How do generic conventions inform your understanding of Macbeth?

She is an unmarried orphan and described as beautiful and intelligent, however she is very vengeful and seeks for power. In addition to that, she is a liar, manipulative and selfish.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth’s visions and hallucinations play a significant role and contribute to the development of his character. In the play Macbeth, a man is driven to murder his king and his companions after receiving a fairly ambiguous prophecy told by three witches. Although the witches triggered the series of events that later aid Macbeth’s descent into complete insanity, Macbeth is portrayed from the very beginning as a fierce and violent soldier. As the play goes on, several internal conflicts inside of Macbeth become clear. After he performs several bloody tasks, the madness inside of Macbeth is unmistakably visible to everyone around him. As a result of this insanity, he sees visions and hallucinations. Each time Macbeth

Male seducers are represented as boys sowing their oats -- part of normal living. Seduced females are viewed as weak and treacherous --  a treachery that woman in her "frailty" is unable to avoid. This is a very bizarre message.

him she must sacrifice herself. We can see that in both Macbeth and Beautiful Creatures,

How does the 1.7 Soliloquy deepen the audience’s understanding of Macbeth’s conflicted state of mind?

Macbeth is a victim of his own self. He killed Duncan. He killed his best friend Banquo. He could've stopped and look at himself. Macbeth knows he is killing innocent people and becoming so paranoid that his own mind became clouded to the point of no return.

Lady Macbeth’s strength of will persists through the murder of King Duncan as it is she who tries to calm Macbeth after committing the crime by declaring confidently that, “a little water clears us of this deed,” (2.2.67). Afterward, however, Lady Macbeth’s strong and ambitious character begins to deteriorate into madness. Her first sign of weakness occurred when she confessed that she could not have killed the king, revealing a natural woman’s feelings, “had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t” (2.2.13-14). Just as ambition has affected her before more so then Macbeth before the crime, the guilt plagues her now more effectively afterward as she desperately tried to wash away the invisible blood from her sin, “Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfume of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand,” (5.1.48-49). Lady Macbeth’s

“Out of her favour, where I am in love.” (Act 1, Scene 1. Pg. 21.)

Initially, Macbeth’s ambition for power is subdued by his longing to hold onto his honor and dignity. Unfortunately, Macbeth lets go of his integrity and kills the unguarded Duncan and so in an attempt to keep the guilt of his deeds to himself, distances himself from not only his wife but also has one of his closest friends murdered. Finally, Macbeth’s thirst for power and greatness emptied him of everything he had; dignity, respect, and honor. Ultimately, motivation that is founded on selfish reasons leads one down a path that strippes one of everthing they have and so takes away any meaning to

This conflict illuminates the point of the play as a whole. A major part of Macbeth is about how Macbeth is conflicted about doing the right thing and doing what will benefit him. In this conflict Macbeth exemplifies this because he doesn’t want to kill Duncan. Duncan is thought of as a great leader, so to kill him would be traitorous and detrimental to Scotland. Duncan is also very kind to Macbeth. But Macbeth still wants the crown, so he is not sure what to do until Lady Macbeth pushes him towards killing Duncan. Finally, Macbeth decides to do what benefits him rather than what is for the good of Scotland. Another major part of Macbeth is about how Macbeth deludes himself into thinking he has done no wrong. In this conflict,

Shakespeare uses soliloquies to show the change of Macbeth. The first monologue of Macbeth in Act 1 scene 7 is used as a point in the play where the plot thickens, when he is doubting his own plans. In the beginning he shows doubts, stating that “ He’s (the king) here is double trust him”(1.7.13) and that Duncan was “so clear in his great office”(1.7.13). This monologue shows how Macbeth does not want to kill Duncan, because he sees the negative consequences such as that “the tear shall drown the wind”(1.7.25) and he “has no spur to prick the sides of my intent”(1.7.26), which means he does not want any trouble. This monologue overall shows how Macbeth is very ambivalent about the murder of king Duncan, but all this changes in the second monologue in act 2 scene 1 line 33-62. As he talks, it is apparent that he is slowly being taken over by ambition and madness, as he “sees a dagger before him” (2.1.32) and he also sees”dudgeon gouts of blood” “on thy blade” (2.1.47 ). At act 5 scene 5, it is apparent that Macbeth is fearless and has gone mad because of ambition because he says that he’s “forgotten what fear feels like”. This shows that Macbeth is a changed man as he has no fear anymore. The monologues throughout the story shows the mind of Macbeth the power of ambition changing Macbeth from a loyal soldier to a ruthless

Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself ” (Act I Scene VII).

She tells him that his face is a place where “men may read strange matters” (I.V.53-540) and that he looks “like the innocent flower. ”(I.V.56-57). Then shortly after she tells him that he must kill the king and he must be as “the serpent under’t” (I.V.58) meaning she wants him to be as a snake in the grass ruthless to those who don’t see him approach. She complements him and makes him proud of himself. Her seduction allows Macbeth to believe her and follow her into the darkness of her ambition to be queen.

makes her seem like she is special and as if she was ‘god sent’. All

Upon this realization, Lady Macbeth indicates a newfound desire to be rid of her feminine qualities, seeking instead to replace them with masculine counterparts. Crying out, Lady Macbeth declares, “Come, you spirits. That tend on mortal thought! Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty” (1. 5. 38-41). Her abstinence towards the limitations of gender thus set her down the road to madness.