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Power and manipulation in macbeth
Power and manipulation in macbeth
Power and manipulation in macbeth
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There are simply two types of people in this world; good people and bad people. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the King of Scotland (well at least at the beginning of the play) whom is King Duncan, would be labeled as a good person. Duncan is viewed as Macbeth’s opposite, since Macbeth’s characteristics are all made to be pointed out as a bad person. The story of Macbeth is all about greed, power, and guilt. Macbeth becomes greedy when he kills Duncan in order to become king and to gain power. Lady Macbeth on the other hand is stricken with guilt at what she has caused her husband to do. The murder of Duncan is extremely crucial in the story, as is his character himself. In our society now, one person whose actions and words that is quite similar to Duncan’s overall effect is Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber is similar to Duncan in that they both speak with very kind words to the people around them. Even in the position of king, Duncan’s vernacular could suggest otherwise. Duncan pots others on a high pedestal, speaking kind words such as, “O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!” (Shakespeare I.ii.24). He speaks to the other person very highly, and as does Justin Bieber. In an interview with Ink Splot 26, when asked about Usher, whom signed Justin Bieber, he talks nothing but benevolent words about Usher stating “how influential [Usher] is in life and much pride [Usher] takes in guiding me into being the best person I can possibly be” (Ink Splot 26: Justin Bieber Interview). In addition to what they say, is the tone in which they talk. Although Duncan and Bieber both have formal tones, Duncan’s tone is more superior and Bieber’s formal tone has more of a slight street-talk tone to it. When King Duncan tells Ross to send the news to Ma...
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...ut the impression of getting something in return. If this were the fact in the play, the outcomes might have just been different.
Works Cited
Bieber, Justin. Twitter. 29 June 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. .
Grigoriadis, Vanessa. "Justin Bieber Talks Sex, Politics, Music and Puberty." Rolling Stone. 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. .
"Justin Bieber: What's Difficult and Amazing About His Life." People.com. 07 Apr. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. .
Scaggs, Austin. "Welcome to Bieber’s World: Hit LP, Teen Riots, Massive Tour." Rolling Stone 29 Apr. 2010: 28. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Jesse M. Lander. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2007. Print.
In the later acts of the play, Shakespeare furthered the definition of a good man by portraying what a bad one was not. In Macbeth's darkest hours, he showed no sign of prudence and logic as he slayed King Duncan, and hired assassins to murder his friend Banquo. Macbeth displayed his temerity in Act IV, Scene 1 saying, from this moment “the very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand. / And even now, / To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done” (Act #, Scene #, Line #). Macbeth was no longer the logical, thinking man whom many admired. He had become reckless, acting with only his passion and not his mind. The tragedy of the murders he brought on fair Scotland was a direct result of this violation of the criterion of a good man.
Warwick, Jacqueline. ““You Can’t Win, Child, You Can’t Get Out of the Game”: Michael Jackson’s Transition from Child Star to Superstar.” Popular Music and Society, 35:2 (May 2012): 241-258. Accessed April 27, 2014. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2011.618052.
Humans are always fascinated by power. Sadly, they do not realize the danger of it until it is too late. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare's underscores how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both consumed by power. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth dominates Macbeth, manipulating him to kill Duncan. After the death of Duncan, Macbeth becomes ambitious, and hires murderers to kill Banquo without notifying Lady Macbeth. Even though he is a decorated soldier, when Macbeth rises to power, he becomes ruthless. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth becomes weak, and insane. Shakespeare illustrates how Macbeth’s obsession with power undermines his moral judgement, leads to his mental deterioration, and ultimately results in his death.
Macbeth is a character to be hated and criticised, due to his audacity to commit acts of crime to an extreme extent to fulfil his vaulting ambitions. Firstly, Macbeth is a mass murderer, who is responsible for the regicide
Throughout the play Macbeth allows his pride to interfere with his judgment and succumbs to the witches’ prophecy, leading to his tragic downfall. “Macbeth orders a slaughter of innocents in a vain and futile attempt to preserve kingships threatened by prophecies” (Hassel). He murders King Duncan, his good friend, in order to secure his fate as king. Although Macbeth knows the difference between right and wrong, he is a victim of his tragic flaw: his ambition. His tragic flaw repeatedly leads him to deceit and murder.
"Triumph & Tragedy: The Life of Michael Jackson." Rolling Stone, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. .
Macbeth is swaying between the forces of good and evil. He wants to stop killing but he also wants to become king and in his mind the only way to do that is to kill whoever is in his path, saying “I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (3.4.168-170). Macbeth is already deep into this situation and if he were to turn back now, it would cause him greater hardship than relief. Macbeth has been dealing with this inner conflict ever since he was told by the weird sisters that he is fated to become king. This conflict ties everything together, between fate versus free will and sane or insane. Macbeth started the play as being a glorified war hero, however as time moved on he transformed into a bloodthirsty tyrant. Macbeth has gone through so much that he has shifted into a guilty man haunted by nightmares and hallucinations but will not stop until he gets what he came for. Macbeth has gone so far into the void of guilt that his name has now fell into infamy, as shown by quote by Young Siward saying “The devil himself could not pronounce a title/ More hateful to mine ear.” (5.7.10-11). Macbeth had already grown a name for himself while he kept his innocence, however with all the killings macbeth has made, he has done nothing but shame his name. Macbeth name to others is more hateful and there is nothing that Siward would rather do than to end Macbeth’s life, thus ending all the guilt and evil inside
The tragedy of Macbeth opens up with him returning home from a victorious military battle, displaying his honor and excellence. This is, also the first time he is presented with the opportunity for power. His success covered him with glory in defense of the crown. Macbeth is busily basking in his own glory and soaking up credit when Duncan basically steals his spotlight from right over his head, proclaiming Malcolm, Duncan's son, as the heir-apparent. This action also belittles Macbeth's achievement, since the procession of the throne is not necessarily dictated by bloodlines. Duncan is basically announcing that Macbeth, while noble, is inferior to his son Malcolm. This is where Duncan provokes Macbeth to hate him and also points out what Macbeth must do to become King. Duncan even tempts Macbeth, by pronouncing him as the Thane of Cawdor. This gives Macbeth a taste of power and he begins to have a desire for more. This desire or ambition is his fatal flaw. Shakespeare, by using Macbeth as a guide, shows that even the honorable men can fall into the hands of evil just like everyone else. No one is safe from his or her own ambitions of power and success. It is clear that Macbeth ends up a far more brutal and simple...
Throughout the play of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is supposed to be a likeable character until he kills the king. By committing this heinous act, Macbeth instantly becomes a villain and continues to commit murderous acts, all stemming from his first terrible mistake. One of his motives consists of choosing power over integrity, therefore he kills the king. Another reason why Macbeth is a villain is because he continued to kill innocent people to hide his doings. Lastly, since Macbeth is a villain and murderer, he deserves to be condemned and disdained.
Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs
William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth shows the gradual descent of the character Macbeth into the moral abyss. Macbeth's yearning for power draws him to the murder of King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff's family. It is difficult to understand how a courageous, gentle man such as Macbeth, could be involved in such villainous activities. In truth, it was the witches and Lady Macbeth that transformed into evil Macbeth's natural desire for control and authority. The play, Macbeth clearly illustrates that wicked intention must, in the end, produce wicked action.
Robinson, Peter. “Madonna: 50 poptastic facts.” guardian.co.uk. 15 Aug. 2008. Guardian News and Media Limited. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
At the end of an awful, long day one might wonder what went wrong – was the universe against them? Was it a mistake on their part? What have they lost as a result? Such a scenario can be exemplified in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. First, outside forces influence Macbeth into making decisions he would not ordinarily make. Second, Macbeth’s transition from a revered leader to a detested king can be symbolized by the absence of nobility loyalty, and peace. Third, Macbeth’s overwhelming pride and thirst for power leads him to commit a series of crimes. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare highlights the role of a Tragic Hero signifying that not staying true to ones core values will ultimately lead to their downfall.
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” Once said by Marc Twain, this is an excellent example of the human nature that is represented in the play: Macbeth. Shakespeare demonstrates that all humans have the ability to do good or evil. This is strongly affected by the choices that we make and by our actions. These decisions will have a huge impact on our lives and the lives of others. Throughout the play, Macbeth experienced a huge decent into evil and violent action that lead him to his death. With his thirst for power and constant paranoia, he killed his way to seize the crown. By killing Duncan at the beginning of the play, Macbeth soon realizes that nothing can be undone and his blood stained hands can never be cleaned. “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.3 70) said by Lady Macbeth after Duncan’s murder. But what they don’t know is that this is the start of the bloody massacre that will change who they are and how they think forever. Macbeth has multiple hallucinations and his paranoia leads him to hire murderers to kill Macduff’s family out of anger and spite. Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and gets to the point of madness when she kills herself at the end of the play. This demonstrates that our actions can be affected by human nature and our thoughts can be easily corrupted by temptation.
There is a central notion that there seems to be a mysterious curse surrounding child stars. These young celebrities are often described as having ‘too much too young’ or being ‘scarred for life’ by success (WLVDialogue, 2009). According to Dr. Jane O’Connor (2009), an expert in child stars at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Education, child stars lack the routine that most children usually benefit from. They often struggle to have a childhood due to the high demands of the show business lifestyle. This strengthens the idea that childhood is a private space for the development of a person’s identity and personality. Childhood is a special time that comes only once and if you miss it, there can be problematic repercussions manifested in the adult identity. Children put together from what they see and hear eve...