The Power of Fear in Shakespeare's Macbeth
analytical Essay
958 words
Macbeth The Tremendous Power of Fear Fear motivates us to do many things, whether they are right or wrong. In the play Macbeth, fear was the main motivation that influenced the outcome of the play. This can be proved by the subsequent murders after Duncan's. Why were these committed? Macbeth was scared of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done. Also, look at Lady Macbeth. The constant washing of her hands, sleepwalking, and other behavior like this is done out of fear. It resembles her husband fear of being caught. The final piece of proof is Macbeth's actions. They were all due to fear, not only of being caught but of the witches' prophecies. He was scared of them coming true and tried to stop them from happening. This whole play was inspired by fear and what it can do to a person. A good first example of this principle can be illustrated by the subsequent murders that Macbeth committed after he killed Duncan. Macbeth had just killed the King of Scotland and blamed it on his son. It worked, and he became King. However, he remembered the witches' prophecies. They claimed that Macbeth would be King, but it would be Banquo's children that would follow after him. This made Macbeth very angry, and he risked everything to become King. Unfortunately, his family would never wear the crown after his death. Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings! [Act III, S I, L 72-75] Here, Macbeth realizes that if something is not done to Banquo, his sons will become Kings. Macbeth can not have this. He had already worried that his soul will go to hell for what he had done. His fear become evident in this scene also, "But to be safely thus: our fears in Banquo Stick deep;" [Act III, S I, L 53-54] Macbeth has Banquo murdered, And Banquo’s son Fleance manages to escape from the attack. Next, Macduff refuses to accept Macbeth as king and flees to England to join Malcom. The witches tell him to beware of Macduff, which angers Macbeth and drives him to kill Macduff's family. The fear of losing the impending battle with England makes Macbeth begin doing anything that will give him an edge in the final battle.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth's fear of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done influenced the outcome of the play.
- Illustrates macbeth's murders after he killed duncan and blamed it on his son. he became king, but remembered the witches' prophecies and risked everything to become king.
- Analyzes how macbeth realizes that if something is not done to banquo, his sons will become kings. he had already worried that his soul would go to hell for what he had done.
- Analyzes how macbeth's fear of losing the impending battle with england makes him do anything that will give him an edge in the final battle
- Analyzes how fear and guilt are consuming lady macbeth, and she is slowing losing her sanity due to not being able to handle what she has done to duncan.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth's role in the play slowly becomes smaller as she becomes driven mad by guilt and soon can no longer take it.
- Explains that the witches' prophecies are a main source of fear for macbeth.
- Analyzes how the play, macbeth, provides a dramatic example of what fear can do to someone. fear of being caught and having the witches’ prophecies come true made him do these evil deeds.
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- How Does Lady Macbeth Obsession With Poweranalytical essayAfter the death of Duncan, Macbeth begins to distance himself from Lady Macbeth, and he becomes ambitious. Despite being a king, Macbeth is worried about Banquo:
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth expresses his insecurity in his soliloquy. he decides to hire murderers to kill banquo to rid his fear.
- Analyzes how william shakespeare's play macbeth illustrates the dangers of power and how it undermines moral judgement, leads to mental deterioration, and ultimately results in his death.
- Analyzes how macbeth reluctantly agrees to kill duncan after being confronted and chided for his cowardice.
- Analyzes how macbeth is ambitious and willing to do what it takes to secure his throne.
- Analyzes how shakespeare uses the characters of lady macbeth and macbeth to underscore their struggles for power.
902 wordsRead More - Ambition In Act 1 Macbethanalytical essayMacbeth fears that Banquo’s son will become king so he finds three murderers and tells them to find Banquo’s son and kill him. Since they are killing his son Macbeth says to kill Banquo. The murderers kill Banquo but not his son. Macbeth throws the murderers into the dungeon. Later Macbeth starts hallucinating. He sees Banquo and is scared. At the end of this act MacDuff escapes.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth is a worthy soldier and brave one. he and banquo meet three weird witches and give them three prophecies.
- Narrates how macbeth invites king duncan to his palace and plans something evil to take the throne. he kills the guards, and malcolm and fleance escape.
- Analyzes how macbeth is crowned king and still no site of malcolm and fleance. he finds three murderers and tells them to find banquo’s son and kill him.
- Narrates how macbeth visits the three witches and gets four new prophecies. macduff orders his guards to murder his family.
377 wordsRead More - Tragedy in William Shakespeare's Macbethanalytical essayBanquo, inspired by the witches' prophecy that his descendants will be monarchs; he tries to resist the temptation to hurry the event. Macbeth, does quite the opposite, he takes advantage of the opportunity of the King's visit to his castle. With the help of his wife, they poison the grooms of the King's bedchamber, and stab the sleeping king, to death. When the murder is discovered on the following day, Macbeth shows great grief and anger. To distract suspicion from himself, he kills the grooms as though furious by their denial of the deed. Malcolm and Donalbain, the King's sons, fear and flee the country; and Macbeth, as next in power, is crowned King.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth, a nobleman and general in the king's army, is successful in putting down the rebellion led by macdonwald and the thane of cawdor.
- Analyzes how banquo, inspired by the witches' prophecy that his descendants will be monarchs, tries to resist the temptation to hurry the event. macbeth takes advantage of the king's visit to his castle.
- Analyzes how macbeth invites him to a banquet as though he is honoring banquo, but has him and his son assassinated by murderers.
- Analyzes how macbeth visits the witches in their cavern and begs them to predict his destiny, but a show of eight kings and the smiling ghost of banquo irritates his eyes.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth's mind soaring emotionally with her transgressions. she tells her doctor about the crimes in which she and her husband have committed.
- Opines that macbeth is a tragic play written by william shakespeare. it's about an army general who wants to be in power.
785 wordsRead More - The Emotions of Ambition, Remorse and Fear in Macbeth by William Shakespeare The most important emotions that we see in Macbeth are ambition, remorse, and fear. They are significant because they provoke Macbeth to do evil and cruel things. Ambition takes control of him earlier in the play when the witches tell him he is going to be king. After he already has done the deed, killed Duncan, he is remorseful for his actions. Out of fear for himself, Macbeth murdered Macduff’s family and killed Banquo.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the emotions of ambition, remorse, and fear in macbeth by william shakespeare. ambition takes control of him earlier in the play when the witches tell him he is going to be king.
- Analyzes how macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and banqou meet the three witches.
- Analyzes how macbeth feels remorse after killing the king. he understands that he has committed a sin and will be punished.
- Analyzes how macbeth's fear and paranoia drove him crazy until macduff came around and killed him.
- Analyzes how macbeth's emotions were influenced by his ambition, fear, and remorse, which stimulated him to do and not do the things mentioned above.
387 wordsRead More - The Insecurity of Shakespeare's Macbethanalytical essayThe Insecurity of Macbeth 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. In the beginning of the play Macbeth showed his love for Lady Macbeth in many different ways.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth, the main character in william shakespeare's tragedy, was not secure in his manhood. he became desensitized to killing after killing duncan.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth manipulated his mind to think the right thing to do was kill duncan. he felt that his soul could never be cleansed no matter what he did.
- Opines that all great neptune's ocean will wash this blood; this my hand will rather/the multitudinous seas incarnadine.
- Analyzes how macbeth didn't want to kill duncan, but he did it to prove himself and become the king. he had no fear, and had killed not only duncan but many other people.
- Analyzes how macbeth proved himself to lady macbeth by killing, but in the end he couldn't accept the man that
458 wordsRead More - Lady Macbeth's Fear In Banquoanalytical essayHaving murdered Duncan, Macbeth fears that Banquo will undermine his ill-gotten authority and destroy his lineage of sons in line to be king. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who were both afraid, suspected that Banquo will undermine their authority; and thus their “fears in Banquo stick deep.” This demonstrates why Macbeth is as alarmed about Banquo as “Mark Antony was by Cæsar,” Macbeth compares himself to Mark Antony, and Banquo to Cæsar because Cæsar had beat Mark Antony in battle. Macbeth's words show that he is greatly dismayed and (according to the witches,) his “Barren scepter” will be “wrenched” from his “unlineal hand.” Macbeth believes that Banquo’s sons will be the heirs to the throne, and “wrench” the throne away from Macbeth’s descendents,
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth fears that banquo will undermine his ill-gotten authority and destroy his lineage of sons in line to be king.
157 wordsRead More - Importance of Fear in Shakespeare's Macbethanalytical essayFear motivates many to act upon matters, be they right or wrong. In the play Macbeth it was fear that was the main motivating factor that influenced the outcome of the play. Macbeth was fearful of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done – this led to the murders that followed after the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth's actions were also driven by fear of the witches' prophecies - he was afraid they would come true and tried to stop them from happening. Lady Macbeth, was also plagued by fear as evidenced by the constant washing of her hands, sleepwalking and other similar behavior. This entire play was inspired by fear and what it and do to a person.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the importance of fear in the play macbeth, stating that it was the main motivating factor that influenced the outcome.
- Analyzes how macbeth's subsequent murders, following duncan, made him angry and he risked everything to become king.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth is being comsumed by fear and guilt, she is slowing losing her sanity. she is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands.
- Explains that the witches prophecies are a main source of fear for macbeth, after all where has he learned everything from.
- Analyzes how macbeth's fear of being caught, and the witches prophecies coming true made him do all these evil deeds.
658 wordsRead More - Macbeth's Corruptionanalytical essayAfter murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels that he needs to kill Banquo. He is afraid that Banquo is going to be a problem for him. He is suspicious that Banquo believes Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder, "Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared" (3.1.47-49). He plans to kill him, though Banquo has made no direct threat against Macbeth. He speaks of feeling inferior to Banquo, even though he is king. "There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked" (3.1.53-55). Banquo is Macbeth's closest friend, he is starting to lose trust in everyone around him.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes macbeth's transformation from a noble and brave soldier into the paranoid man named thane of cawdor. he deteriorates from the murders of duncan and banquo, his treatment of macduff
- Analyzes how macbeth is a strong, brave and noble soldier. he is considered brave by all the people he was fighting around. duncan names him thane of cawdor.
- Analyzes how macbeth begins to think about killing duncan and taking the throne by force after meeting with the witches.
- Analyzes how macbeth fears that banquo is going to be a problem for him after murdering duncan. he plans to kill him, though he has made no direct threat against him.
- Analyzes how macbeth sees banquo's ghost at the banquet; he cannot tell the difference between this ghost and reality. he is going between a state of madness and back into the real world.
- Analyzes how macbeth relies on the witches' words, though he knows they are evil, because of what they have done for him before.
- Analyzes how macduff's decision to leave for england shows that macbeth is becoming increasingly corrupt. he kills innocent people to get revenge, including his wife and young son.
- Analyzes how macbeth's kingdom has fallen into total disrepair. people think of him as a bad leader and think he is causing problems for scotland.
- Analyzes how macbeth is loosing his mind and all rationality and begins to make bad decisions. he is used to his state of madness and forgets what it feels like to be afraid.
- Analyzes how macbeth falls a long way from his state of mind in the beginning. he is tempted by the witches, and begins his evil rain of terror by murdering duncan.
1293 wordsRead More - Theme Of Fear In Macbethanalytical essayThe Significance of Fear in Shakespeare’s Macbeth “Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future” (Thick Nhat Hanh). A common emotion such as fear, is most widely accepted as negative, but in contrast, fear can be an emotion that drives people. While fear can be both a positive and negative emotion, it is more widely affiliated with the latter. Macbeth is a play involving a Scottish soldier, self titled, and his meeting with three strange witches, that tell him of a prophecy regarding him, and the throne. and when he Shakespeare shows this negative element of fear through the character’s choices, and their reactions to the situation created by those choices.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the significance of fear in shakespeare's macbeth. fear is a destructive force, leading people to make poor decisions that ruin their lives and those around them.
154 wordsRead More - Macbeth - Foreshadowing Using Animalsanalytical essayMacbeth doesn't want Banquo to be in any part of his life, that's why why he killed him. Now that he's come back as a ghost (he's trembling/scared that Banquo will never leave him alone)
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare uses animals to portray foreshadowing, develop character, and evoke a wide variety of emotions from the audience.
- Describes the characteristics of the rugged russian bear, the arm'd rhinoceros, or the hyrcan tiger.
- Compares how macbeth and banquo defeated their opponents.
- Explains that witches believe in evil spirits, as most are portrayed as.
- Opines that 'feeling' what others do makes the audience more involved in what's happening, and more enjoyable.
- Analyzes how an over-eager rider who jumps over the saddle will take advantage of being king and use it to his advantage.
- Analyzes how macbeth regrets the murder of banquo because he doesn't want him to be in any part of his life.
- Analyzes how the characters of macbeth and banquo are fierce, whereas the sparrow and the hare are weak.
- Analyzes how shakespeare refers to throwing medical science to the dogs because he wants to evoke a sense of frustration from macbeth.
- Analyzes how shakespeare uses an over-eager horseback rider as a comparison to macbeth.
- Analyzes how duncan's horses turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, and flung out.
- Opines that duncan's unnatural death foreshadows the downfall of the macbeths.
- Opines that macbeth's downfall is imminent when his rule ends and all in nature will return to normal.
- Analyzes how lady macduff is being compared to as a small, helpless bird because since she is gone, she doesn't really have any protection.
- Analyzes how the woman foreshadows her own death as well as her children's, saying that she will do her best to keep them away from any harsh or fatal events that may come their way.
1213 wordsRead More