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Analysis of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
How does shakespeare present the theme of betrayal in macbeth
Betrayal analysis in macbeth
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Recommended: Analysis of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
In the play Macbeth, we witness Macbeth transform from an honest, courageous human to a dark, dishonest man who is full of greed and craves power. Various acts of loyalty and betrayal take place throughout the play, and these acts help pave the way for the rest of the plot. We witness a series of betrayals that act similar to that of unsteady building blocks, with each betrayal adding more consequence and weight to the next until they all crumble back down. This was the case with Macbeth, where he would betray his old friends and essentially ruin their lives, until eventually, these betrayals returned the favor. All of Macbeth’s betrayals prove to be of paramount importance, as each one will change the terrain of the play drastically. The themes of loyalty and betrayal sculpt the plot of Macbeth and alter the complex personalities of the characters.
In the beginning of the play Macbeth, Macbeth is an extremely honest, loyal, and humble individual. He cares more for the wellbeing of others, rather than that of his own. Numerous people admire his courage and loyalty to his King, including the captain who says, “For brave Macbeth¬—well he deserves that name--Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel”(1.2 ll. 16) The Captain’s words indicate just how courageous and loyal Macbeth is to his King Duncan. Macbeth put his life on the line to protect his kingdom, and not only did he protect it, he led the army to a heroic victory. Macbeth also expresses his appreciation and dedication to King Duncan. He says, “The service and the loyalty I owe, in doing it, pay itself” (1.4 ll. 22). Macbeth is now responding to the praise he has received from King Duncan, and once again reiterates his loyalty to Duncan. Macbeth says he does not need t...
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... edge o' th' sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line” (4.1 ll. 150). Macbeth’s anger reaches its pinnacle at this point in the play; he is now relentless. Since Macbeth believes that Macduff is now a traitor, he will not show mercy, and eliminate anyone he can who is related to Macduff.
Macbeth started off as a loyal, humble, and honest individual. As the plot progressed, and the witches came into play, Macbeth started to morph into a character that would not hesitate to murder someone as prestigious as a King or someone as kind as his closest friend. We witnessed a complete change of heart from Macbeth, as his greed and lust to become King changed his attitude and outlook on life. All these atrocious actions by Macbeth come back to haunt him, as he becomes the one being betrayed, and justice is served to Scotland.
In the story of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is one of the main characters. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is very loyal and honorable. By the end of the play Macbeth is insane and has no remorse for the sin he commits against the king.
Now as we ponder through out this play we notice a drastic change in the one of the leading characters that is Macbeth, because of the power he held and of the greed that got the best of him, and turned him to his antithesis. At the commencement of the tragedy Macbeth was a noble man of high rank in the king’s army he was man who could be trusted with a person’s life. He fought for the king, for justice, fairness and for freedom, he was never afraid of anybody, he was never greedy, where he was humble and never aspired to be king. He was valiant and noble, where he defended the king’s honor and was a true gentleman.
In the play, Macbeth started out as an extremely brave and loyal solider. However, after the three witches told him he was to be king one day, he changed completely, being wholly consumed by his greed. He turned his back on his friends, betrayed them, and murdered innocent people. All of this can be linked back to the predictions made by the witches.
Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed.
Firstly, Macbeth is respected and admired by King of Scotland, due to his great exhibit of courage and strength on the battlefield against Norwegians, which resulted him being rewarded with the titles of “Thane of Cawdor”. Macbeth, who also holds a strong moral conscious regrets his decision of murdering Duncan and Banquo, due to his mature personality. After the regicide of Duncan, Macbeth feels greatly remorse and is deeply troubled by his guilt conscience. This is shown when Macbeth says to himself “Wake Duncan with thy knocking. I would thou coudst”. This suggests that Macbeth was aware of the crimes he has committed, and he wishes he could turn this tragedy around. Macbeth also deserves respect and admiration due to his courage and bravery. Macbeth was aware of the fact the Macduff is not born from his mother’s womb, however, Macbeth refused to surrender in front of Malcom, knowing he was going to die. Macbeth’s bravery is evident in his last words, when he says “And thou opposed, / being of no woman born, yet I will try the last. Before my body/. I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, and damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!’.”
Furthermore, Macduff also betrays his family. When Macduff leaves to Malcolm is found out by Macbeth, Macbeth orders: ‘give to th' edge o' th' sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.’ [Act4 Scene1] This indicates that Macduff’s careless act leads to the slaughter of his whole family. He doesn’t take his family goes with him, instead, he leaves them at home defenselessly. This can be considered as a betrayal of Macduff’s family because he sacrifices his family to gain a morally higher success. In the end, he kills Macbeth with his own hands, however, he will live with guilt and grief for the rest of his life and regret the death of his family. Macduff’s betrays only to a less extent because his betrays for good purposes and are not very severe compares to what Macbeth has
Macbeth’s life is a tragic story about how he was deceived and molded into an evil man. His evil, sparked by lady Macbeth, began with the murder of king Duncan. Macbeth’s heart couldn’t handle the sin but Lady Macbeth forced him to change his mind. Macbeth’s evil was a result of his overconfidence, guilty conscience, and his human nature, all of which are traits that could be seen in any person in search of power.
Macbeth started off as a noble, virtuous man, he was loyal to the king and was well respected by the other noblemen. The prophecies and hallucinations corrupted Macbeth’s intentions and as a result, Macbeth became power
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 Macbeth, first published in 1606, is an endearing tale outlining the dangers of unchecked ambition and moral betrayal. In the subsequent centuries after first being performed, Macbeth's critics have been divided upon whether Macbeth himself was irrevocably evil, or if he was guided by the manipulation and actions of the women in the play to his ultimate demise. Although Lady Macbeth and the witches were influential with their provocations in the opening acts, it is ultimately Macbeth’s inherent immorality and his vaulting ambition, that resulted in the tragic downfall. It was Macbeth’s desire for power that abolished his loyalty and trustworthiness and led him down a path of murder. It is evident through his actions and words throughout the play as to how he led himself through a path of betrayal leading to his inescapable demise.
Macbeth’s character changes throughout 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. One day Macbeth comes home to his wife (Lady Macbeth) and tells her all about the prophecies, and how he was crowned Thane of Cawdor by the king of Scotland, King Duncan. To the reader this was a big mistake; him telling his wife. With sudden amusement Lady Macbeth sets up a plan for her husband to execute the king, but thinks that her husband is too kind to pull it off.
This specific action consequently resulted in Macbeth’s level of morality to continually decline as he is acutely aware of his own tyranny. Therefore Macbeth attempts to forget the horrific deed he has committed and be the figure that orders and disorders. Our perception of Macbeth being a wise and loyal soldier is now eroded, as we start to view Macbeth constantly questioning his own actions, and is also impelled to perpetrate further atrocities with the intention of covering up his previous wrong-doings.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a brave general of Duncan’s army because he had triumphed with victory over the traitor Macdonwald. A Soldier, who has fought alongside with Macbeth states “For brave Macbeth –well he deserves that name --/ Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel” (1.2.17-18.) The soldier’s message makes the reader develop a positive first impression for Macbeth, since his bravery is being praised. Later, when Macbeth first encounters the three witches with Banquo, he is told that he will be King of Scotland after the third witch says “All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.53.) Macbeth believes the witches and says to himself aside “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical/.../ If chance will have me king, why, change may crown me.”(1.3.149-155.) He immediately thinks of killing Duncan to become king, his impression of a brave general completely change. This shows that although Macbeth has the power to bring justice and proper order while fighting for Duncan’s army, he chooses not to and instead uses his power for injustice and he own needs.
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.
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.