The Opposing Goals of Comfort and Power in Macbeth People have a hard time getting what they want; in fact, the things they want can be incompatible with each other and any attempt to reach one of these goals hurt the other. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606), the protagonist is lured to murder the king, Duncan, by the desire for power, an appetite whetted by witch’s prophecies and his wife’s encouragement. But when he reaches the kingship, he finds himself insecure. He attempts to remove threats that decrease his security, including his companion Banquo and his son Fleance, prophesied to be king. His lords grow angry and revolt successfully, after witches lure Macbeth into a false sense of security by further foretelling. In Macbeth, we see that, despite appearances of paradox, man’s goals of comfort and power are forever opposed in increment, though the two may decline together. The power from knowledge causes discomfort. As often has been said, ignorance is bliss. After Macbeth is promised the throne, Banquo asks why Macbeth is less than ecstatic. "Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair?" (Act I, Scene 3, p. 332) Macbeth’s new knowledge makes him uncomfortable, as he realizes the implications. His first thoughts considering murdering Duncan appear, and he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, "To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself." (Act II, Scene 2, p. 347) Knowing that has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and to deal with his guilt. When he later decides to murder Banquo and Fleance, he tells his wife, "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed." (Act III, Scene 2, p. 359) Hecate sets Macbeth up for his final fall, explaining her strategy, "As by the strength of their illusion Shall draw him on to his confusion. He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear. And you all know security Is mortals' chiefest enemy." (Act III, Scene 5, p. 365) The security provided by the second set of predictions is only fleeting. Feeling there is no threat to his power, Macbeth acts wildly, bringing his downfall and loss of both comfort and security. The problem with knowledge was that it was power resulting in a decline in comfort.
The emergence of Chávez as the new Venezuelan President saw radical changes in economic activities. Chávez has a military background and holds strong influence i...
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
In today’s world, a leader of a country has an immense power. That person can either wisely nurture the nation he or she has sworn to guide, or be responsible for the steps backward that country will be doomed to take at the end of their rule. There is no in between. Venezuela, a South American country that has a coastline on the Caribbean Sea, is a prime example of this truth. Venezuela is an oil-rich country that suffers from a multitude of problems created by previous governments, most notably the Chávez regime. Under Chávez’s rule, the country was guided down a devastating and highly controversial path (Rohter). Although this oil-rich nation had been lead by flawed leaders before, Hugo Chávez was the man who is ultimately responsible for the fact that Venezuela is currently spiraling out of control. A champion of the poor, his legacy in Venezuela can be felt still today (Rohter). Although he died over a year ago, the ultimately disastrous choices Chávez made for Venezuela have culminated into violent protests that began in February 2014. Hugo Chávez was a highly controversial leader whose socialistic ideologies and policies that focused on elevating the poor continue to affect not only the current president, Nicolas Maduro, but the country as a whole by providing the fuel to the violent protests occurring in the country due to issues such as inflation, government corruption, terrible crime rates, and food shortages.
Macbeth’s heroic deeds at the beginning of the play soon seem insignificant next to the primary event in the Act: the revelation of the witches’ prophecy. Their insightful proclamation that he will be king someday is both shocking and pleasing to Macbeth. Without this occurrence, this play might not have traveled a road of ambition and death, but instead one of calm acceptance and enjoyment of an already-elegant lifestyle. The seeds of desire were here planted, however, eliciting what became a bloody ordeal. The spark ignited, and a plan began to take shape.
To a country like America, which is the world's largest consumer of fossil fuels by far, nothing could be more encouraging than to share geographical proximity with a nation so abundantly endowed with oil. Increasingly, however, a common neighborhood is all the U. S. shares in common with Venezuela. The two nations are clearly drifting apart, and at an alarming pace. The lightening rod in America's relationship with its South American neighbor is Hugo Chavez. In many recent pronouncements, the President o...
Honesty is not the best policy, and being vain is not something to be ashamed of. However, too much of either of these things and you have a problem. There has to be an balance in your life of the two to get a positive result. Literature provides us with multitudes of examples on each scenario, whether it’s too much vanity, too much honesty, or the perfect balance of the two.
I find that the relationship between Eliezer and his father experience to demonstrate a switch in roles during their time in concentration camp. The dark conditions were a void to all of the relationships in camp. Eliezer ’s book Night depicts the life a father and a son going through immeasurable, suffering and testing their bond as a family.
There is a famous Hungarian Proverb “When ambition ends, happiness begins.” We may think of ambition more as a personal thing, but that is not always so. Many superficial things can get in the way and counteract personal ambition, like for example the greed of power and power corrupts. It is possible to be so overreaching about things that a narrow, personal ambition that not only benefits yourself but others around you will be at a potential threat of disappearing. Throughout Shakespeare's tragic drama Macbeth, there is primarily uncontrolled desire. The play demonstrates what can potentially happen when one pursues power at the expense of everything else. In order for certain individuals to reach such happiness, desperate measures will be committed and these individuals will realize that a stupendous imagination to reach specific goals may overrule what they believed in the first place to be an undoubtable pleasure.
Macbeth, the main character in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth was not secure in his manhood. This insecurity led to the downfall of Macbeth because he felt the need to prove himself to Lady Macbeth. After he proved himself by killing Duncan, Macbeth became desensitized to killing.
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.
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.
The effects of alcohol are numerous when considering the range in which it can impact a life. From health, to family, to legal problems, and even when deciding to become sober, alcohol has a tight grip on those who abuse the drug.
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
...regards to combat, maintenance, specific documents and corrective action, but lacks established guidance and material for writing, speaking and teaching. Every Non-Commissioned Officers must challenge themselves to take the time necessary to train their Soldiers in the basics of communication skills. It is not honorable to allow this trend to continue.
Overall, celebrities have a lot of work to do for the future if they want our generations to be better and healthy. They need to start improving their images when on T.V., such as limited drinking, no drugs, and limited profanity. Some celebrities have achieved this, but some still need to work. For example, Miley Cyrus is one of the most influential people, and look what she has done with herself. Celebrities can help change us for the better, it is just them realizing what they are capable of, and achieving it.