In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, we get a look into the regal monarchy of 11th century Scotland. Macbeth is a complex character in the play, whose many layers of emotion unfold throughout. He is influenced by factors such as his emotions, his wife, and inner turmoil to commit numerous regicidal acts that only result in his final fate. This started because of witches in the play who prophesied that he could become king, which drove his desire to do what it would take to become King. Across the entire span of the play, Macbeth’s actions are controlled by the emotions of ambition, arrogance, and fear. Ambition is an emotion well displayed by Macbeth, especially at the beginning of the play where he drives. An example of this shown …show more content…
One example of his arrogance that negatively impacted him in the play was in regards to the witches’ prophecies. They said Macbeth would not be hurt by any woman born, and this led him to believe he had guaranteed immunity. During the final battle he said “I bear a charmed life which must not yield to one woman born” (Shakespeare 5.7). 42-43. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'S However, his pride in the prophecy led him to get too far into it with Macduff, and he was blindsided to find out that really it meant Macduff could kill him because he was a c-section. In this situation he was led to ultimate doom by being too arrogant to protect himself just in case. Another example is when Macbeth declared “I will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet” (Shakespeare 5.7). 57-58). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid a This quote simply shows his arrogance by his refusal to submit to Malcolm. He becomes too full of himself to see the reality of his situation. His overpride led to his drastic downfall. All in all, the emotion of arrogance gradually consumed Macbeth throughout the play, resulting in his unfortunate …show more content…
An instance where he is fearful is when he sees Banquo’s ghost at dinner. He says to the ghost “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me” (Staylor 3.4). 51-52). See also Macbeth is clearly frightened by seeing the ghost of someone whom he murdered. So, he reacts with fear and tries to deny his involvement in Banquo's murder. Macbeth is also paranoid because of the fact that only he can see Banquo’s ghost, indicating its appearance is a form of divine retribution. Another vulnerable moment of fear is when we are indulged into Macbeth's thoughts during his soliloquy. He says, “I have been supped full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts” (Shakespeare 5.5). 13-14). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afores The audience sees Macbeth's reflections on the atrocities he has committed. He admits fear is consuming him, which in a way demeans the powerful aura he is attempting to hold up. His soliloquy is a powerful moment in which he expresses his fear to where it becomes palpable. Altogether, fear is so powerful an emotion that it has been able to control Macbeth's actions and take over his conscience to the utmost
Throughout the entirety of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth himself transformed from a Thane that was loved by all, into a king that was despised by all things right with the world. Macbeth’s fatal flaws include ambition and arrogance, along with susceptibility to Lady Macbeth’s control. These traits pave the path for a prosperous Thane to fall into worldly temptations and dissolve his morality. Most things are good in moderation. In a lot of cases such as completing school work, applying
Arrogance and gullibility are two terrible traits to have. The best example of it in human form is Macbeth, from Shakespeare's play Macbeth. It´s a horrible tragedy about a power hungry, arrogant man who is easily gullible and let what other characters say about him get to him. Inside the play Macbeth is completely to blame for his downfall at the hands of Macduff. The first part of this tragedy takes place as Macbeth is on his way home from war and is visited by three witches during
play filled with death and gore, much more violent? Film. A play such as Macbeth displays how fantastically literature has the ability to carry over into playwriting. Even so, a play is able to be adapted into a film with great new features to add to the experience. This is especially true with Macbeth, a play featuring themes of corruption with power, greed, and arrogance. Director Roman Polanski succeeds at bringing Macbeth to life, with added violence, nudity, and symbolism. The film displays
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, a respected soldier, Macbeth, is to be bombarded with the most awful misfortune. In this case, Macbeth has two out of the three conditions to qualify as a tragic hero; extreme arrogance and tragic flaw. Even though Macbeth qualifies for most of the conditions of a tragic hero, he does not deserve the remaining condition; pity. During the beginning of the play, Macbeth is praised which raises his social standing, and later develops arrogance which ultimately leads to
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the supernatural and the role they play in motivating characters is apparent throughout the duration of the play. The supernatural is what causes conflict in the play and the prophecies from the witches in act one scene three is the inciting action in the piece. The supernatural causes the future conflict by motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could become king of Scotland. Through temptation, the supernatural motivates characters to think arrogantly and for
Macbeth is not a Hero in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Could someone who kills innocent people possibly be considered a hero? In William Shakespeare's tragic drama "Macbeth" this question is raised. According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle there are certain requirements that categorize a person to be a tragic hero, some of which Macbeth does possess. However, Macbeth does not complete the entire cycle of requirements. Although many readers believe that Macbeth exemplifies Aristotle's tragic
possible failure or death. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the protagonist macbeth takes the risk of murder and arrogance to get to the top of scotland's social hierarchy, which inevitably leads to his death. Throughout the play Macbeth takes on many different changes and relies on different things that push him to take metaphorical leaps of faith against those who hinder him from taking and holding his foretold place as scotland's king. Macbeth had been encountered by three witches that told him
Macbeth: The Role of Fate Fate plays an important role in Shakespeare's Macbeth. The weird sisters use fate to wreak havoc among the Scottish nobility. Also, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth tempt fate. Later in the play, Malcolm, Macduff and the other revolutionaries try to alter fate. Fate can be many things to many different people. If one believes that fate is all-encompassing, then it becomes a perfect excuse for one's deeds. Yet, to Macbeth fate was something far more complex. Macbeth,
could not be as a result of your actions. In the play Macbeth, the character Macbeth was a loyal member of the king Duncan, however he was told by three witches of his prophecy, that he would become the new king if he kills Duncan. Macbeth, with a little convincing from his wife, goes through with what the witches say and kills Duncan. Eventually, after a series of events Macbeth and his wife dies. The person to be held accountable for Macbeth and his Lady Macbeth’s fate should be themselves because
Icarus possessed the internal flaw of arrogance which ultimately lead to his failure. Icarus was very proud of himself and his flying so he “forsook his guide his guide, and, bold in vanity, began to soar, rising upon his wings to touch the skies... heat increasing melted the soft wax” (Ovid 349-354). As Icarus is flying he becomes very proud of his success, this gets to his head and causes him to fly higher and higher to prove himself. He is very arrogant and that causes him to forsake his guide
When people hear the word “pride”, the range of connotations is extensive: to some, pride means having confidence in one’s ability to accomplish something or having a high sense of self-worth; to others, pride is synonymous with arrogance and vanity. However, then the question being asked is what does pride actually mean? Pride is defined as a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements. Knowing what pride means, understanding how people become prideful becomes significantly
evident in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Shakespeare argues that those who “art not without ambition”(I, v, 18) have the ability to completely change their own perceptions, and morals. This is evident in characters such as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth; whose greed, and hubris for the throne converted them into murderers. Although these two change detrimentally by cause of their passions, they are not alone. Macduff also changes through his greed for vengeance on Macbeth. Throughout the play this trio
witches and ambition in Macbeth, it is still greatly influential in the plot of the story and can only lead to the one end result of evil: death. Works Cited Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Pardoner's Tale." Chaucer's Works. Ed. Walter W. Skeat. Vol. 4. London: U of Oxford, 2007. N. pag. Web. 24 Apr. 2014 Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1999. Print. "Macbeth: Entire Play." Macbeth: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Macbeth Themes." Shmoop.com
and motivate the main protagonist, Macbeth to explore tragic hero traits. The supernatural aspect of the play initially causes hubris within Macbeth. His first encounter with the supernatural force is when him and Banquo come across three strange witches, who predict their future prophecies. After Macbeth is named thane of Cawdor, one of the witches prophecies, Macbeth experiences a sudden pride and arrogance, causing him to misinterpret the meaning of fate. Macbeth attempts to master fate, taking desperate
truths, which consequently results in delusions, and in some cases, tragedies. In Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, the theme of illusion versus reality is overtly evident in the main character, Macbeth. Macbeth frequently misinterprets illusions as the actual reality due to possessing such an untamed ambition, which ultimately ends up resulting in a series of tragic and horrific events, for Macbeth and his victims. Macbeth’s ambition first leads him into believing that he is destined