king. In addition, his own ambition starts to take over later in the season. Lastly, Lady Macbeth pushed and forced him constantly to commit these evil acts.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a play about an honest and brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will be made Thane of Cawdor and one day King of Scotland. As the first prophecy comes true, Macbeth becomes consumed by ambition and greed leading him to murder King Duncan and taking over the throne. Afterwards he is filled with regretted and guilt yet continues on killing as a means to protect himself, losing sight of the honourable man he once was. Throughout the play Shakespeare uses many stylistic features and language techniques such as imagery, paradoxes and soliloquies to engage his readers, both those of his time and today, as well as highlighting important issues.
Splendid Productions adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ was performed on the 13th of December 2016, at the RADA studios, London, and was performed by Scott Smith, Genevieve Say and Mark Bernie. The original version of Macbeth was written in 1606 during the Jacobean era, and the adaptation created in the 21st century. I would agree with the statement as the interpretation by Splendid was created to be enjoyed, engaged and relevant to the audience of the 21st century.
Macbeth rejects conformation to traditional gender roles in its portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband, her morals and their effect on her actions, and her hunger for power. Her regard for Macbeth is one of low respect and beratement, an uncommon and most likely socially unacceptable attitude for a wife to have towards her spouse at the time. She often ignores morality and acts for the benefit of her husband, and subsequently herself. She is also very power-hungry and lets nothing stand in the way of her success. Lady Macbeth was a character which challenged expectations of women and feminism when it was written in the seventeenth century.
In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Shakespeare creates the ruthless character Macbeth, who is willing to go beyond any measure in order to attain the power of being king, including murder, deceit, betrayal and overpowering the chain of being. Macbeth was first tempted by the idea of kingship when three witches presented him with their portent of Macbeth becoming the next King of Scotland. Ebullient, Macbeth, immediately informed his wife of the news and they both pondered the thought of having the power to rule all of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, a power seeker herself, promptly schemed a plan to kill King Duncan in order for her and her husband to rule, displaying her ready ambition for power. Macbeth’s thirst for power ate away at his conscience
Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.