The People Vs. Macbeth
The Macbeth trial broke out in full force today as the entire nation of Scotland paid close attention to the small town court of Grahacknboroughsly, Scotland. The charges are for abuse of power, abuse of wealth, abuse of friendship and misuse of a regal Scottish accent. As the parade of people came into the courthouse, 2/3rds of them were enemies of Macbeth. The motion to dismiss came early on grounds of permanent death on Macbeth’s defense team. The motion was quickly dismissed as Macbeth was being quite lively for a dead King. The motion was not helped by the “deceased” ordering the judge to “Lemme free, drop the charges and get a haircut.” The defense motion was further weakened by the comment, “the judge can kiss my giant, royal behind.”
The trial soon got underway after the court was able to settle Macbeth down. The People’s witness list started off at the top and worked down. The first was Banquo, as he had been victimized by Macbeth early in the tale and his testimony, as well as his casket, was getting stale. After hearing the testimony from Banquo, the Macbeth defense brought out their one and only witness, a stable boy, who looked as though he had been threatened with his life. The boy’s shaky and unseemingly well worded testimony went over very badly on the jury side and the crowds side. The boy brought out the fact that Macbeth was blinded by the possibility of absolute power and wealth, and that he couldn’t control his wife’s demands until it was too late for the both of them. He also stated that the opportunity wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for the king’s cowardly sons and their flight from Scotland. This did not go over well for the side of the jury that was strongly pro Duncan (even though they were supposed to be non partisan, it was hard to find a soul who didn’t love Duncan so much as to hate Macbeth.)
The People now brought out the Weird sisters and their cauldron to make their testimony. As cryptic as it was, it revealed that they had convinced Macbeth to kill Duncan, even though it was not hard. The jury was heavily swayed by this revelation, the common thought was that it may not have been Macbeth’s fault. The sisters may have convinced him.
...s were the ones who told him the prophecy that he would become king. If they did not give him this information, he would not have had the idea to even kill King Duncan in the first place. Lady MacBeth only continued to convince MacBeth that murdering King Duncan to gain power was the right thing to do. She is the one who filled his head with nasty thoughts, and persuaded him to kill Duncan. The amount of pressure finally got to MacBeth, and caused him to go insane. The hallucinations prove that he has gone insane, and no person that has such a condition can be blamed for any wrongdoing. If anyone should be held responsible for MacBeth’s crimes, it should be Lady MacBeth for persuading him to vicious, and the Weird Sisters for putting the idea of him becoming king in his head.
“The weird sisters are a "supernatural soliciting" that act like a catalyst. They do not plant in Macbeth a desire for the crown. (1)” This statement, while credible and true, holds flaws in the statement of the witches role and purpose at setting the tone and course of the story. The three witches also known as “the weird sisters”, in an act of manipulation, bestow upon Macbeth a prophecy, which gives Macbeth the hope that he could receive power and eventually rule. With this abuse of power the witches create a chain of events for their own amusement which sets a course of travesty for the tragic hero Macbeth. The witches were not only a catalyst, also the planters of the seed that caused Macbeth’s desire for the crown, without the witches Macbeth would have never taken the initiative to gain the throne and he would have remained Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis. Luisa Murano justifies this speculation in her statement, “Macbeth, returning victorious from the battlefield where he has risked his life for his king, encounters three witches who inspire in him the idea of taking over the king 's place.(2)” In fact, no inclination is given of Macbeth’s thoughts or intentions of ever overthrowing Duncan until the witches’ prophecy is read. In regards to the statement about the witches being a catalyst that is true in the context of the play. Throughout the play
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, we have heard the defence glorify Macbeth in an effort to cloud the horrible acts of murder that he committed. The question that we are here to answer today stands, ?is Macbeth guilty of the murder of our beloved king, Duncan?. Many questions cloud our judgement today. Did Macbeth have a motive to kill the king? Did Macbeth meticulously premeditate the murder of Duncan? Did Macbeth carryout, then cover up the murder of King Duncan? Ladies and gentlemen it will be difficult, nay impossible for you to deny any of these allegations of murder against Macbeth, because simply put, he did commit these vicious acts of murder.
serious if his wife was not more anxious than he was. She, more than her
Macbeth: Shakespeare's Comparisons and Contrasts. Throughout Macbeth Shakespeare uses comparison and contrast to bring out characteristics of his main character, Macbeth. Shakespeare uses comparisons with Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo to bring out aspects of Macbeth's character. After hearing of Macbeth's courageousness on the battlefield, Duncan, a good and honest king, bestows the title of Cawdor on Macbeth.
Lowe argues that Macbeth constantly presses the witches to reveal more, and acts under his own accord to commit the act of murder. The witches merely state that Macbeth will become king; they do not order him to kill Duncan. Lowe concludes that Macbeth is a culpable human, acting on his own ambition with help from the Witches. Macbeth, from a causation standpoint, reveals that the initial meeting with the Witches caused the downfall of Macbeth. Lowe states “Metaphorically speaking, the witches give Macbeth a flame, but Macbeth lit himself on fire and kept feeding that fire until he was completely destroyed. Thus, it can hardly be argued that Macbeth is a pawn of fate, a victim of circumstance. Rather, Macbeth creates his own tragic circumstance, freely murdering his way to his demise” (Lowe, 2005). Lady Macbeth also forces her own will upon Macbeth, calling him a coward to prick at his sides. The threat of being considered a coward in the eyes of his lover is more important than the problems anf implications of committing a murder. Macbeth values his self worth and personal gain than the life of his friends and allies. The murder of Banquo is what ultimately leads to his demise, says Lowe. Macbeth’s guilt takes the form of a ghost, coercing Macbeth into admitting his involvement in the murder of Banqou. This leads to the separation of Macbeth’s troops, whom later come to kill him in the final act. The Witches’ “prophecy” of kingship and grandeur, Macbeth’s senseless killings, and ultimately his guilt and remorse, are enough to make Macbeth believe he is acting out his
In the last scene of Act 3 suspicions are arising about Macbeth, those who have sided with him, namely the late king Duncan, 'the right-valiant Banquo have paid for their decision. Lennox outlines for us why Macbeth is indeed a tyrant and his feelings are clear: " May soon return to this our suffering country/ Under a hand accursed" Many are now more suspicious of Macbeth than of Malcolm and Donalbain for the murder of Duncan. Macbeth may be in danger although he will not believe it.
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. It artfully takes its audience to a place that allows one to examine what a human being is truly capable of once tempted by the allure of power. In the play, Scottish noble Macbeth and his wife inevitably fall prey to their own self corruption. Initiated by prophesies made by three mysterious witches, the Macbeths set their sights on the throne. When the curtains open on the plot to murder King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the driving force. Her criminal mind and desire for ruthlessness have led many a critic to define her as evil. Closer examination, however, reveals that she is a multifaceted character; other sides to her persona include: genuine good will towards her husband, coy manipulation, and feminine tenderness.
Laurence Sterne once wrote, “No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.” This passage embodies one of the over arching themes of Macbeth. The character Macbeth, in Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, could easily identify with this passage due to the fact that he is pulled in opposite directions by both his desire to do what is right and his desire for power.
Good day. Today I will prove to you that Macbeth, the king of Scotland, is innocent. It is outrageous that anyone in this courtroom should think otherwise. There are three key factors to consider before it is possible to make any judgment concerning the murderer of Duncan. First of all, before fingers are pointed at Macbeth, I ask you to consider if he is the only suspicious person? A murderer must have a motive and an opportunity. Obviously, there are several candidates that fit this category. Also, before you can reach a final decision, you must consider the character of the individual. Macbeth is a man of the finest character; he does not have the nature of a cold-blooded killer. I am sure you will agree with me long before you go into the jury room. Finally, the will of the gods must be taken into consideration. It is not within the powers of mortals, even important mortals like Macbeth, to change the future as determined by the stars. I am confident that you, dear jury, will consider the three factors I will shortly describe and realize that Macbeth is a most unlikely suspect.
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.
There was a common saying, “Behind every great man there's a great woman”. The men, Macbeth and Winston Smith in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s 1984 may not be considered as the “great man” however, both Lady Macbeth and Julia are good examples that can be presented as the “great woman” behind the men. Both Lady Macbeth and Julia do an excellent job of pretending to be someone who they are not, they are not only affecting the men in their lives to rethink their previous position but also have a bad ending accompanied with physical and psychological issues.
According to the classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does macbeth do this?
Another influential power of the Weird Sisters was their ability to create visions and apparitions. Early in the murder scene of Duncan, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger and in a phantasmagoric state, remarks, "Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going, / And such an instrument I was to use,"(II, i, 51). Macbeth also states, "Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's offerings,"(II, i, 60). Both of these statements may suggest a supernatural force in the affair. The witches' powers also extend to the summoning of apparitions that foretell future events. The three apparitions tell Macbeth, "Beware the Thane of Fife,"(IV, i, 81), "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth," (IV, i, 91), and "Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him,"(IV, i, 106). These visions and apparitions, as seen later on, have a profound effect on Macbeth's actions.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s desire and ambition leads to her eventual downfall. When Lady Macbeth hears of Macbeth’s prophecy she dreams of the glory and high-standing that awaits being queen. She cannot withhold her ambitions and she is willing to manipulate fate to bring about Macbeth’s prophecy. She invokes evil spirits to be filled from head to toe with cruelty to do the evil actions necessary to make Macbeth king and to remove all remorse and pity for her action from her heart. She is initially able to be involved in the treacherous deeds that are needed to bring about the prophecy quickly, but as the play progresses the weight of the merciless deeds fill her with remorse. The remorse and pain she feels for her wicked ways cause Lady Macbeth to lose control of her life and wither away until the weight of her deeds causes her to die. Lady Macbeth’s wish is partially granted, her mind becomes evil and enables her to do horrific things, but her soul remains pure and unsure of her actions and her remorse for her wicked ways leads to her destruction.