Shakespeare

William Shakespeare wrote his play 'Macbeth' for King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. Shakespeare used Macbeth as an excuse to commend the King's long descent back to his supposed ancestor, Banquo.

Macbeth was written in early 17th century and was performed at Hampton Court in 1606 for King James I and his brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark. The main character, Macbeth, became corrupt through power, guilt and ambition. Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others or the course of events. Having power enabled him to commit many sins in order to become more powerful. The play shows that even Macbeth, who is highly regarded by others which can be seen in the exclamatory statement by King Duncan "O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!", does not crave power, however, through persuasion and temptations, will do horrific things to gain authority and power. Ambition is seen as a risky quality in the play, it causes the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and is behind multiple deaths. Therefore Shakespeare develops a key theme throughout his play through power and ambition.

Power and ambition are seen throughout the play through the characters. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have strong power and ambition. Lady Macbeth was not seen as the typical woman image, she had the power over her relationship with Macbeth and was presented as a manipulative woman where as woman in the 17th century were considered delicate, had no rights and were inferior to men, had no power or education and were obedient to their father and husbands. Lady Macbeth brainwashed Macbeth to get the power she desired, this is seen through the forceful statement by Lady Macbeth "Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, and...

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...cters and writing techniques to develop his key theme of power and ambition throughout his play, but also through the use of language. He uses powerful imagery which allows us to visualise his scenes with ease without the use of props, varied vocabulary and the lyricism of his verse which often has a lingering effect on the audience. He uses a wide range of allusions to classical, religious and historical icons, stories and people and frequently uses puns, juxtaposition, assonance, alliteration, all are tactics to engage and entertain his audience.

Ambition has fatal consequences in the play, which include Macbeth being murdered as a tyrant and Lady Macbeth committing suicide. Shakespeare suggests that achieving your goals fairly rather than achieving them through corruption it is more satisfying as he doesn't allow either character to enjoy what they have achieved.