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Role of the supernatural forces in Macbeth
Symbolism in the play of macbeth.pdf
Symbolism in the play of macbeth.pdf
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Recommended: Role of the supernatural forces in Macbeth
Although there are supernatural forces at work on Macbeth, Macbeth holds responsibility for his demise due to the actions he willingly decides to take which are rooted from his own ambition, fear, and ignorance.
Clearly, Macbeth’s growing ambition is one of the contributing factors to his decisions, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Macbeth’s ambition is aroused from the witches’ prophecies that Macbeth is thane of Glamis, Cawdor, and king. As a result, Macbeth is intrigued with these unbelievable prophecies because it “Stands not within the prospect of belief” (1.3.77), considering Macbeth is in no social status to become king; however, once these prophecies are confirmed by Ross and Angus, Macbeth falls into the trap of believing
that the witches’ prophecies are true. For example, after Ross and Angus confirm the second prophecy that Macbeth is thane of Cawdor, Macbeth is lead to believe that these prophecies are true due to the accuracy of the two other prophecies.
At this point in the play he is the newly appointed thane of Glamis. Immediately after the predictions, news arrives that he is to be thane of Cawdor. Macbeth cannot help but wonder whether the third prediction will come true or not. Banquo says that the forces of darkness use the truth to win us to harm, but Macbeth's ambition makes him unwilling to believe this. & nbsp; There is an ambiguity in Macbeth. Do the witches represent inevitable fate, and is there in this instance the triumph of the forces of darkness, or does Macbeth have free will?
Macbeth begins to defer from his original character when he learns of the witches’ prophecies, which leads him to believe he is fated to be king and to pursue that “destiny.” After the witches make the prophecies, he merely views the thought of himself becoming king as something that “Stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. iii. 77). Macbeth’s disbelief of their claim of him obtaining the crown reveals how Macbeth does not trust the witches’ words and has no true ambition to become king. However soon after Banquo’s and Macbeth’s encounter with the witches, a messenger of the King greets him with the title of Thane of Cawdor as well as the title of Thane of Glamis as the witches had also done. These two titles are seen from Macbeth as “Two truths [that] are told/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme” (I. iii. 140-142). Having one of the two prophecies become reality validates the witches’ words and makes Macbeth take their words seriously to be the truth, sparking his desire for power to fulfill the last prophecy. He now believes that what the witches have made it his destiny to become king, and it is his duty to fulfill it. Through Duncan and Macbeth’s dialogue, Macbeth hears about Malcolm b...
...y decided by him. The Witches only prophesied and showed him apparitions; they did not force him to act on it. One can conclude that Shakespeare wanted the modern viewer to see how ambition and over-confidence can lead man to his downfall. By documenting the stages in Macbeth’s life before and after the murder, we see an initially great man who is killed because he was too involved in his world of ambitions. This play serves as a warning not to believe in everything that is said about the future, and to not be overcome by dark ambitions. Being aware of this, Macbeth is no longer only a play about a Scottish general whose actions drive him to his demise, but also a lesson to the viewers to not be overcome by their ambitions.
For every occurrence there must be a motivation; this ideal is exemplified in Macbeth by Shakespeare. As this story progresses many ghastly murders unfold, furthering the ideal of how a simple drive for ambition can turn dark very quickly. Throughout this illustrious play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop, and then suffer the consequences of their cold-blooded corruption of ambition.
Factors Contributing to Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, there are many reasons for Macbeth's gradual downfall. Numerous factors contributed to Macbeth's ruin, such as his own character flaws and his demanding wife, Lady Macbeth. The Three Witches, however, caused Macbeth the most trouble. First, the sisters stirred up his dormant ambitions to be king.
"All hail, Macbeth Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth Hail to thee, thou shall be King hereafter!" (1.3.49) The witches help fate out by giving Macbeth this information. If Macbeth had never known this, he would never have had the idea of becoming thane of Cawdor or king. This is the start to Macbeth's road to success and ultimate demise. It was predetermined by fate that Macbeth would believe the witches' words. When Macbeth does in fact become thane of Cawdor, he then believes fully in the witches and is willing to do anything it takes to become king.
Ambition Determines the Fate of Characters in Shakespeare's MacBeth. What a person craves for herself often determines her fate. The ambition of three characters in the play MacBeth was a key factor in the outcome of their fate, MacBeth's ambition for the throne of Scotland, Lady Macbeth's ambition for her husband to have power, and Banquo's lack of ambition for himself. These intentions all determined the fate of these characters, as well as the outcome of the play.
In the beginning of Act I, Macbeth is regarded by King Duncan and many others as a noble man, more specifically a “valiant cousin” and a “worthy gentlemen” due to his loyalty to the crown and courage in battle. As a reward for his courage and allegiance, Macbeth is to become the Thane of Cawdor in addition to his position as the Thane of Glamis. However, before notified of this “promotion,” Macbeth and Banquo meet with three witches who greet the men with prophecies regarding their futures. At this time, Macbeth is told he is to become Thane of Cawdor and the king of Scotland in the future, but the witches also give Banquo a prophecy that his descendants are also to become kings. In line 78 of scene iii, Macbeth questions their strange knowledge and commands, “Speak, I charge you,” in order to learn more about his future. Catching his attention with news of such value, his natural reaction is to inquire for more information. This can be considered a spark of Macbeth’s tragic flaw because selfishness begins to arise when he demands t...
The drama otherwise follows a similar pattern of Greek tragedy; in defining Macbeth’s ultimate tragic flaw and cause of his downfall, however, he and the plot and organization of the tragedy is caused primarily by human error, provoked by supernatural and fate (Bradley).Whatever force might otherwise be detailed in determinism and used as a basis for a hamartia, downfall and tragic philosophy, the closest Shakespeare comes is in his supernatural element, mainly encompassing the role of the witches, of Macbeth (Bradley).Their irrelevance to this tragic element of the drama, however, is observed throughout the plot of the novel, wherever the hero is approached by supernatural.The prophecy of the witches is not another force creating Macbeth’s downfall, but rather the message to provoke him into insanity and drive him to his end, and a reflection of his inner flaws (Shakespeare). His downfall is not predicted or caused by a supernatural force, so that Macbeth’s murder sprees, his guilt, his insanity and death and all aspects of his downfall are ultimately done at his own hand and in free will where no factor playing into was unavoidable (Bradley). Macbeth’s tragic flaw is in character traits, where his downfall is entirely his own fault and human error, so that the tragedy of Macbeth is completely unrelated to determinism and puts forth another theme
When Macbeth is first introduced to the audience, he is seen as a tough, trustworthy hero. He wins the battle and gains King Duncan’s honor and respect. This all lasts until his encounter with the witches. The witches terrorized and cursed people purely for their personal enjoyment. They came across Macbeth and could not pass this opportunity. Unfortunately Macbeth fell victim to the witches’ ruthless, evil plans. The witches begin to recite prophecies which immediately strike confusion and curiosity in Macbeth’s weak mind. The first prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!” which was said by the first witch. Macbeth already was the Thane of Glamis. The second prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” This prophecy in fact, came true after his defeat over the King of Scotland. This of course caused Macbeth the want more. The third prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth that shall be King here after!” Macbeth new that the only way this prophecy would come true is if he murdered King Duncan. At this time, Macbeth was kind hearted and would not even think twice about murdering the man who trusts him. His weak mind caused him to fall victim to harsh words and tales of the future. The lovely Lady Macbeth is not at all who people perceive her to be. She is ruthless, impatient and power thirsty. She man...
Ambition is often regarded as a powerful force that drives us to accomplish our dreams. We are encouraged from birth to have ambition so we can be successful in life, while people without ambition are labeled careless. But what if someone is immensely ambitious? What would that result in? Would it either be achievable or lead to disastrous consequences due to high aspirations? In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the lead character Macbeth is a honourable, ambitious, loyal soldier who strives for more. Macbeth gradually loses his self-control and lets his actions affect the citizens of his kingdom. Although Macbeth starts of as a virtuous man, his wife’s instigations and “vaulting ambition” to become king, leads him to lose his humanity resulting in the death of many innocent lives and betraying those who love and care for him. Throughout the play Macbeth demonstrates how ambition turns a loyal soldier into a bloodthirsty murderer with each one of his ruthless murders; Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family.
The society people live in today, is built on the ambitions and actions of the previous generations. Ambition is a component of human nature and survival instinct. However, ambition can be dangerous, as it has led to the downfall of many leaders in the past. One of the most well known example is Napoleon Bonaparte, after his attempt to invade Russia. Similarly, Macbeth's "vaulting ambition" causes a series of events to occur, which results in his own demise. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, ultimately Macbeth's ambition, fuels his paranoia and produces a tyrant that murders impulsively, which leads to the downfall of his character.
Macbeth, whom initially was a very reasonable and moral man, could not hold off the lure of ambition. This idea is stated in the following passage: "One of the most significant reasons for the enduring critical interest in Macbeth's character is that he represents humankind's universal propensity to temptation and sin. Macbeth's excessive ambition motivates him to murder Duncan, and once the evil act is accomplished, he sets into motion a series of sinister events that ultimately lead to his downfall." (Scott; 236). Macbeth is told by three witches, in a seemingly random and isolated area, that he will become Thank of Cawdor and eventually king. Only before his ambition overpowers his reasoning does he question their motives. One place this questioning takes place is in the following passage:
This gives him the confidence that no matter what the English do he will not be defeated. In addition he is told that he will not be defeated until the trees of Birnam Wood move towards his castle. He has put all his faith in these prophecies because he believes what the witches have said must be true because of the outcome of the first prediction. In conclusion, Macbeth has many forces acting upon him, the Witches, Lady Macbeth, paranoia and ambition. However things would not have got so out of control if the others factors had not contributed, so ambition is the main root of Macbeth's downfall.
MacBeth is Responsible for His Downfall. There were many wrongs committed in "MacBeth." But who should bear the major responsibility for these actions? The witches prophesying the truth? Lady MacBeth's scheming and persuasion?