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Critical Analysis Of Macbeth
Critically analyse the factors that lead to the downfall of macbeth
Critically analyse the factors that lead to the downfall of macbeth
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Recommended: Critical Analysis Of Macbeth
Macbeth is the driving force behind Macbeth’s downfall
Lady Macbeth? The driving force behind Macbeth’s downfall? Certainly not. Macbeth was completely and solely responsible for all the acts of great evil which were to lead to his downfall, and to even suggest the blame can be shifted on his wife is ludicrous.
From his very first meeting with the witches, Macbeth’s mind became instantly plagued with thoughts of murder and treachery. The guilty start that Banquo noticed:
"Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear
Things that do sound so fair?…"
showed us that the thought of murder was already at the back of his mind. This showed us that Macbeth could not have been as honourable and trustworthy as people believed him to be, given that if he had had but a shred of integrity, murder would have been the last thing on his mind. The witches cannot corrupt the virtuous (like Banquo), they can work only on the evil that they already find in their victim’s mind. At this point, Macbeth (and everyone else), was not aware of this evil inside of him, which is why he was so horrified by the hideous imaginings that spring to mind. He was afraid of speaking of his "black and deep desires" openly, even to himself. For this reason, he sends a letter to his wife, explaining the situation, hoping that the thought of murder would cross her mind, and he won’t have to be the one to bring it up. On receiving the letter, Lady Macbeth’s first thought (as Macbeth had hoped it would be) was one of murder. She was just as ambitious, if not more so, than her husband, so much so that she would do anything, even conspire to commit murder, to get what she wanted in the end. However, she was not an evil woman, which is why she felt the need to call on the powers of darkness to aid her in what she was about to do:
"…………………………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; make thick my blood &q...
... middle of paper ...
...ad. Earlier, she had dismissed the matter of Duncan’s murder, but now she admits to herself what she knew all along, that
"All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand"
In the end, she can no longer cope with the guilt, and in the words of Malcolm in the last scene of the play.
"Who, as ‘tis thought, by self and violent hands
Took of her life-…"
It seems now that Lady Macbeth must have been less strong, and not as evil as Macbeth. When she took part in the planning of the murder of Duncan, she felt so guilty in the long run that she felt she had to take her own life. However, Macbeth has performed crimes that are a lot worse than the crime his wife committed, but he has not decided to do anything as drastic as taking his own life.
It is in Act 5 scene 5 that Macbeth shows us the true extent of his insanity. He has lost the capacity to feel fear (for his inevitable death), and grief (for his dead wife). It is in Act 5 Scene 7 that Macbeth’s life comes to an abrupt end, and no one grieves him. He died a tyrant and a murderer, all through his own fault.
Lady Macbeth and the three witches are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. The three witches told Macbeth a prophecy, which led him to murder anyone in his way for more power. In page 18, When Macbeth heard that he became the new Thane of Cawdor, he thought, “If it’s my fate to be king, then fate might make me king, without me having to do anything”. This is ironic because he ended up murdering innocent people such as his best friend and Macduff’s family to stay as the King. Macbeth relied too much on the prophecies from the three witches to save him from fear. “Im determined to know the worst, by any means I can. I have to know, for my own good”(p.72). Lady Macbeth was also
Guilt surrounds Macbeth for the second time when he sends out the murderers to kill Banquo, his old friend. Macbeth had no other choice but to get rid of Banquo. Banquo had witnessed the three witches and the prophecies. One prophecy was that his son would become king one day "To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings"(Act3 scene1 line70). In order for Macbeth to be safe is to kill Banquo. Banquo may assume what had happened and tell the people of Scotland. "For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel".
Shakespeare created a character in Macbeth who is strongly influenced in his decision making throughout the drama of The Tragedy of Macbeth. This drama is a Tragedy, hence the title, and has a hero, in Macbeth, who has a downfall. Readers become aware of the aspects that lead up to this predicament. Macbeth’s downfall was contributed equally from Lady Macbeth, the three weird sisters, and Macbeth’s ambition.
Barbie is tall, thin, has large hips and a large chest; she is beautiful, blonde, and she loves to shop; overall, Barbie is the feminine ideal. As researchers Jacqueline Urla and Alan Swedlund acknowledge, “little girls learn, among other things, about the crucial importance of their appearance to their personal happiness and to their ability to gain in favor with their friends” (1995:281). Gender roles are both centered around behavior as well as around bodies; this poses huge problems for transgender people, as well as explanations for transphobia; society has, for so long, accepted gender and sex to be synonymous. Because of this, a person whose gender is female and whose body is (rhetorically) male is a frightening and concerning deviant to most people’s understanding of the way in which gender exists. Everything that has to do with ideals for bodies leads to problems for transgender people; whether it is, as Urla and Swedlund also commented, that “...woman’s body was understood through the lens of her reproductive functions” (1995:287), or the general idea of “norms” for body proportions. When considering women’s bodies’ main purpose to be that of reproduction, it is apparent why the concept of transgender people may be concerning; transgender women -- that is, people, assigned male at birth but who live as women -- are women whose bodies cannot reproduce in the way that women are expected to; transgender men -- people assigned female at birth but who live as men -- may still have bodies which are viewed as useful mainly for their reproductive capabilities, but which they do not intend to acknowledge or use as such. When things stray so drastically from a norm which has long been accepted with minimal thought, onlookers panic that other norms will start to change as well. Straying from this norm also
Seidman, Steven, Nancy Fischer , and Chet Meeks. "Transgendering." New Sexuality Studies. North Carolina: Routledge, 2011. . Print.
As Macbeth stats to fulfil his prophecy and take the crown, Lady Macbeth falls back on the role in his life. After the banquet scene in act 3, we realize that Lady Macbeth thinks the killing is done. She realizes the need for Banquo's death but, doesn’t push him to do it so soon. She is aware of her husband's evil thoughts, but this time she does not need to encourage them to become actions. Without the much-needed role of partner in crime, Lady Macbeth is simply a sidekick. She tries to comfort Macbeth and is always there but, she does not play an active role in his evil plans. Moreover, without the constant need to do something for the prophecy, Lady Macbeth fell into guilt which led to her go
Transsexuals see themselves as an actual man or women. The don’t realized that no matter what they do to change their sex, some in society will still see them as that man or women their were born as . For society, the topic of reverse gender is complex with various emotions. Moreover, individuals frequently marked them as misfits, not understanding the genuine essence of being man or woman. There are many arguments that state, psychological disorders do not change a person gender, no matter how trapped they might seem, as
“When trannies were growing up and coming of age-there was no place for us. We were kinda put on the fringes of society...the real safe space for us was out there on the streets” (Trans Views). OR “Gender is a universe and we are all stars” (Lacey Roop). Transgenderism can be best described as moving away from the gender assigned at birth. This can mean wearing the clothes, taking on the roles, and assuming the pronouns of a gender designated at birth, or rejecting gender entirely . Gender variance and transgenderism, although seen commonly throughout human history, are seen as unnatural and an insult to the sex that God “gave”. Many believe that sex and gender is the same thing, and therefore assume that one that is biologically female is a woman, and one that is biologically male is a man. There is a common misunderstanding that transgenderism is an expression of homosexuality, assuming that the trans person is straight. Sometimes, transgender is seen as a gender of its own, excluding transmen and transwomen from their own gender.
Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, is one of the most frightening and powerful female character in the play. Both of them are trying to seek the throne and become king and queen.
A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders. He killed his best friend Banquo out of fear and he senselessly murdered Macduff’s family. The hallucination of Banquo’s ghost is a representation of Macbeth 's guilt, all of Macbeth’s guilt is manifested in the ghost. Macbeth states that he feels guilty because of the murders. “Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear.” (III, iv, 80-81) Seeing the ghost of Banquo is the breaking point for Macbeth. The ghost also causes him to think more irrationally which leads to the murder of Macduff. Also, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is full of regret and guilt. The voices he hears reflect his mental state. “Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (II, ii, 35) His innocence was killed and he knows that he has to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, hence Macbeth will never sleep peacefully ever again. After each successive murder, Macbeth becomes more and more inhumane. “I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o 'er.” (III, iv, 143-145) Macbeth claims that after committing a murder, there is no turning back. He killed his best friend due to his ambition and fear. The third murder was outright moralless and unnecessary, he compulsively killed Macduff’s wife and children. Macbeth shows no remorse in his murders, he becomes an absolute monster towards the end of the play. As Macbeth loses his human morales, hallucinations appear to remind him of the sins he
After Duncan’s death, Macbeth feels that Banquo is suspicious of him because he knows about the prophecy. With the goal of eliminating a possible threat, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth convinces the murderers that he is not only their enemy but, “so is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ that every minute of his being thrusts/ against my near’st of life,” (III.i.119-121). Here Macbeth explains that Banquo is also his enemy, and that every minute Banquo is alive, is a threat to his own life. While Banquo may be suspicious, this is far from the truth. Banquo is Macbeth’s closest friend, and his willingness to kill him without hesitation shows how much he has changed. He is willing to harm not only his best friend, but also Banquo’s innocent son who may pose a threat in the distant future. Macbeth’s instinct for self-preservation outweighs his morals, and his extreme caution leads to the downfall of others. In doing so, he digs himself into an even deeper hole, and is surrounding himself in secrets in order to protect himself. This takes a toll on Macbeth mentally, because he fears that everyone is his enemy, and that he can only trust
MacBeth is Responsible for His Downfall. There were many wrongs committed in "MacBeth." But who should bear the major responsibility for these actions? The witches prophesying the truth? Lady MacBeth's scheming and persuasion?
He used what is known as Vroom’s Expectancy theory, which proved to be not as resourceful. With this theory, it is assumed that an employees’ work behavior will likely be determined by the employees’ expected results (HemaMalini & Washington, 2014). Furthermore, with Vroom’s Expectancy theory, it is believed that behavior is the result of choices to increase happiness and to decrease adverse situations. The manager who attempted to motivate me appeared to use this theory, in which he seemed to require and ask for more work for the same number of benefits. With me specifically, he expected higher numbers each day and to exceed my goal every month. There are also three variables associated with Vroom’s Expectancy theory which include instrumentality, expectancy, and valence. Instrumentality is the belief that if one performs well, they will be rewarded (LugoSantiago, 2016). Pertaining to my manager who applied Vroom’s Expectancy theory, he used instrumentality as a tool to offer more money to motivate me to work harder. He also offered additional bonuses and vacations in the event I exceeded my goal, even though there were other employees’ who were not hitting their appointed goals. It seemed as though I was carrying the weight of everyone, which made the working environment more stressful. Expectancy is the idea that increased effort will increase ones’ performance. My manager at the time made sure that his staff had the resources that were needed such as proper training, support, and information, which did appear to help with the overall appointed tasks. The final component of Vroom’s Expectancy theory is called valence. Valence refers to the importance that a person places upon an outcome that is expected (LugoSantiago, 2016). Since each person has his or her own idea of what is deemed important, certain items or ideas may not always be
While not the only contributing factor, Lady Macbeth does play a substantial role in the downfall of her husband. She is a like a catalyst for Macbeth and essentially pushes him to do what he would not have been able to do on his own. Macbeth himself highly ambitious and determined, but his wife is even more so. At first he refuses to kill Duncan but she persists and eventually gets him to do it. It is important to note here that Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth forward by manipulating him.
Transgender women face just as much misogyny as cisgendered women, and often times more. “The worst insult for a boy is that he acts ‘like a girl.’ In a transmisogynistic society, being trans is punished and being feminine is punished, but nothing is punished more than the femininity of people who are not ‘supposed’ to be women,” concurs Max Thornton, a journalist at Advocate (Thornton). This is just one example of the misogyny and stereotyping that trans women face on a daily basis. People’s ideals of hypermasculinity nowadays creates even more of a stigma against these women than there might be otherwise. Even more so than there is for trans men, as Kortney Ziegler, another jou...