Consequences of Wrongdoing in Shakespeare’s Macbeth
An Essay by Ikko
Macbeth, the main character in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is a classic example of a tragic hero. There are many aspects in the play which contribute towards Macbeth’s degeneration, and his change in personality and his view of the world. These factors are guilt, ambition and temptation, and metaphorical blindness. Macbeth goes from being a noble man to a violent, savage human. Along with his wife, Lady Macbeth and these fatal flaws, Macbeth loses his identity and perishes in the cruel reality of the world.
Guilt is a consequence of Macbeth’s wrongdoing, and it is shown throughout the play how guilt has affected him, and how it has made his sanity questionable. It makes him question his loyalty, and his actions towards the people around him. “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me.” The previous line is spoken by Macbeth, upon seeing the late Banquo’s ghost and it means – You can’t say that I did anything. Don’t shake your head at me. This shows the audience that Macbeth is trying to lay the blame off of himself because he cannot face his guilt. Shakespeare wrote this line so that only Macbeth could see Banquo’s ghost, as if he has gone insane. This increases the feeling of isolation, as guilt takes him further and further away from humanity. When Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking, she says the following: “Come out, damned spot! Out, I command you! But who would have thought the old man would have had so much blood in him?” This is an example of a dramatic technique, symbolism, that Shakespeare has used in this play. Obviously, she is not talking about blood that cannot be cleaned, but she is talking about the guilt that has built up in her body from the murder of Duncan. She says that she cannot wipe the guilt away, and most likely regrets her choice to kill the King. It also shows the audience her pathetic greed.
Ambition and temptation both play a part in the cause of Macbeth’s wrongdoing, and ultimately, their downfall. It is probably his most fatal flaw. Macbeth himself knows that the dangers of being too ambitious as seen from the following: “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play.
Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ is about the leading male protagonist succumbing to his ambition and need for power. Though Macbeth is liable for his own actions, he is not solely responsible for the events that eventually result in his downfall. Macbeth is corrupted by his wife, Lady Macbeth, as well as the three weird sisters. Macbeth’s contribution towards his downfall is his strong ambitious nature. Lady Macbeth is the person who induces Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. The three weird sisters (witches) play with Macbeth’s ambitious nature and sense of security. Macbeth’s downfall is due to himself and two external factors.
Throughout the story of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth acts in a much despised manner: he becomes a murderer and later, when king of Scotland, a tyrant. Many who have read or seen the play are left wondering how a man’s whole approach to life can change; how Macbeth turned from the hero whom all adored, to the tyrant who was hated and ended up a lone man, fighting for his life.
Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ is a character who suffers greatly in because of her human weakness, which is her vaulting ambition. This ambition is not for her, but for her husband. This woman, who seemed so in control at the beginning of the okay, only cared for her husband and his success, later becomes so consumed with guilt and remorse that it results in her tragic death. Through the discussion of characterisation and lkey scenes, I shall reveal that Lady Macbeth’s human flaw is not only a major contributor to the ruthlessness of her husband but creates a huge influence in how the play unfolds.
Throughout history, many have pursued to gain world power. The age of imperialism, Hitler’s desire for his nazi party to control the world, Napoleon’s attempt for France to control Europe, and many others. Many have pursued to gain power, but ultimately failed from repercussions created in the pursuit. In the Elizabethan era tragedy, Macbeth, William Shakespeare reveals through the motif of blood to represent the harmful repercussions of the pursuit of power. Shakespeare warns
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth the reader watches as Macbeth changes gradually as the play endures. He are transforms from a loyal person with a loving and loyal disposition with other people, into a tyrants who are willing to kill in order to keep himself on the throne. He is tormented with fear, regret, and guilt. When someone does something they know is wrong it causes them to fall prey to their own emotions.
You can see at the middle of the play the transform that this character passes through, and how much he changes as he was before. Some believe lady Macbeth wash his head and make him act as he did; I believe instead she was a direct compliss and also, she knew the consequences that the murder of king Duncan could bring to them. For example, Macbeth starts admiting he is full of ill when he says in the fifth act “My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already”. In deed, is important to analyze this quote because it means that Macbeth admits his hate and his anger, which lead to think he is guilty. As a result, what caused Macbeth to fall from his ambitious throne, at least for me, is the free will that he used. He had two options, the first one was to wait pacificly the inheritance of the throne, and the second one was to take the power with his own hand, I say he fall down due to free will because he had an idea of the current situation he lived at. Free will makes Macbeth fall and makes the consequences fall even harder and painful than they were going to be assuming he would choose the pacific road. Macbeth receives the consequences like a dead wife, a token kingdom, and at the end he died. It can also be analize the fact that the play makes the audience think on free will and fate. It makes the audience have a
“Macbeth” a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, portrays, how the main character Macbeth, transforms from a war hero, to a murdering villain. Macbeth starts out as the thane of Glamis and steadily rises to become King of Scotland. The higher Macbeth rose on his road of power the more corrupt and evil he became. The character change of Macbeth ignites the whole theme of the play.
In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide, in a great fit of ambition, to kill King Duncan. Later in the play we see the same two characters undergo a transformation in their personalities after murdering the King. Macbeth begins the play as a noble soldier and gradually changes into an ambitious and murdering tyrant. Lady Macbeth begins as a strong, ambitious woman who dominates her husband and gradually changes into a weak and guilt-ridden woman. This essay will explore the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth before and after the murder of King Duncan.
An ambition for power can seem to be true perfection, but one should be careful what they wish for, because that power might be exactly what causes their downfall. In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare ambition plays a great role and is also a main theme. Ambition is often the motivating force in one's life. It is supposed to be the motivating factor that drives one towards success. The main character, Macbeth has ambition even though it leads him to his downfall. In contrast, Lady Macbeth pursues her goals with greater determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the outcome of her actions. She becomes guilty which leads to her death since she becomes mentally ill and commits suicide, leaving Macbeth without any
Ambition is what motivates people to achieve a certain thing in their life. However, many fail if their ambition is too big and unreasonable. This is definitely the case for Macbeth in the William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Macbeth's ambitious causes him to disregard his loyalty to Duncan. Moreover, Macbeths desires lead him to be immoral, going to extremes in order to achieve success. Ultimately, Macbeths deep aspirations for power demonstrates being over ambitious will end in disaster. Therefore, in the play Macbeth, Macbeths ambition leads him to corrupt his morality, resulting in his downfall
First off, guilt can make you do things you do not want to do. Reflecting on one of Macbeth’s first downfalls, Macbeth states, “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand” (2.1.34-35). This dagger in which Macbeth refers to is the affect of guilt. Guilt is defined in many ways, however in the book it means to have so much pain and fear that it ends up becoming so bad and it results in a downfall. Macbeth first off is guilty for accepting to kill Banquo, therefore he is having hallucinations. As guilt affected Macbeth this dagger has showed up and affects his mental state. As shown in Macbeth, this dagger prompts him to kill Banquo.
In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character of Macbeth is discovered to be a classic example of a tragic hero. Macbeth is a very ambitious and courageous person who lets three main things turn him into a violent individual. Two of the points, which most greatly contribute to Macbeth’s fall, are the prophecy, which were told to him by the witches, and how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment. These two factors along with his tremendous ambition to be king is what caused him to fall from a noble man who was loyal to his king to a violent man who would kill his king to become king!
The most interesting aspect of Macbeth’s character is that it is flawed. The audience can identify with his human frailties. Despite the fact that Macbeth commits evil and is drawn to the successes he thinks evil can provide him, one can tell he has goodness in him. Shakespeare reveals Macbeth’s moral development through the use of symbolism in the soliloquys which portray
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare recounts Macbeth's meteoric rise as a soldier and promising future leader whose megalomaniacal ambition led to his tragic downfall. In addition to Macbeth's ambitions, which initially enable him to be strong leader and soldier, he is influenced heavily by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the three witches that prophesize his ascent to the throne, as well as warn him of his eventual demise. It can be argued that it is Macbeth's ambition that allows him to succeed in his endeavors, however the goals to which he is working toward influence the results of his hard work. Macbeth's ambitions help him to become a war hero, and as his goals change, his ambitions drive him to become a tyrannical villain.