Theme Essay: The Tragedy Of Macbeth
analytical Essay
1048 words
The Tragedy of Macbeth Macbeth, a tragedy, starts with a dying, bloody Captain talking about the valor with which Macbeth fought. How does this brave, devoted, valiant soldier become an insane, cold-blooded murderer, killing men, women, and children alike? The story of his downfall begins with his new-found ambition to become king after three witches tell him of his “imperial theme.” After fighting so courageously in battle, Macbeth, Thane of Glamis a title inherited from his late father, and fellow nobleman Banquo, encounter three witches. They greet Macbeth by his current title, by a title soon to be bestowed upon him, and last by the title of king. Immediately, Macbeth is intrigued by their prophecies, but unsure since the King and the …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Narrates the story of macbeth's downfall, which begins with his new-found ambition to become king after three witches tell him of his imperial theme.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth's decision to kill king duncan was in the hands of her. she is responsible for her downfall. the mere thought of killing duncan makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand on end.
- Analyzes how macbeth's thoughts about murder disturb him so much that he questions his identity.
- Analyzes how macbeth's emotional manipulation is present in the third scene of the second act when he taunts the murderers to prove their manhood.
After Lady Macbeth reads his letter and Macbeth arrives home, she is excited about becoming queen. She asks Macbeth when King Duncan is to be arriving and tells Macbeth to leave the plan up to her, his only job being that he has to look innocent and hide their true intentions. Macbeth seems to be stunned and nervous, telling his wife that they will talk later when she begins to tell him of her plan. In the seventh scene, at the castle, Macbeth speaks of the intense guilt he is feeling even before he is to kill Duncan; “… this even-handed justice/ Commends the ingredients of our poisoned/ Chalice to our own lips…” (1. 7. 10-12) (Shakespeare), “… He’s here in double trust…” (1. 7. 12) (Shakespeare), “… Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office…” (1. 7. 17-19)(Shakespeare) all express Macbeth’s discomfort with murdering Duncan to steal the throne. Not only does he convey these emotions during this monologue, but he does so when Lady Macbeth enters the room, saying “We will proceed no further in this business./ He hath honored me of late, and I have bought/ Golden opinions from all sorts of people…” (1. 7. 32-34) (Shakespeare). To respond to this, Lady Macbeth does what she does best: emasculating her husband. She first articulates her questioning of his manhood after she reads Macbeth’s letter in the first act when she says “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness…” (1. 5. 2-3) (Shakespeare), which contrasts with the heroic description the dying Captain gives of Macbeth in the opening scene. After Macbeth tells his wife that he is calling off the plan to kill King Duncan, she
Related
- analytical
- Literary Analysis Essay On Macbethanalytical essay“Macbeth, More like Macdeath” It is part of human nature to strive for excellence and to improve oneself. Generally, a person’s actions are completed with a certain goal in mind. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Macbeth, strives to fulfill his ambition of becoming the king. Everytime he completes a task which ensures he does not lose power, Macbeth immediately pursues another task in order to fulfill his desires, even after he becomes the king of Scotland. Macbeth’s thirst for power drives him to murder King Duncan, to plot the murder of Banquo, and eventually leads to his own demise.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth's thirst for power drives him to murder king duncan, plot the murder of banquo, and eventually lead to his own demise.
- Analyzes how macbeth does not end his quest of gaining more power after murdering duncan, and as a result, he becomes king.
- Analyzes how macbeth presses the witches for more prophecies after taking banquo's life. he is arrogant and believes he is more powerful than anyone else.
- Analyzes how macbeth is overconfident and doesn't panic when macduff challenges him. he feels invincible because he knows that the only person that could kill him is one who was not born of a woman.
- Analyzes how macbeth faces many consequences for aiming to be the best that he can. he acts on impulse and focuses too much on the end result.
813 wordsRead More - Lady Macbeth The Real Power Behind the Throneanalytical essayLady Macbeth takes the role of the dominant partner in the beginning of the play, by acting as the real power behind the throne. For example, it is easily recognized that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are opposite in many ways (Scott 236). He is weak, indecisive, and takes on the traditional female role of the marriage; she is strong, decisive, and takes on the traditional male role. One place in the play where Macbeth’s character is shown is Act I, Scene 5, Lines 15-17. She says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promis’d : yet do I fear thy nature / Is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” This is just after Lady Macbeth receives the letter from Macbeth. It is also important to notice that when Macbeth’s first thoughts of killing Duncan appear, he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know myself ” ( 2. 2. 72 ). Knowing that he has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and deal with his guilt.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how lady macbeth, a strong-willed character, is persuaded to kill duncan so that he will become king in his place.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth takes the role of the dominant partner in the play, by acting as the real power behind the throne.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth thinks that being gentle is a weakness. she tells him to wash his hands and change his clothes so people will not discover his crime.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth persuades him to achieve his goal of being king, but is unsure whether he can go through with the murder.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth's last attempt to gain power is by organizing the murder of duncan.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth proves herself to be the real power behind the throne in shakespeare's play, stating that she defines her character as strong-willed and decisive, and plays the traditional male role in the marriage.
1130 wordsRead More - Macbeth Essayanalytical essayThe play Macbeth is a dramatic tale that includes many different themes. The themes in this play include love, supernatural, and tragedy. The supernatural elements are in particular, a major aspect of this play. Three main elements of the supernatural in this play are witches, apparitions, and hallucinations. The projected outcomes given through visions in this play did not always match up with the actual events that occurred. Although the main characters use these visions to try and achieve their goals, it often did not occur the way that they wanted.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that macbeth is a dramatic tale that includes many different themes, such as love, supernatural, and tragedy. the supernatural elements in the play are witches, apparitions and hallucinations.
- Explains that one of the first supernatural occurrences in macbeth involved witches giving a prophecy to macbeth and banquo.
- Explains that macbeth and lady macbeth must kill the current king in order for the prophecy to come true. they succeeded in killing banquo, but not his son.
- Analyzes how the witches warn macbeth to beware of macduff and send assassins to kill him.
- Analyzes how the witches give macduff another apparition, telling him that no child born from a woman can harm him. macbeth was confident that he would be safe, but his mother died while still in the womb.
- Analyzes how macbeth believed that this prophecy would never be fulfilled during his life time. he saw no physical way for all the tress of the forest to be moved.
- Analyzes lady macbeth's hallucinations towards the end of the play. she talks from her subconscious about the people she and her husband had killed that were unnecessary to get what they desired.
- Analyzes how shakespeare used supernatural occurrences and witches to show humans wickedness and depravity. the characters were not hesitant to do evil acts once prophecies had been given.
713 wordsRead More - Macbeth Essayanalytical essayShakespeare’s famous play, Macbeth, is the story of a man named Macbeth who kills the present king of Scotland, Duncan, in order to become the king, and the aftermath of that event. Within Macbeth, very few female characters are introduced. The first female characters are the three witches, who prophecize the whole play, and then Lady Macbeth, the wife of Macbeth and the most prominent female character in the play. Both the witches and Lady Macbeth lead Macbeth to kill Duncan, but once he does, they find themselves unable to live with the consequences. Shakespeare purposefully wrote the main female characters in this derogatory way so as to assert the idea that women cause ambition, ambition is bad, and therefore, women are bad, but then shows that once the women cause bad things to happen, they can’t deal with them. In Macbeth, Shakespeare documents his belief that women are not only deceitful and cause deadly ambition, but cannot withstand the ramifications of that ambition once they come to pass.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's famous play, macbeth, introduces very few female characters, including the witches, lady, and lady. they assert the idea that women are deceitful and cause deadly ambition.
- Analyzes how shakespeare argues through macbeth that ambition is evil and women are the cause of ambition, so they must be evil as well.
- Analyzes how the witches beguile macbeth so that women can be blamed for his controversial actions.
- Analyzes how shakespeare is trying to prove that women are weak. he has lady macbeth go mad and kill herself to show how women cannot deal with the effects of their own crimes.
1035 wordsRead More - Macbeth Essayanalytical essayResponsibility, Confidence, and Courage In everyday society, there are movie stars, celebrities, athletes and powerful figureheads that are looked up to. In every generation people experience downfalls due to individual choices, personal conflict, and family problems, . These people develop a tragic flaw that usually leads to their ruin. In William Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth, the main character develops a tragic flaw, and ends up experiencing a downfall.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how in shakespeare's the tragedy of macbeth, the main character develops a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall.
- Analyzes how macbeth abandons his morals because of his encounter with the weird women, who gave him a prophecy that said he would become thane of cawdor.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth is persuaded by her to accept assassinating the king for power.
- Analyzes how macbeth's last verbal agreement is the most important in this scene because they are saying that they must hide their true emotions and start a huge lie to everyone about this murder.
- Analyzes how macbeth becomes selfish and hungry for power after the dinner of the thanes. he had banquo killed because he was scared that his sons would take the throne from him.
- Analyzes how macbeth abandoned his morals, was easily persuaded, and became too hungry for power, which led to his own demise.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth came up with a plan of murdering king duncan, and framing the guards.
1231 wordsRead More - Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfallanalytical essayAfter Macbeth learns his first prophecy from the witches, he writes to his wife, explaining his idea to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth supports and encourages his idea, though she knows he will not follow through with his plan. She is aware of Macbeth’s powerful ambitions, yet she knows that he lacks the cruelty to kill the King. “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it” (I, v, 16-19). Lady Macbeth, a character with even more determination than her husband, manipulates him to make decisions that his conscience tells him are not right. She questions Macbeth, asking if he is a coward and even a man. Lady Macbeth further uses guilt to influence her husband’s decisions. “How tender it is to love the babe that milks me, I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you, Have done to this (I, vii, 55-59).” Lady Macbeth’s manipulative mentality controls Macbeth until he decides to exclude her from his decision making process. Shortly after the death of Banquo, Lady Macbeth begins to loose her mind and she eventually commits
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the character macbeth creates his own downfall in the tragedy of macbeth. the transformation can be blamed on himself and the influence of the three witches.
- Narrates how macbeth receives a prophecy from the three witches that depicts his fate. he believes that he is invincible and indestructible.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth's manipulative mentality controls him until he decides to exclude her from his decision making process.
- Analyzes how macbeth became overconfident and filled with ambition as the play progresses, fueling his own ambition and making decisions that slowly lead to his downfall.
571 wordsRead More - Macbeth essayanalytical essayThis essay earned a 89/100. it was a lot of work considering the lines from macbeth for textual support.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth proves himself of a tragic hero by showing supreme pride, and capacity for suffering.
- Analyzes how macbeth shows a supreme pride because he knows that banquo is an obstacle in his way of ruling. he states that it is his duty to kill him, but not let anyone see his crime.
- Analyzes how macbeth's capacity for suffering leads him to be a tragic hero.
- Analyzes how macbeth shows a sense of commitment when he reviews in his mind about the murder of duncan.
- Analyzes how macbeth's vigorous protest adds to him being a tragic hero. he cries out against god and his own weaknesses.
- Analyzes how macbeth's impact on other people verifies that he is a tragic hero. he loves killing and loves to torture people.
- Concludes that macbeth was a tragic hero. he showed supreme pride when he thought about the murders of banquo and duncan.
1269 wordsRead More - Happiness In Macbethanalytical essay“When you durst do it, then you are a man.” (I, vii, 55)- Lady Macbeth is very conniving showing that she is willing to convince Macbeth to murder Duncan, despite the fact that she is unable to carry out the actions by herself. She is willing to jeopardize the safety of her husband in the pursuit of happiness, even though in the end without realizing that it will compromise that happiness. Lady Macbeth knew her husband was ambitious, but he was too kind. So she wanted to manipulate him into killing Duncan in order to fulfill he pursuit of happiness. During her soliloquy in act I scene v lines 13-29 Lady Macbeth states “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature. It is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it… And chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round which fate and the metaphysical aid doth seem to have the crowned withal.” During this soliloquy Lady Macbeth states that she is going to convince her husband into taking action so that he can become king. This soliloquy shows that Lady Macbeth is the dominant partner, which is contrary to the stereotypical gender stereotypes of that time frame. This proves that once again that in the pursuit of happiness that Lady Macbeth is willing to take over the relationship in order to achieve what she thinks will bring her happiness. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth also lied in order to achieve what they though would bring them
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how in the play macbeth, william shakespeare tried to convey the message that the pursuit of happiness may be misleading.
- Analyzes how macbeth pursued happiness by killing duncan, thinking that it would ensure him happiness.
- Analyzes how macbeth lied in order to deceive people into trusting him so that he could pursue happiness.
- Analyzes how macbeth lied in order to pursue happiness, but he did not know that it would lead him to a false sense of happiness which in the end would be compromised.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth is conniving and willing to convince her husband to kill duncan in order to fulfill her pursuit of happiness.
- Opines that people are too fixated with materialistic possessions and do not realize the importance of the happiness they might have. in the play during the pursuit of happiness, macbeth and lady
1120 wordsRead More - The Ultimate Downfall In Macbeth By William Shakespeareanalytical essayIn Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Macbeth is first described as heroic and brave however, by the end of the play, he becomes a tyrant who kills out of fear and ambition. The result of his actions progressively lead to his death. Despite the influences of both Lady Macbeth and the witches, Macbeth’s own ambition, ignorance, and fear is the cause of his ultimate
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how macbeth is first described as heroic and brave, but by the end of the play, he becomes a tyrant who kills out of fear and ambition. his ambition, ignorance, and fear are the cause of his downfall.
63 wordsRead More - The Downfall 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
- Explains that macbeth, the main character in william shakespeare's tragedy, was not secure in his manhood. this insecurity led to his downfall because he felt the need to prove himself.
- Narrates how macbeth showed his love for his lady in many different ways. he listens to her advice and tries to make her happy no matter what it takes.
- Analyzes how lady macbeth manipulated his mind to think the right thing to do was kill duncan. in order to prove his manhood he must go through with this horrible act.
- Explains that macbeth felt that his soul could never be cleansed no matter what he did.
- 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
- Analyzes the reasons why lady macbeth manipulates and allows himself to be manipulated.
- Advises that when citing quotes capitalize act as well as scene and line. the line numbers should be included in the citation.
628 wordsRead More