ENGLISH HL SHAKESPEARE- MACBETH ESSAY It is human nature to be intrigued by all things mystical and dangerous. We fear the unknown but seek it nonetheless out of greed. Most of Shakespeare’s works hold an element of the supernatural and the play Macbeth is no exception. In this play we see a contemporary morality that warns of the dangers of trafficking with instruments of darkness; the witches in the play prophesize of Macbeths future as king, and Macbeth blinded by his hunger for power fails to recognize that the witches prophecies are luring him to evil . In act 1 scène 3 we see the effect that the excitement of the prophecies has had on his imagination as he begins to contemplate murdering the king. As Macbeth gets closer to …show more content…
If he were certain about the murder he would have had the confidence to face the exposing light of nature fearlessly. True evil fears no good. Macbeth fears the light then he cannot be a purely evil individual. A purely evil individual fears nothing but himself and to add to that note that is reason why Macbeth is referred to as a tragic hero and not a villain. His tragedy is profound because he realizes that killing the king is wrong and mentally and physically he is very hesitant to do so but he still give into his selfishness ambitions as he makes his ways to Duncan’s chambers. As we move closer to the king’s murder in act 2, the evil in Macbeth begins to strengthen and solidify. We begin to see the cunning traits of a murder surface in Macbeth as the theme of appearance verses reality is brought out in his character at the end of act 1 scene 7 when he says “false face must hide what false heart doth know”. This example implies that one can never truly tell what is on someone else mind by looking at the face; the face will hide the truth that the heart and mind (conscience) knows. There is a metaphoric reference to the reality that is behind Macbeth’s appearance. The false face that Macbeth speaks of is like a mask worn by a thief. Like a thief he will put on a mask and steal Duncan’s life and crown away from him and no will would know it is him as he is disguised. In the beginning of this scene Macbeth had come to the
"Macbeth" is a tragic play that was written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600’s. It revolved around the character Macbeth and his urge to become king of Scotland. Macbeth had to do anything possible to become the king including murder, lying, and deception. However, Macbeth committed these evil deeds due to some influential people in his life. Between Macbeth’s wife persuading him to do anything to become king and the witches prophesying over him causes Macbeth to try and bury the past and control the future.
During act 4 the supernatural phenomenons play a very important role in the fate and character of Macbeth. In Act 4 Scene 1 Macbeth starts off by seeing four apparitions displayed by the witches. All of the apparitions represent something very important to Macbeth’s fate. The first apparition is a decapitated head with a helmet on. Macbeth seems to be grateful for this vision because it shows him that he should kill Macduff. Another thing that this apparition shows is that Macbeth is in fact scared of Macduff. The following two apparitions feeds Macbeth’s ego telling him that he can not be killed by anyone born by a woman and that he can't lose any battle. Macbeth isn’t satisfied so he asks the
With anger, illusions, stress and so much more I will analyze Macbeth and lady Macbeth for their problems and disorders. In my research I will decipher between certain diseases such as bipolar disease, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, sleeping disorder, and paranoia to see exactly which one of these stress/hurtful symptoms in which they both share. I’ve got my observation information from many resources such as doctor, psychiatrist, prison guards, and the dictionary. And overall I would find them very resourceful.
In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, an important character is Macbeth. The writer develops the personality of said character throughout the play using contrast, dialogue, actions, thoughts, and commentary. Through this the audience is able to observe the personality transformation Macbeth undergoes throughout the course of the play.
In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, we discover that Macbeth is a tragic hero. There are many factors, which contribute to the degeneration of Macbeth. Macbeth is very ambitious and courageous, and is later portrayed as a moral coward. All of these qualities lead to his tragic death at the end of the play. There are three major points, which contribute greatly to Macbeth's degeneration. The first was the prophecies, which were told to him by the witches. The second factor was when Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment. The final factor was Macbeth's long time ambition, which drove his desire to be king. Macbeth's character degenerates from a nobleman to a violent individual.
The driving force to achieve the Macbeths’ goals was ambition. However, because they were solemnly ambitious at the same aptitude, it caused them not to fully achieve their goals, as one was always more or less ambitious than the other.
Similar to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is presented in a deceptive manner, first appearing to be a hero, but eventually deteriorating into something else. His formidable contributions on the battlefield are overshadowed by his lust for power, which leads him into killing Duncan so he that he can take the throne. Indeed, it is the witches who plant the thought of becoming king inside of Macbeth’s head, but it is Macbeth who immediately “yields to the suggestion” (1.3.146) of murdering, which despite “make[s] [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs (1.3.148), is a thought that he completely created on his own. The witches spoke nothing of murder, showing that even without being deceived, Macbeth has a dark mind. And although Lady Macbeth convinces him to go through with the plan, all of the other dark deeds he commits are formed based on his own thoughts, not those of others, showing that he is capable of deceiving without needing help from others.
Macbeth is an epic tragedy inspiring pity and remorse because the hero, though flawed, is also shown to be human. The play portrays a journey of self-discovery and awareness as both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pass from happiness to misery. Their punishment is well deserved but the retributive price is enormous.
In life, there are two types of people: those who do the right thing and those who don’t. In the play Macbeth, by Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is given a prophecy by three witches that says he will become king; however, there is no descending line of kings of his own blood. With the knowledge of the Witches’ prophecy, Macbeth’s ambition, and manipulation from his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is quickly dragged into a never-ending, bloody murder rampage to obtain the crown and get rid of those who stand in the way of obtaining it as well. Macbeth constantly battles with his moral dilemmas; however, he easily falls victim to influences that go against his morals. Influences on major characters emphasize how easily one’s decision making can be negatively affected, resulting in one going against his or her morals/integrity.
After receiving a prophecy from the witches the he will be king, Macbeth is excited to share the news with his beloved wife. Both of them, alone, started plotting King Duncan’s murder. Lady Macbeth seems better prepared to wear this mask, and hide her true intents than Macbeth does. Since Macbeth is seemingly incapable of facing Duncan without their plan written across his face, Lady Macbeth encourages him to “Look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” (I, v, 56). It is almost as if Shakespeare wanted Macbeth to be portrayed as an actor, having to put on this mask, and deliver a convincing performance of trust and loyalty. This is evident because even though Macbeth openly expresses his distaste in Duncan’s murder when he tells Lady Macbeth “We will proceed no further in this business” (I, vii, 32) he still ends up killing Duncan. Wearing this mask has taken its toll on Macbeth. His mind and body were opposed to the deed; which is shown to the readers when Macbeth sees a floating dagger. Perhaps hinting that his sanity is not intact. However, after it is done, Macbeth changes and starts molding himself to fit the mask he wears, accepting murder, and moving forward with his life. Masking intentions does not have to be for evil means. Malcolm masks himself in order to test Macduff, and by doing this he gains a friend and ally, rather than a crown and subjects. So while masking one’s intentions can yield bountiful rewards, it can also pull them towards the path of evil, for there is no yellow brick road to get lost on in this world of
Analysis of Macbeth Macbeth, is one of the greatest tragedy plays written by William Shakespeare. It is a rather short play with a major plot that we had to follow it carefully to understand its significance. The play is a tragedy about evil rising to power, which ends up corrupting the main characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the opening of the play Macbeth is introduced to the audience as Thane of Glamis and is respected. The witches also play a major part in the play, as they predict the future.
"Yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full o'th milk of human kindness.
Having a lust for power can cause a loss in many things. It’s as if you’re in a win-lose situation. In this case, the play Macbeth written by Shakespeare has scholars sayings, “The lust for power by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth led to a loss of humanity.” With that said, I totally agree with their view. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth went out of their way to even killing King Duncan and burdening the murder on his guardsmen. Even though that’s a common human act, you just don’t do something like that. It’s just so wrong. The acts of both these people are very evil and violent, in which causes Macbeth to move from one act of endangerment to another just to protect himself from a great disaster which I likely
Today was the day I so patiently had been waiting for, coronation day! As a commoner it was almost unheard of to be able to visit the castle amongst the royals. I walked up to the tall door and entered the grand dining hall. The dining hall was dark and cold sending a shiver up my spine. The sound of laughter and conversation bounced off the walls overpowering the room. That was when I saw him, Macbeth, our future King, accompanied by his wife. Macbeth looked even taller and wiser in person, he was the type of man anyone would want as their king. At least that was what I had thought.
In the tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, many character traits are portrayed through the various characters throughout the play. Macbeth was one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. It was completed in 1606 and was most likely first performed before King James I and his royal family at Hampton Court. King James I is believed to be a direct descendent of the character Banquo. Probably the most potent character trait expressed in Macbeth would be integrity or the lack there of. Integrity could be defined as doing the right thing at all costs no matter what the consequences or what would be in the persons best interest. In this play the person that displays the most