In William Shakespeare's, The Tragedy Of Macbeth, where the play is focused on the tragic hero's quest for power and the different actions that are taken to reach that power. William Shakespeare strategically uses literary elements to create tragedy in the play and create the feeling of suspense. William Shakespeare uses literary elements like character, theme and dialogue to set the mood of the play. Character is used with Macbeth and Banquo in the way each of the characters is introduced, Macbeth being a loyal and trustworthy warrior for King Duncan and being a friend of Banquo’s. When Macbeth and Banquo are approached by three witches, who reveal a prophecy of Macbeth being crowned king, Macbeth begins to wonder if this prophecy is true due to one of the witches revelations having come true, at that moment Macbeth's lust for power is awakened through the evil witches’ prophecy. Throughout the play, subsequent to the witches prophecy, Macbeth begins to show change in his character from a loyal friend to an individual who is questioning his own morals and battles with the thought of how he will get the …show more content…
Macbeth's lust for power becomes so great that even with the crown on his head and new title as King, Macbeth continues to seek prophecy from the Witches in order keep his place as King and ensure that no one plans to do unto him as he did unto his once King. When Macbeth sends to kill Fleance, the son of Banquo, because of a prophecy from the Witches that the son of Banquo will reign King, shows just how corrupted and evil the kind of Macbeth has become. Macbeth begins to experience hallucinations of Banquo's blood body after receiving news that Fleance escaped and Banquo had been killed instead, his character continues to go through numerous changes as the guilt of his vile actions begin to catch up to
Both Banquo and Macbeth are introduced as loyal captains in the king`s army, but as the play progresses, Macbeth is overcome with the desire of power due to his reception of the prophecies. Upon hearing, Banquo does not become greedy for power, but, alternatively, he is suspect and cautious begins wondering if “we [Macbeth and Banquo] eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?” (1.3). Realizing the witches were simply trying to make him ambitious, Banquo remains loyal to his king and his country, despite knowing that he will have a dynasty to rule Scotland. Despite having the motivation, Banquo does not commit treason against his king but rather wants to “keep my [his] bosom franchis'd and allegiance clear” (2.1), meaning that he has no desire to betray the king for personal gain. Conversely, upon hearing the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth becomes ambitious for power and follows them blindly. He is curious about the witches’ prophecies and demands they “stay… [and] tell me [him] more” (1.3). When he hears that the prophecy that his heirs will rule Scotland he will be king, Macbeth`s ambition is born and his thoughts instantly turn to murder, even though the witches had not mentioned murdering King Duncan which shows that Macbeth has previously thought about murdering his king. As a result, Macbeth has no loyalty to neither his king nor his country and commits treason. While both Banquo and Macbeth hear the witches` prophecies that promised power, only Macbeth conceded to their prophecy and became overcame with ambition. Macbeth is a direct antithesis to the honorable, dependent Banquo. He transforms into a greedy man who is obsessed with his
This prompts him to wonder if the prophecy made to him by the witches may also come true. Meanwhile, Macbeth fears that Banquo and his son Fleance may be an obstacle to his plans. their murder, keeping Lady Macbeth in the dark. Lastly, in this scene, Macbeth plans to kill Banquo and his son through hired assassins. Analysis The scene begins with Banquo suspecting Macbeth, and in this short.
Macbeth is the remaining contributor to turning himself into the power-hungry animal he is before he is finally taken down. Macbeth let himself get talked into killing Duncan; he rationalizes with himself to kill Banquo. He is too ambitious. As soon as the witches cast the prophecy that he would be King, Macbeth lets himself be jealous. Once it is an option, he realizes how divine it would be to be King. Now, Macbeth will do what is necessary to get there, even if he suffers terrible consequences. After killing Duncan, Macbeth suffers by not being able to speak. “As they seen me with these hangman’s hands,/List’ning their fear. I could not say ‘Amen’/When they did say ‘God bless us’” (2.2.38-40). Macbeth cannot utter the sacred words of God; moreover, this illustrates to the reader how terrible the consequences are psychologically for this murder. Macbeth is also jealous of the prophecy Banquo gets, which also drives him to kill Banquo. Soon after he kills Banquo, Macbeth hosts a banquet, where Banquo’s seat is left empty. Only Macbeth truly knows what has happened to Banquo. However, he hallucinates that Banquo is at the table with all the guests when Macbeth says, “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee./Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold;/Thou hast no speculation in those eyes/Which thou dost glare with” (3.4.113-116). Macbeth is seeing Banquo at his banquet even after he ordered murders to kill Banquo and Fleance, Banquo’s son. Macbeth cannot believe his eyes, he is shocked at the sight of Banquo and he is losing his mind. Macbeth endures horrific hallucinations, falling into the depths of insanity. These two quotations in the play are very important because they emphasize how Macbeth has turned into a mon...
Macbeth is willing to twist destiny and change the prophecy to protect his ambition, asking about his downfall to try and prevent it. The three witches’ prophecies strengthen Macbeth’s ambition; the first prophecy makes Macbeth realize his ambitions, and the second prophecy displays his willpower to protect that ambition. Being over-ambitious brought about the demises of not only Macbeth, but his family as well as the many people he killed in order to bring about his rise to power. This theme was demonstrated through several motifs, including hallucinations, blood, and prophecies.
He ponders about what he has done, coming to the conclusion that, “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown/And put a barren scepter in my gripe,” all he did and went through was for Fleance (Banquo’s son). His evilness comes within himself as he plans to eliminate Banquo and his son Fleance possibly changing his own fate. Macbeth has hired three murderers (Banquo’s servants) to take them out. Later that evening Banquo is returning with Fleance, the murderers attack Banquo but, Fleance was able to escape. He escapes because it is written in fate and so he will become king when the right time comes.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays to ever have been written. Takes place back in the Elizabethan age back when kings and queens ruled certain countries and people did not have much freedom. The Tragedy of Macbeth has to do with a couple madly in love with one another. Where Macbeth would do anything for his wife lady Macbeth; in ACT I Macbeth and Banquo return from battle, he and Banquo meet three witches who predict that not only will Macbeth be rewarded by King Duncan but that he will become king himself. This is when Macbeth actually starts to consider the assassination of King Duncan. However for Banquo the witches greet him as a father of kings. When Lady Macbeth hears of the witch’s predictions she comes to the conclusion that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will kill King Duncan. On the night Lady Macbeth tries to kill King Duncan she hesitates on completing the task and she urges her Husband Macbeth to do the killing instead. In Act II Lady Macbeth drugs Duncan’s guards to make Macbeths task; on killing King Duncan much easier. Macbeth kills the guard...
Macbeth takes his first step toward becoming evil when he is confronted with the knowledge that he will be king. When the witches tell him "All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king thereafter!" he makes the mistake of letting his ambition overrule his judgment. If his judgment had remained intact in the face of the witches' powerful prophecy, he certainly would have decided not to let his actions be dictated by a prophecy given to him by three strange witches who evade most of the questions he asks. With great trepidation and considerable pressure from Lady Macbeth, he commits his second mistake by proceeding to murder King Duncan. Driven by a persecution complex that starts with the knowledge that Banquo is meant to be the f...
What comes to mind when you think of a desire for power? The play MacBeth is a prime example of a character who obsesses over power and will do anything for it, regardless of the consequences that might follow. When I watched MacBeth on the Pellissippi State website, I was first glued to my seat from the interesting introduction of the witches. In detail, I plan to discuss the fantastic key components that the director included such as: the overall overview, performance, and design layout that ultimately allows individuals, like me, to get a better understanding of the play MacBeth.
Macbeth feeling this way convinces a pair of men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. By having Banquo and Fleance murdered, Macbeth believes that it will prevent Banquo's sons from becoming king. Macbeth also hires the murderers to kill Macduff's family. This demonstrates Macbeth's obsession because it indicates that Macbeth values his power over his friends. His obsession with power causes Macbeth to feel guilty and lose his sanity. Macbeth's guilt and loss of sanity is indicated in the hallucinations he experiences. His first hallucination occurs just before killing King Duncan. Macbeth sees "A dagger of the mind, a false creation" (act II, scene I, line 38).
After the first prediction comes true the reader starts to see a difference in Macbeth’s entire attitude. Throughout the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen as a valiant and great nobleman, however, when Macbeth receives news that there is a chance for him to rise to great power he conspires to murder the current king to gain the throne. Although the thought of killing Duncan at first is subtle, it grows into a more bl...
Lady Macbeth attempts to disturb Macbeth's heroic mindset through their intimacy, the three witches reveal prophecies that speak to Macbeth's deepest desires and Banquo struggles to help his close friend but his attempts are dismissed by Macbeth's jealous mindset. Amid the play of Macbeth, William Shakespeare exhibits the high influence that these characters have on Macbeth.The capacity one person can have on another can derail them from their original morals and in some instances, create a very wrong
Macbeth’s provocative or violent actions on the challenges placed before him cause him to build an effect of downfall and dismay throughout the play. Originally, Macbeth handles his challenges in different ways and manners and is constantly changing his procedure. From handling situations carefully to not caring, Macbeth and his violence resulted in guilt and selfishness which he had to overcome. By the end of the play, Macbeth had become a selfish, greedy king and the challenges as well as experiences he encountered shaped him into who he is. He was shaped by the guilt of killing Banquo and Duncan, just to become powerful and a king. For example, in Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth faces adversity when his mind creates a ghost of Banquo, who he just found out was killed. In Macbeth, the uprising of adversity was often handled in various manners. By dealing with his own challenges, Macbeth transforms his handling of adversity from being cautious to thoughtless, which reflected his character and the transformation he portrayed throughout the
Macbeth’s character changes throughout the course of the play. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a kind, loyal, hero, and at the end he becomes an evil tyrant. One day Macbeth comes home to his wife (Lady Macbeth) and tells her all about the prophecies, and how he was crowned Thane of Cawdor by the king of Scotland, King Duncan. To the reader this was a big mistake; him telling his wife. With sudden amusement Lady Macbeth sets up a plan for her husband to execute the king, but thinks that her husband is too kind to pull it off.
Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.
Macbeth's destiny and his lust for power, confirmed by the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth, leads to destruction. Every act that Macbeth commits effects the kingdom as a whole. Macbeth's indecisiveness and his understanding of success cause this destruction. This lust for power leads Macbeth, as it would all men, to an evil that exist in everyone. It is his destiny to fail.