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Ambiguity in macbeth act 1-4
Character analysis macbeth
Ambiguity in Macbeth
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Unchecked ambition, along with other traits, comes upon Macbeth in the form of a curse and carries on throughout the story. The curse is put on him by three witches who tell him of multiple prophecies concerning his future. His unchecked ambition causes enough fear for him to kill those who he is loyal to, and to have Banquo and his son murdered. Later on in the story the witches present him with three ghosts that show him his inevitable doom that he misunderstands and misuses as a confidence boost.
In the first prophecy the witches tell Macbeth he will become King of Scotland. But, before he becomes king he will become Thane of Glamis and then the Thane of Cawdor. (Shakespeare 1.3.50-53) Macbeth ignores these prophecies because he knows
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he is already the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of Cawdor is alive. As the two men arrive back at the king’s court they are approached by Ross and Angus. Ross proceeds to tell Macbeth that the king has named him Thane of Cawdor due to the prior thane being executed for betraying his country and the successful victory against Norway. Realizing the prophecies are beginning to become true he starts to think of whether the throne will fall upon him or if he will have to commit a crime to take his reign. (1.3.110-112 / 151-152) The men leave the court and head back to the king’s palace. When they arrive back at the palace Duncan, who heard of the thane’s execution from his son, talks to the four about how he plans to name his son, Malcom, heir to his throne. (1.4.40) Out loud Macbeth expresses his joy, but he thinks to himself the Malcom now stands in the way of him and the crown. In light of the last part of the prophecy, Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan in his sleep.
He uses the guard’s daggers as a cover up to ensure his innocence only to murder them in their drunkenness as well. But, he claims that he killed the guards in a rage of the king’s death. (2.3.112-124) Banquo and Macbeth gather all the lords to discuss the death of Duncan. Meanwhile, Duncan’s sons, Malcom and Donalbain, flee to England and Ireland fearing that whoever killed their father will kill them next. (2.3.141-152) With the heirs to the throne fleeing the country Macbeth is soon to be pronounced king. Shortly after Macbeth is officially declared king he becomes fearful of Banquo’s knowledge and the possibility of his family overthrowing Macbeth’s royal family status. Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son while they are on a horseback ride. At the scene of the ambush there is a third murderer that comes to make sure the two hired murderers are doing what is asked of them. The murderers ambush Banquo and Fleance and successfully kill Banquo, yet they allow Fleance to get away. (3.3.1-5 / 14-21) The killing of Banquo really signifies how crazy Macbeth’s misguided ambition due to the prophecies has become. He has slain not only the king of Scotland, but his own comrade. The curse that witches have bestowed upon him has left him fatally ambitious, barren, restless, and still hungry for more power and control. Seemingly enough, Macbeth’s horrifying
reign over Scotland would only end in with his own death. In the second prophecy the witches present Macbeth with three ghosts that warn him of his upcoming death. The first ghost warns Macbeth to beware of Macduff. The second tells him that any man born of a woman cannot kill him. The third, a crowned child carrying a branch, tells him he is safe until Birnam Wood rise against him. (4.1.71-94) Before Macbeth can question why he should beware of Macduff, he takes into account that since all men are born of women, and he becomes overconfident. Because he is overconfident he does not grasp the fact that these apparitions are foreshadowing his death. His unchecked ambition and overconfidence lead him into a situation that will get him killed. When battle breaks out between Macbeth and Macduff, Macbeth believes he cannot be killed by Macduff. But, he is suddenly overcome with fear as Macduff explains that he was removed from his mother’s corpse by C-section and was not born of a woman. (5.8.15-17) After Macduff explains this he stabs Macbeth and kills him. Macbeth’s unchecked ambition prohibited him from seeing the real reason behind the prophecies and apparitions.
In the play of “Macbeth”, Shakespeare gradually and effectively deepens our understanding of the themes and most importantly the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The main theme of Macbeth is ambition, and how it compels the main characters to pursue it. The antagonists of the play are the three witches, who symbolise the theme appearance and reality. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relation is an irony throughout the play, as most of their relation is based on greed and power. This is different from most of Shakespeare’s other plays, which are mostly based on romance and trust. There is also guilt that leads Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to the final consequences of the play. As the progresses, the constant changes in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are exposed.
After Duncan’s death, Macbeth feels that Banquo is suspicious of him because he knows about the prophecy. With the goal of eliminating a possible threat, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth convinces the murderers that he is not only their enemy but, “so is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ that every minute of his being thrusts/ against my near’st of life,” (III.i.119-121). Here Macbeth explains that Banquo is also his enemy, and that every minute Banquo is alive, is a threat to his own life. While Banquo may be suspicious, this is far from the truth. Banquo is Macbeth’s closest friend, and his willingness to kill him without hesitation shows how much he has changed. He is willing to harm not only his best friend, but also Banquo’s innocent son who may pose a threat in the distant future. Macbeth’s instinct for self-preservation outweighs his morals, and his extreme caution leads to the downfall of others. In doing so, he digs himself into an even deeper hole, and is surrounding himself in secrets in order to protect himself. This takes a toll on Macbeth mentally, because he fears that everyone is his enemy, and that he can only trust
When he is later given the news that the king has made him Thane of Cawdor, he naturally believes that the witches know the future and that he can trust them. His thoughts then move to the other prediction the witches made: that he will be king. Macbeth seeks out the witches for more information and assurance. Then, once coming across the Three Witches, Macbeth then asks them to give him some clarification on his future to hold. The Witches then show Macbeth three apparitions.
This is illustrated by the first prophecy from the three witches. The witches reveal to Macbeth that he will be the thane of Cawdor and the future king of Scotland. They say to Macbeth, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.49-51) The prophecy from the three witches influences Macbeth, foreseeing that he will become king of Scotland and removing all doubt from his mind. Macbeth believes in the witches’ prophecies, so he asks them for a second vision. Macbeth asks the witches to reveal possible threats, and the prophecy tells him to beware of
...ean his hands and wash away his guilty conscience. We know from these instances that Macbeth is a mentally weak person, and most of his strength comes from his wife. He ordered someone else to kill Banquo outside the royal estate, so that no one would suspect him. Relating to the "dead sleep" incident in Act II, scene II (page.63,1ine 40), he ordered the murders far from the castle so he could justify the act by telling himself, that it was not he, who actually carried out the act, but the beggars, whom he likes to dogs and dirty animals. More importantly, he was so obsessed with the idea of any piece of dirt on him being linked to the murders, that he feared that the slightest sight of blood (his guilty conscience) would follow him around throughout his life. This shows a complete transformation of Macbeth from the hero to the cowardly and dishonourable murderer.
Where is there a page in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth which does not present the selfish virtue of personal ambition. This paper addresses the problem of ambition in the drama.
Ambition and desire are double-edged notions present in all who crave success and power. While ambition is most often associated with unfavorable greed and overwhelming need, people who express this desire are simultaneously praised for being goal-oriented and steadfast in achieving their goals. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, this duality of ambition is explored through the character of Lady Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth’s husband, Macbeth, is prophesied to be king, and in order to expedite his path to the throne and their combined rise to power, Lady Macbeth plots to murder the current King Duncan. Throughout her Act I soliloquy, Lady Macbeth reveals not only her malevolent and scheming nature, but also profound determination
...fter Macbeth kills Duncan, Banquo is suspicious that Macbeth “thou palyed’st most foully” in assuring that Macbeth’s prophecies became reality. (3.1.3) Macbeth is, however, is also suspicious of Banquo because he realizes that Banquo's "wisdom that doth guide his valour / To act in safety" (3.1158-59) will be even more reason for Banquo to turn Macbeth in for 1Duncan’s murder. Macbeth’s jealousy and suspicion causes him to hire murderers to murder Banquo and his son Fleance, the prophesied heir of the throne, in which he states how Banquo “was your enemy,” referring to the murderers, and how Banquo is Macbeth’s enemy as well, showing that Macbeth and Banquo’s relationship changed from camaraderie to being on opposing sides.
Macbeth did not have to kill all of the innocent people he had murdered. Instead, he could have turned himself in and said he killed the king. Like most people he didn’t want to die, so he decided to keep this as a secret and tried to live life as best as he could. In order for this to stay a secret he needed to murder a few people. He first had murderers go out and kill Banquo and Fleance. The murderers were able to kill Banquo, but Fleance escaped. Macbeth felt better that Banquo was dead since Banquo knew about the witches rules in order for Macbeth to become king. Therefore, Banquo would assume that Macbeth murdered the king. Now, there would be no assumption from Banquo that Macbeth killed Duncan. Macbeth wanted Fleance to be dead, since the witches said that Banquo’s sons will become the next kings after Macbeth, but Macbeth wanted his family to be the royal family forever. The next person that gets murdered by Macbeth is: Macduff’s family. Macbeth had people hired to kill Macduff’s family. This led Macduff and ten thousand soldiers from England to defeat Macbeth and ultimately kill the villain. All of the murders and the stress that people had to go through because of Macbeth made him a
Macbeth’s blind ambition leads him to surrender to his dark desires that taunt him throughout the play. Macbeth is frequently tempted to result to the wrongful methods that seem to roam inside of him. In the beginning however Macbeth tends to ignore these desires and depends on chance. He declares “if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir” (Shakespeare, act 1, scene 3, 143-144). This declaration by Macbeth shows his initial stand, which is reliant on fate and sin free. Yet as Macbeth’s character develops throughout the play, he moves farther from his dependence on chance and closer to his darker desires. Eventually his blind ambition to become king overp...
This proves his vaulting ambition and how it had taken over Macbeth. Macbeth continues to murder Banquo and does so out of fear of losing the throne. This is evident in (III, i, 47 – 50) where Macbeth says “…To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. – Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be fear’d…” this demonstrates Macbeths fear and the threat he faces. Macbeth says that Banquo’s royalty of nature should be feared, through this we are able to understand that Macbeth is evidently lost his grasp on his moral conscience and begins to take down any threat he sees, even if that threat is his best friend. Macbeth goes on to refer to Banquo as his enemy and although he could kill him himself, he fears to offend mutual friend they may have (III, i, 115 – 120). Macbeth then orchestrates the murder of Banquo and Fleance showing no remorse. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that she should appear innocent and act nicely as to not draw any suspicion to themselves. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed…” (III, ii, 46 – 47). Although Macbeth still refers to Lady Macbeth as his dearest chuck he has planned the murder by himself and without any help, demonstrating his inherent evil nature. Macbeth’s quest for power not only ends his life, but he continues the murders due to malice. When Macbeth plans to murder the
Macbeth’s excessive greed is, in fact, the befalling of kings, for its false promises mislead one’s desires to bring about a result that does not always satisfy. Macduff believes the amount of power that Macbeth wishes for — is a path that subconsciously morphs and changes Macbeth into an individual whose mindset can be seen as cancerous. The destructive nature of greed was demonstrated by Macbeth earlier in the story when he decided to kill the former king and his good friend Banquo. At first, Macbeth felt remorse and his conscience was questioning his need to be king, but as he began to allow his greed to guide his actions, the less remorse he felt and the more inclined he was to seek what satisfies him most. Instead of tending to Scotland’s people, Macbeth is plagued by the need to remain king, as he leads a crusade in an effort to ensure his future. It is for this reason, that Macduff urges for Macbeth’s removal from the throne, due to his toxic disposition that does not benefit, but only deteriorates the kingdom of
Macbeth shows how greed and ambition can bring down a person as well as others and how the changes of power occur because of loyalty and betrayal. Macbeth is the play’s main unhappy character. The play tells of Macbeth's greedy thirst for power is a dangerous trait.
A key issue involved in Macbeth is ambition. Ambition is created when determination gets out of hand. It finds its most significant expressions in the plays two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The main reason why it all gets started is because of the witches' interference by putting suggestions into Macbeth's mind. Lady Macbeth's ambition forces him to act on these ambitions as well. The couple proves that unchecked ambition will ultimately destroy.
The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition The main theme of Macbeth - the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints - finds its most powerful expression in the play's two main characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play, he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful madness.