Macbeth is without a doubt a play about evil. The play revolves around the bad and wicked qualities in human nature, but Shakespeare also contrasts this evil with the power of good. In this essay I will explore the ways in which Shakespeare contrasted good and evil in Macbeth.
These contradictions start in the very beginning of the play, with the witches. In line 12, the witches say, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” This is interesting as they are suggesting good and evil as being one. The witches’ line reflects on human nature as there are fair and foul parts to everyone. Shakespeare wanted to get this message across as the main character, Macbeth, is a prime example of the struggle between good and bad within one person.
This opening scene is set in a battle field. The scary thunder and lightening is an example of pathetic fallacy; the weather reflects the aggressive atmosphere and vicious characters.
In line 8, the witches mention that they will “meet with Macbeth”. This makes the audience wonder who Macbeth is. We are curious to find out about the elusive character as we wonder what sort of person associates with such vile and unnatural creatures. Our questions are not answered and we are left wondering at the end of this scene.
This opening scene is one of the most important. It establishes the witches, who are considered to be the root of all the evil in this play. This is the start of the battle between good and evil, right and wrong, and this creepy beginning makes the audience feel that things are only going to get worse.
Scene Two, however, is a stark contrast to the previous scene. In this scene we first meet Duncan, the King of Scotland.
In Shakespearean times, the people believed in the “Divine Right of Kings”...
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....” This line shows that Macduff is full of humanity and compassion, unlike Macbeth.
When he hears of Lady Macbeth’s death from his servant, Seyton, Macbeth is less than indifferent. He feels no grief, just inconvenience, “she should have died hereafter.”
His reaction shows that he has lost all kindness. Macbeth is now so self-centred that he has no emotion to spare.
Shakespeare used many comparisons between good and bad in Macbeth. Good and evil are as direct a contrast as black and white; I think that by juxtaposing the bad with the opposing good, Shakespeare made the bad seem even worse and even more extreme. This is because the audience are able to see the evil and good emotions taking place and can see the direct contrast themselves.
Even though this play is focused on the evil in human nature, Shakespeare still ends the play with good triumphing over evil.
In Act I, Scene I three witches plan to meet MACBETH upon a heath. They announce the major theme of the play: appearances can be deceptive.
Good vs. Evil in Macbeth The good characters in Macbeth are less interesting than the evil ones. Everybody has an evil seed planted in them. Only the really evil person acts on them and commits something morally wrong. Like a Macbeth. When Macbeth first received the prophecies, he actually considered them.
Macbeth, the shortest and perhaps darkest play by Shakespeare, is a tale of over-riding ambition, human nature, and supernatural meddling. Macbeth is the main character in the play, and although he begins the story a loyal subject and brave hero, the power bestowed on him poisens and corrupts him until he eventually turns evil and seeks more, to his downfall. As the central figure of the play, Macbeth sets in motion a sequence of events that brings about the destruction and eventual rebirth of Scotland, giving the play an essentially dark tone. There are, however, varying degrees of evil, subtly different in texture and context. One way Shakespeare indicates the styles of evil throughout the play Macbeth is through the use of sounds. Sounds in the play fall under four categories: nature, man-made, the sounds of battle, and human cries.
Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare interpret the main theme of the play as intertwining with evil and ambition:
Evil and Suffering in his play Macbeth. For example, when Macbeth was hallucinating and saw a dagger in front of him in Act II. Scene i., “A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable, As this which now I draw” (II. i. 39-42), or when Macbeth broke down and became existential as his castle is being invaded in Act V, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more” (V. v. 24-26). These demonstrate the themes of Good vs. Evil and suffering as Macbeth is having internal conflicts, whether or not he should do the deed. This gets to his head and is stressing him out, causing the hallucinations. Once he does the deed, he is suffering from guilt, because of this he becomes a hated tyrant, and eventually his castle gets taken over and killed. Shakespeare writes soliloquies and asides to explore the themes of Good vs. Evil and Suffering in his play Macbeth to bring the audience into the mind of a character, which can be used to emphasise a theme or
Initially, the Elizabethan audience consider Macbeth as a respectable and well like character. We do however learn that appearances can be deceptive which corresponds with the main theme; 'Fair is foul, Foul is fair' which is referred to a lot throughout the play. This theme is first introduced in Act I, Scene I where the witches foretell the struggle between the forces of evil and good in which Macbeth is to be involved. It is also an indication that all will not be as it seems. This portrays a character as being much worse if the audience's first impressions of that character were positive.
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores a fundamental struggle of the human conscience. The reader is transported into the journey of a man who recognizes and acknowledges evil but still succumbs to its destructive powers. The character of Macbeth is shrouded in ambiguity that scholars have claimed as both being a tyrant and tragic hero. Macbeth’s inner turmoil and anxieties that burden him throughout the entire play evoke sympathy and pity in the reader. Though he has the characteristics of an irredeemable tyrant, Macbeth realizes his mistakes and knows there is no redemption for his sins. And that is indeed tragic.
"Fair is foul and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.11-13). Humanity has the proficiency of being two-faced, one can be bad but appear good as well as be good but appear bad. Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare best exemplifies the following theme, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” By opening the play with these lines, Shakespeare created an eerie atmosphere and promptly expressed the play’s theme. The composition portrays a Scottish soldier named Macbeth who is met by three witches with foreshadowing greetings, he is told he will be King and then falls into darkness to gain power despite the harsh consequences. Within the plot, the theme “fair is foul and foul is fair” is established and repeated throughout the play. The theme not only weaves its way into the narrative, it is shown within the supernatural beings, incidents, and play’s characters.
One of the themes from Macbeth is good versus evil. Macbeth is a good, honorable soldier in the beginning who is loyal to the king. Macbeth does not stay on the good side for very long in the play. At the beginning, the witches say that fair is foul, and foul is fair, foreshadowing what is to come later. The witches’ line that says “fair is foul, and foul is fair” means that what is good is evil and what is evil is good.
Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair is a phrase that has become a synonym with the play Macbeth. It is the introduction to the play and the introduction to most important theme of the play, Appearance versus Reality. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses various characters along with scenes and situations to portray and develop the theme of Appearance versus Reality. He also uses these vivid characters and scenes to emphasize the confusion between the real and surreal, the authentic and the fake, the act and the sincere. Characters in this play are very deceptive and their intentions are dark and ominous. However, their appearance does not show their sinister intentions. The theme of appearance versus reality is a vital part to this play and the characters that portray it are the Witches, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
The quoted phrase, “fair is foul and foul is fair” is used frequently, the phrase itself is an oxymoron. Early in the play the reader sees Macbeth as the hero because he has saved all of Scotland from the Norwegians. Duncan, honoring Macbeth, says, “More is thy due than more than all can pay.” (Act 1, Scene ) Towards the middle of the play the reader suddenly begins to pity Macbeth, slowly realizing his encroaching insanity for what it is, a downward spiral of death and increased mistakes. Finally, at the end of the play, the reader's opinion of Macbeth moves more towards hate and a feeling that Macbeth is unmistakably evil. As the second witch said:
In the early 1600’s, William Shakespeare penned an Aristotelian tragedy ‘Macbeth’ which provides his audiences both then and now with many valuable insights and perceptions into human nature. Shakespeare achieves this by cleverly employing many dramatic devices and themes within the character of ‘Macbeth’. Macbeth is depicted as an anti-hero; a noble protagonist with a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. This tragic flaw of Macbeth’s, heavily laden with the themes of ‘fate or free will’, and ‘ambition’, is brought out by Shakespeare in his writing to present us with a character whose actions and final demise are, if not laudable, very recognisable as human failings.
Macbeth is victim to evil because he is a weak and does not think for himself, influenced by those around him.
important as the play unfolds beginning even with Macbeth’s opinions at the beginning of the
In the opening scene of the play, the entrance of the three witches depicts the first presence of supernatural in Macbeth. The presence of the supernatural forces of the witches was accompanied by the dark, gloomy and thunderous ambience, perhaps functioning as a foreshadowing of future events that involves evil, wickedness and darkness. This is important as it gives the audience an idea of what might happen later in the play. For example, we see that later on in the play, Macbeth turned evil and wicked, killing an old and honourable King Duncan and a loyal friend, Banquo. I take particular note of the significance of darkness as it was later used by Macbeth when he calls upon the "seeling Night" (Act III. Scene ii. Line 46) which `makes clear vision impossible', as a way to cover up his evil deeds. Foreshadowing of `evilness' which is also a theme in the play is also created when the witches, before leaving the first scene, cried in unison that "Fair is foul and foul is fair" (Act I. Scene ii. Line 11). This line suggests and gives the audience a foreshadow that ...