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Macbeth's mental state
Macbeth's mental state
How Macbeth's theme of power led to his death
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An Examination of Macbeth's Character in William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Character develops itself in the stream of life. Individuals in society each contain unique character traits that are constantly evolving. In William Shakespeare?s Macbeth, Macbeth undergoes many tremendous changes in his character. Macbeth?s character changes throughout the play because of the murders of King Duncan, Banquo and Macduff?s family.
First, Macbeth?s murder of King Duncan changes him by triggering his ambition, revealing his fear and revealing his regret. For example, in his first appearance on stage, the Macbeth described as brave and noble has his ambition triggered:
First Witch. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!
Second Witch. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!
Third Witch. All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!
Banquo. Good sir, why do you start [?] (Shakespeare I.iii.48-51)
Clearly, Macbeth?s sudden movement at the news that he will be king shows how his ambition is triggered. Macbeth is so excited that he starts, and Banquo notices this. In addition, Macbeth?s soliloquy in scene seven reveals his fears about killing Duncan:
Macbeth. But in these cases
We still have judgement here, that we but teach
Bloody instruction, which being taught, return
To plague the inventor. (I.vii.7-10)
Evidently, Macbeth is afraid of killing King Duncan because he believes if he performs an act of evil, then it will come back to haunt him. This is the first time in the play where Macbeth shows any sign of fear. Furthermore, the murder of King Duncan reveals a deep sense of regret within Macbeth: ?To know my deed, ?twere best not know myself. / Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou could?st!? (II.ii.73-75). Already, Macbeth is regretting killing King Duncan, and this drastically changes his character (before committing the murder he was confident due to Lady Macbeth?s persuasions). Thus, Macbeth?s murder of King Duncan changes him by triggering his ambition, revealing his fear and revealing his regret.
Second, the murder of Banquo changes Macbeth by causing psychological harm, creating unease within Macbeth, and making Macbeth determined to continue with his plan of evil. For example, at the feast Macbeth hosts, he sees the ghost of Banquo:
Macbeth. The table?s full.
Lennox. Here is a place reserv?d, sir.
Macbeth. Where?
Lennox. Here, my good lord. What is?t that moves your
Highness?
Macbeth. Which of you have done this?
Lords. What, my good lord?
Macbeth. Thou canst not say I did it: never shake
Thy gory locks at me.
Macbeth is the remaining contributor to turning himself into the power-hungry animal he is before he is finally taken down. Macbeth let himself get talked into killing Duncan; he rationalizes with himself to kill Banquo. He is too ambitious. As soon as the witches cast the prophecy that he would be King, Macbeth lets himself be jealous. Once it is an option, he realizes how divine it would be to be King. Now, Macbeth will do what is necessary to get there, even if he suffers terrible consequences. After killing Duncan, Macbeth suffers by not being able to speak. “As they seen me with these hangman’s hands,/List’ning their fear. I could not say ‘Amen’/When they did say ‘God bless us’” (2.2.38-40). Macbeth cannot utter the sacred words of God; moreover, this illustrates to the reader how terrible the consequences are psychologically for this murder. Macbeth is also jealous of the prophecy Banquo gets, which also drives him to kill Banquo. Soon after he kills Banquo, Macbeth hosts a banquet, where Banquo’s seat is left empty. Only Macbeth truly knows what has happened to Banquo. However, he hallucinates that Banquo is at the table with all the guests when Macbeth says, “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee./Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold;/Thou hast no speculation in those eyes/Which thou dost glare with” (3.4.113-116). Macbeth is seeing Banquo at his banquet even after he ordered murders to kill Banquo and Fleance, Banquo’s son. Macbeth cannot believe his eyes, he is shocked at the sight of Banquo and he is losing his mind. Macbeth endures horrific hallucinations, falling into the depths of insanity. These two quotations in the play are very important because they emphasize how Macbeth has turned into a mon...
Macbeth rejects conformation to traditional gender roles in its portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband, her morals and their effect on her actions, and her hunger for power. Her regard for Macbeth is one of low respect and beratement, an uncommon and most likely socially unacceptable attitude for a wife to have towards her spouse at the time. She often ignores morality and acts for the benefit of her husband, and subsequently herself. She is also very power-hungry and lets nothing stand in the way of her success. Lady Macbeth was a character which challenged expectations of women and feminism when it was written in the seventeenth century.
“If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir?” Macbeth ponders after three witches foresee that he will become king in the tragic play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare (349). Macbeth is wondering how he could become king of Scotland without him intervening as he is not in line for the throne. He believes that he will have to take action to gain this position. Macbeth was right to doubt fate, because his choices led to his ascension to the throne and, later in the play, to his downfall.
From the beginning of the play, Macbeth undergoes a complete change in character--from a virtuous nobleman into a monster. He has a tragic weakness--ambition--which, when released, draws him into a web of evil and corruption that finally leaves him with none of the noble human qualities he possessed at the beginning of the play.
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In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth has many motivators and influences causing him to do evil deeds. Lady Macbeth is the main one. She pressures Macbeth to kill king Duncan. Also, there are the three witches, who give Macbeth prophecies that manipulate him in which disaster strikes at the end of the play. Macbeth’s character changes through the course of the play. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a kind, loyal, hero, and at the end he becomes an evil tyrant.
It all began when “three strange figures” who later turned out to be three witches “told [Macbeth] he would become king (Nuttall 1). Macbeth at this time was a loyal kinsman to Duncan, the current king. While it was a thought in the back of his mind that Macbeth would eventually like to take the throne, it never occurred to him that he would have the murder Duncan in order to do so. The witches added turmoil to this idea by talking about Banquo as well and stating that Banquo’s sons will become king as well. This prophecy made it inevitable that murder would eventually take place. Although hesitant at first, Macbeth, with the persistent help of Lady Macbeth, followed through with the murder and took the throne as King. Had the witches not told Macbeth his prophecy, Macbeth would more than likely not have resorted to the tactics and actions it took for him to in due course become king. At this point in the story, Macbeth is not a cold-blooded murderer who he is destined to become later. Duncan’s murder was Macbeth’s first time to kill another man; however, this wouldn’t be his last as a cover-up would be needed. “[Macbeth] require[ed] a clearness” so t...
Macbeth, the main character in the tragedy of Macbeth, undergoes a series of character changes throughout the play. His transformation occurs in three major stages. First comes his attitude at the beginning of Macbeth where it is very positive and powerful. Subsequently he endures a change with the murder of king Duncan that reduces him from his moral and good status. Finally, he becomes wicked in his ways and develops into a tyrant and a butcher. This series of changes are evident as one reads the tragic play of Macbeth.
Political ambition undermines man’s loyalty. In the play, Macbeth decides to kill his king because of his ambition for position. At the beginning of the play, he portrays himself as a noble person. He fights in the battle against Norway and proves his loyalty; however, as soon as the witches prophesize that Macbeth “shall be king hereafter'; (1.3.53), he is not longer trustworthy. Ambition for power starts creeping into his head. After Macbeth’s internal conflict over whether or not to kill Duncan, he decides to do it quickly (1.7.3) in order to hasten the predictions. He decides to kill the king because he wants to extend his power all over the country by becoming the new monarch. He desires to be more wealthy and respected by the nobility as well as by the common people. Becoming king represents the highest rang in the political pyramid. The act of murdering is the only way to make his dreams come true because Duncan’s fair and prosperous rule over Scotland experience the support of the whole population. As Malcom and Donalbain fly to England, he automatically takes possession of the throne. Macbeth displays political ambition first of all because of his wife. After she reads her husband’s letter about his meeting with the witches, she suggests for Macbeth to kill Duncan so she could be queen. At the beginning Macbeth hesitates to talk about such a thing and even lists the reason not to kill: he is his king, his uncle and his guest. Not completely sure about it and victim of his own desires for power he finally accepts Lady Macbeth’s plan for murdering the ruler of Scotland. This decision portrays Macbeth’s dirty morality and easily manageable personality.
Macbeth, once a noble and courageous warrior is transformed into an egotistical and ruthless tyrant. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth encounters a transformation which brings him the crown, as well as his death. However, this transformation reached the point it did because three motivational factors. Throughout the tragedy the Three Witches (along with the prophecy), Macbeth's himself, and Lady Macbeth were motivational factors that manipulated Macbeth into committing murder and treason. Although it is Macbeth who is at blame for his actions, it is these three motivational factors that caused him to complete those actions. If it were not for these people, Macbeth might have taken a different path and could have continued to be the gracious and admirable warrior that he once was.
In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Shakespeare creates the ruthless character Macbeth, who is willing to go beyond any measure in order to attain the power of being king, including murder, deceit, betrayal and overpowering the chain of being. Macbeth was first tempted by the idea of kingship when three witches presented him with their portent of Macbeth becoming the next King of Scotland. Ebullient, Macbeth, immediately informed his wife of the news and they both pondered the thought of having the power to rule all of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, a power seeker herself, promptly schemed a plan to kill King Duncan in order for her and her husband to rule, displaying her ready ambition for power. Macbeth’s thirst for power ate away at his conscience
Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.