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Macbeth, Shakespeare’s revealing play about the darkness that lies within human nature, depicts the rise to power and subsequent downfall of its eponymous protagonist. Shakespeare illustrates that demise of Macbeth is at the mercy of many forces that come from within him and externally. Due to many of Macbeth’s terrible flaws, conflicting thoughts and “vaulting ambition” he becomes and easy target for three deceitful witches and for his wife Lady Macbeth to manipulate him and influence the choices he makes that lead him to his downfall, making Macbeth predominantly responsible. Macbeth holds a number of qualities, some of these qualities mark him as a valiant and courageous solider but unfortunately others lead him to being primarily responsible …show more content…
for his downfall. Macbeth's strong ambition plays a major part into downfall as it leads him to killing the generous king, Duncan as it “o’erleaps itself”. With Macbeth doing the deed, comes his fear, which instantly gets the better of him leading him to doing a number of other regretful sins that result in his defeat. Although Macbeth is who takes the action, Shakespeare also shows a humane and moral side of Macbeth as he has many conflicting thoughts and feelings before killing Duncan as he feels that as Duncan’s host he “should against his murders, shut the door” and “not bear the knife” himself, and that he believes Duncan is a humble and virtuous king which suggests that Macbeths motive and downfall wasn’t just due to his ambition and himself in general but also external forces. The three deceitful witches are what initiate Macbeth’s drastic downfall by using his at first underlying ambition and other weaknesses against him.
By them getting Macbeth who coincidentally at the point of the first prophecies was being rewarded by the King for his loyalty and courage in protecting the Scottish realm, they manage to manipulate and deceive him into what is “fair is foul” which gives him blood-thirsty and evil thoughts to become king, by simply telling him, the Thane of Glamis that he will become the Thane of Cawdor then he “[shall] be the king hereafter”. Also very manipulative, deceitful and ambitious herself, Lady Macbeths makes a triple threat into influencing her husband Macbeth’s amoral thoughts and actions. With Macbeth being known as a courageous man within the kingdom, Lady Macbeth thinks opposite as she believes he is “too full o' the milk of human kindness" especially when it comes to him murdering to become king and she effectively uses this against him to manipulate him when he informs her of his conflicting thoughts and leans towards not killing Duncan. An ambitious Lady Macbeth instantly questions his love for her, his manhood and asks him if he “will live a coward in thine own esteem” always saying that he can’t after saying he will, Macbeth who willingly tries to keep peace, prays for her to stop which results in Lady Macbeth finally questioning his faithfulness to her and saying that she would rather rip her nursing baby for her nipple and
“dash’d the brains out, had [she] so sworn” to Macbeth. This works successfully as soon, Macbeth acts.
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.
Because of the witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s ambition and Macbeth’s greed, Macbeth diverges from his values and principles, corrupting him and ultimately leading to his downfall. Because of their greed and pride, the characters in the Tragedy of Macbeth end up not only losing everything that was important to them, but also the path on life they had tried so hard to stay on. Greed and pride shatters the fate that one would have had, whether fate is defined as where one would want to end up, or as where one will end up at.
In the play, Macbeth was responsible for his downfall and let his greed take over. He was always ambitious, but ended up abandoning his loyalty from King Duncan, the King of Scotland and slowly changed him from a trustworthy, brave and loyal soldier to a merciless tyrant. Lady Macbeth and the three witches are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. The prophecies changed Macbeth for the worst and is willing to remove any threats that stand in his way. Macbeth, although a loyal warrior, had always possessed ambitious motives that finally turned him into a murderer.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
The one thing that all of Shakespeare’s plays have in common is a tragic conclusion, which results in the death of the hero. What is unique about the deaths of these heroes is that all of the problems that lead them to the end are self-induced. The heroes are always in control, and make crucial judgemental errors which ultimately lead to their own demise. While it is clear that the hero Macbeth causes his own death in this famous play, there are also third-party influences which push him towards this end. The three witches plant a desire for power and growing confidence in Macbeth, while Lady Macbeth eventually persuades him to go down a path of violence, and kill King Duncan in order to take his place on the throne.
First, Macbeth shows these characteristics through the murder of Duncan, in hopes of becoming king. An example showing this is when the idea of murdering the king first comes into Macbeth’s mind, after hearing the prophecy of the three witches. He asks himself, “Why do I yield to that suggestion…”,
The essence of Macbeth lies not only in the fact that it is written by the universal talent William Shakespeare; the royal-conspiracy, the political unethical activity, the killin...
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a five-act drama that shows a clear example of how pride, greed, and power can alter a man's actions and personality. The taste of power blinds the story's main character, Macbeth. Sparked by Lady Macbeth, he becomes heartless and cruel as he kills anyone who is a threat to his power due to his paranoia of losing the throne. This fear ironically leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. The theme of the story is deceit and evil and how they affect a man's decisions. Critics pose interesting views concerning the identity and significance of the mysterious third murderer.
Macbeth, one of the darkest and most powerful plays written by Shakespeare, dramatizes the disastrous psychological effects that occur when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition for power. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character loses mental stability and becomes enthralled with the idea of being king. Empowered by the three witches, this situation consumes Macbeth’s consciousness until his mental state becomes deranged. This mental deterioration is evident in what he says and does as he evolves into a tyrannical ruler attempting to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. In an attempt to fulfill his ambition for power, Macbeth displays mental deterioration and becomes increasingly bloodthirsty.
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
Among the greatest gifts that the renaissance produced was the eloquent and incredible Shakespearean plays. Written mostly in the 1590s these plays have been performed and admired countless times; entertaining mass audiences by providing interesting tales that explore the depth of human insights and the different universal themes. Among the many Shakespearean plays Macbeth, written in 1606, stands out with its short composition but multiple themes. This tragedy narrates the tale of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s quest to grasp ultimate power by ignoring their morals and succumbing to their dark desires, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This tragic play portrays the desires, needs, and temptations that accompany ambition in men and women. However the ambition in Macbeth is blind, it does not abide to the morals, but it allows space for dark actions as means necessary for accomplishment. Blind ambition serves as the main driving force that drives Macbeth to subdue to his dark desires, defy his noble behavior, and ultimately his downfall.
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores a fundamental struggle of the human conscience. The reader is transported into the journey of a man who recognizes and acknowledges evil but still succumbs to its destructive powers. The character of Macbeth is shrouded in ambiguity that scholars have claimed as both being a tyrant and tragic hero. Macbeth’s inner turmoil and anxieties that burden him throughout the entire play evoke sympathy and pity in the reader. Though he has the characteristics of an irredeemable tyrant, Macbeth realizes his mistakes and knows there is no redemption for his sins. And that is indeed tragic.
The first reason as to why Macbeth is responsible or his own demise is because his own ambition pressured him to kill an abundance of people. The witches told him his prophecy; however, Macbeth took it further by killing Banquo, Duncan and Lady Macduff. The witches never told Macbeth to kill those individuals; Macbeth selfish decision lead him to commit those crimes. His deep desire for the power pressured him to commit many murders, and that is what fueled his motivation. Furthermore, Macbeth had a strong urge for his family to carry the crown long after he was gone. However, that was not possible since he had no children, and that’s what lead Macbeth to his
William Shakespeare draws Macbeth as an ambitious usurper who nevertheless has certain virtues: courage, righteousness, and a devoted love for his wife. In doing so, Shakespeare shows he understands the dual nature of human beings. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a courageous and noble warrior, who valiantly fought for his King, until he finally meets the witches. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name”, (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 16). Dramatic irony is tied in as only the audience know that Macbeth will soon betray the king – displaying his duplicity. Macbeth is praised for his courage in battle by the Sergeant. “O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” replies Duncan, and we, the audience see the esteem Macbeth is held in and the nobility he has shown as a loyal solider and kinsman. This leads to Macbeth being ennobled with the Thaneship of Cawdor which later engenders in him hope for inheriting the crown. Soon, Macbeth meets the witches and they prophesise that Macbeth will be crowned king of Scotland – unleashing his passion for ambition whi...