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Macbeths mental state
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Granting that external pressures like the three witches and Lady Macbeth, influence Macbeth's actions, Shakespeare presents the protagonist's actions as such, that his own flaws and thriving ambition have a great impact on his destiny. The great chain of being was a major influence on Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', as Macbeths' greed for power ultimately lead to Kind Duncan's death disturbing the natural order of the great chain. Macbeth did this by stealing the crown, which in that era signifies throwing all of nature into an uproar. Not only does Macbeth upset the natural order but he also disrupts own his mental order and stability, which drastically effected his surroundings. One of the many imperfections Shakespeare embodies is Macbeth's "vaulting …show more content…
Furthermore, his "ambition" might rush ahead of himself, increasingly more towards disaster, climatically ending with his tragic downfall. This conclusively relates to the great chain of being needed to be restored when Macbeth disturbs it by murdering the king. In this specific scene, Shakespeare allows the readers to realize how Macbeth addresses his situation by admitting awareness of how excessive his ambition and desire for the throne has become, and his recognition of the dangers and fatal consequences that follow with it. Not only that, but it allows the audience to conceive that even though he had control over his decisions he still purses his excessive ambition because of his vulnerability to manipulation and his self-confidence. Similarly, again Macbeth reconfirms his sense of recognition towards his future, when he admits, aside, "that [it] is a step on which I must fall, or else O'erleaps for in my way it lies" (1.4.50). With his self-declaration of him stating what needs to be done to get the throne and the obstacles that come in his way, the overall situation implants uneasiness in his
After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads
Throughout the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth continuously makes bad choices and the consequences of these decisions catch up to Macbeth and result in his mental deterioration, however with Macbeth’s almost infant feel for ambition this makes him susceptible to manipulation, which then grows into an insatiable appetite for power. The acts of this, with the manipulation from outsiders, causes his blind ambition, his false sense of security and then finally his guilt, which all contribute to his derangement. Some will argue that all the choices made by Macbeth were continuously his own, that he had these opportunities as a man to put his foot down and say no, and be able to draw the line where things should come to an end, the fault of a mental deterioration was not there, that from the beginning Macbeth was an evil man who had a twisted way of achieving things. Macbeth’s ambition is to remain king for as long as possible, and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. Macbeth feels as if he was given a childless rule, and that his legacy will not continue on in fear his rule will be taken away by someone outside his family.
...be king and stay king only to gratify his own desires and ambitions. No one or nothing will stand in his way. Even at the end of the play when Macbeth knows he is doomed, he continues fighting with Macduff. His false sense of unending ambition results in his own death.
From the moment that Macbeth’s ears first encompassed the prophecy of the Weird Sisters, his ambition began to forefront and flood his mind. “[Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step / on which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap, / for in my way it lies.” 1.4.48-50. In this quote Macbeth is addressing the current prince and coming to the conjecture that since he is next in line for the throne, he is an impediment. This is the beginning of the wrath of Macbeth and his first cold blooded ambitious thought. From this point forward Macbeth begins to exemplify dehumanization and views the world from an altered perspective. Later, after the first murder has occurred, the new king has inflated self-confidence and an egotistical high: “With bare-fac’d power sweep him from my sight.” 3.1.119. Macbeth feels that he now has enough clout that he can order anyone he wishes dead to be “swept from his sight,” whom in this case is one of his close friends Banquo and his son Fleance. His desire to relish in his newfound reign has lead Macbeth to become a coldblooded murderer and abandon his compunction. His unrealistic assumed power could is in response to his previous murder resulting in no repercussions, despite him eventually receiving his comeuppance and paying his
Pressure is inevitable – it is something that is felt by all, whether the source is from within or as a result of other people and events. Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the main character is faced with many pressures, both internal and external. Although his pressures are external at first, they later become internal and affect his character as well as his sanity. Macbeth feels externally pressured by his wife and the three apparitions given to him by the witches. Consequently, he begins to feel mentally pressured by his fear to secure the throne, his paranoia, and his sense of tyranny and blood lust. These pressures cause his character to change, which leads him into greater downfall. When one is faced with pressure, both from within or from an outer source, their character is greatly influenced and subject to many changes.
In Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth’s dishonorable political advancement to his downfall, as the acquisition of foreseen titles ends in his execution. While Scotland is fearful of the invading forces, Macbeth’s valor in the battle with traitors secure him the positions of Thane of Cawdor, as well as Thane of Glamis. Macbeth is a character of bravery and courage. In the beginning, one believes that Macbeth is a stable, rational individual, although when Macbeth discovers the weïrd sisters’ forecasts that he will continue to obtain ranks, an insane character emerges from within. Macbeth’s actions are based upon motivation and truly evoke an imbalance in his mind. Despite these factors, the imperative annihilation of Duncan proceeds Macbeth to a further state of insanity. Macbeth’s mental state transforms in the progression of the Shakespearian tragedy, developing a character that originates as sane, but then is driven towards madness through the tragic flaw of ambition; this is the result of (1) Macbeth’s likelihood to commit atrocities, (2) willful construction of figments, and (3) external pressures for pursuance of ill-advised intentions.
Macbeth’s ambition to obtain power convinces him that it is his destiny to become King of Scotland, and that he should do anything to fulfill that destiny, even if it involves him committing tremendously immoral acts such as murder. After Macbeth realizes that the witches may actually speak the truth due to the second prophecy (Thane of Cawdor) becoming true, he begins to have an eerie and frightening thought of him killing his king and friend, Duncan, in order to ac...
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
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...
At first, Macbeth is introduced as a courageous, valiant soldier, who does so well fighting in war that he is honored with the title of the Thane of Glamis by King Duncan. On his way home, Macbeth encounters three witches who tell him that he will become king. It is at this point that he first considers murdering Duncan so that the prophecy can be fulfilled ?My thoughts, whose murder yet is but fantastical? (I,2,151). This thought was the beginning of a chain of events that would soon lead to his demise. Although he does reconsider murder and decides to leave his future to chance, until, of course, his wife convinces him otherwise.
instill in him the need to be King. Still, desire is not enough for Macbeth and he is thus driven "to seek certainty as his one objective. He wants certainty from the witches . . . at whatever cost" (Campbell 228). Macbeth, however, is not completely lost yet; honour and justice remain in him, and although it takes him some time to fully consider the consequences of the witches' words on him, he rejects his horrible thoughts of murder and postpones all action: "If chance will have me king, why,chance may crown me, / Without my stir" (I. iii.143-144). For the time being, Macbeth's true essence is in control, that of loyalty and honour.
All great leaders have their rise and fall. Some throw themselves into failure, some are pushed into it. Those who are pushed into it are usually influenced by evils around them. In the play, Macbeth by Shakespeare, the main character, Macbeth, is pushed to failure. The play takes place in Scotland and is about a young warrior who goes by the name Macbeth. Macbeth is told he would be a king by three witches. Macbeth kills the existing king and becomes a cruel, unjust king. He eventually goes insane and is killed and humiliated. Many may think Macbeth’s downfall was his own fault, those people are wrong. There were three main outside influences that were responsible for Macbeth’s fall. The first influence is his wife, Lady Macbeth, who seeks to be the queen and pushes Macbeth to pursue the crown. The second is Macbeth’s good friend Banquo who was with Macbeth when he was told he was to be king in the future. Banquo’s silence made Macbeth paranoid and that caused Macbeth to order his men to kill Banquo. This was a big cause in Macbeth’s insanity. The final influences are the three witches who drive Macbeth to kill Duncan, and they make him weak by letting him think he is invincible. Macbeth may have been a bad king, but he was not responsible for his collapse.
In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare the main character Macbeth drastically changes throughout the play and we are able to see these changes and we chose some symbols to explain his complex character arch of development. The first symbol we chose was a broken chain. In our character collage the broken chain conveys the important theme and hierarchical structure throughout Macbeth, The Great Chain of Being. Throughout the play, consumed by his deep desire and selfishness to gain the crown and power, Macbeth’s action for his ambition had caused disorder an uproar on The Great Chain of Being. After the planned regicide of both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth was done, unnatural events occur. These events include solar eclipse, a weaker
Macbeth, who at the beginning of his play’s plot is in a position of some honor and power, obtains position as king of Scotland through secretive foul play, spurred on by some external manipulation as well as personal ambition. “Macbeth’s ambition is unchecked by both moral and legal considerations-he will stop at nothing to get what he desires… Macbeth’s unbridled ambition is the root of the play’s evil because he is willing to throw the world into chaos in order to satisfy his personal desires.” (Thrasher, 92). His rebellion is heinous, but so long undiscovered. His ambition, though present in some degree from the beginning, metastasizes within him through the play as more obstacles to his retention of royal status crop up. “He begins well…but this...
In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, there is a definite focus on power and who may hold that power. The protagonist and namesake of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, is the one who seeks more power and does what he can to keep that power once he finally attains it. Macbeth’s struggle however, opens to a much bigger idea that was accepted during the Elizabethan Era - The Great Chain of Being. Shakespeare uses this play and this idea of social order that the Great Chain of Being is to give meaning to Macbeth, that one shouldn’t be too ambitious, what is should not be changed, or else chaos ensues.