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High school students around the globe are still continuously studying one of Shakespeare’s most preeminent tragic and eventful plays, Macbeth. Macbeth is a well-known play,which incorporates several themes such as culpability, destructiveness, murderousness, ambition, and prepotency. In this play, we learned that Macbeth encounters three mystifying women who forespeak his future and those predictions turn out to be true. The prediction of him becoming a king engaged him on wanting to eradicate King Duncan. So do you think Macbeth will want to wait or want to make these predictions come to be true? Macbeth’s growing aspiration changed him from a honorable and respected man to that of a ruthless murder whose guilt eventually caught up with him. Macbeth is guilty of first degree murder because even though he was being manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he still murdered the king with his own bare hands. If he really didn’t want to manslaughter the king, he would not have gone through with the plan, but instead he chose to. He is guilty of slaying the beloved King Duncan and others as well. Macbeth would not have fulfilled his ambition if Lady Macbeth wasn’t there to encourage him. Macbeth feels intense guilt after committing the crime. Guilt has overcome Macbeth, so much so to where he can no longer think straight. Macbeth’s suffering shows how uncomfortable he feels after initiating such an atrocious decision just to look manly and to fulfill his ambitions. Macbeth will agonize in great pain originating from the feeling of guilt. The murder that starts with his ambition to become a King ruins Macbeth’s life leading him to the darkness of guilt. In Act 2, scene 4, Macbeth reveals his deep and hidden desires: “Stars, hide your ... ... middle of paper ... ...degree murder for violating the state law #13-1105. He has been found guilty for committing the crime of King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. As a consequence, his punishment is as follows: he must serve 25 years to life in prison. If he attempts to escape, he will be sentenced to death and no remorse will be shown. He has already done enough killing and it is time for him to face the consequences. Works Cited "13-1105. First degree murder; classification." n. page. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. . "First Degree Murder vs Second Degree Murder." Diffen Compare Anything. n. page. Web. 10 Apr.2014. Kinsella, Kate, Kevin Feldman, et al. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The British Tradition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print.
Macbeth is guilty of first degree murder seeing that as the murder was premeditated and was done in order to gain control and or take an important position. Macbeth waited for the chance to murder the king and after he got the perfect chance to kill the king, he took control of the situation and took the weapon and plunged it into the king’s body. I think these actions fall into the category of first degree murder because first degree murder is the killing, which is deliberate and premeditated with felonies such as rape, burglary, arson, involving multiple deaths, the killing of certain types of people such as; a child, police officer, prison guard, and fellow prisoner. I would prosecute him with the first degree murder charge because it was premeditated and after the Duncan was killed, it then lead to several murders proceeding after the biggest calamity.
He says, “Better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind”(III.2.46). This quote takes place just before he does the daring deed and shows the reader that he knows it is not the right thing to do before he even goes to do it. His conscience tries to stay strong but he wants all the power as soon as possible so his conscience gives out and he decides that he will kill Duncan. He states before the domino effect of murders starts that he would rather be dead, than to be a guilty murderer. As the character gives into his dream of being the king he goes to do the deed and murder King Duncan. After he commits the murder, Macbeth feels immediate guilt. This is shown in a conversation with his wife yet again. He says, “I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on’t again I dare not”(II.2.56-57). This quote takes place right after the murder of King Duncan but he accidentally left the daggers in the bedroom with the corpse of Duncan. He immediately feels the guilt which is good for his conscience because he realizes he did something he should not have. He says to Lady Macbeth that he can not stand to even see what he has done anymore. Soon after Macbeth’s daring act his guilt begins to haunt him
Macbeth feels a great deal of remorse after he has killed the king. He understands that he has committed a sin and will be punished. He is so terrified that he hears voices telling him:“ Macbeth does murder sleep, … , Macbeth shall sleep no more”(Act 2, Sc.2 p. 57). Macbeth is very upset with himself and wishes that he never killed Duncan. “To know my deed it were best not know myself.” When he hears strange knocking at the gate he wishes that it wakes up Duncan, “wake Duncan with thy knocking”, however it is too late (Act 2, Sc.3 p. 61).
Good day. Today I will prove to you that Macbeth, the king of Scotland, is innocent. It is outrageous that anyone in this courtroom should think otherwise. There are three key factors to consider before it is possible to make any judgment concerning the murderer of Duncan. First of all, before fingers are pointed at Macbeth, I ask you to consider if he is the only suspicious person? A murderer must have a motive and an opportunity. Obviously, there are several candidates that fit this category. Also, before you can reach a final decision, you must consider the character of the individual. Macbeth is a man of the finest character; he does not have the nature of a cold-blooded killer. I am sure you will agree with me long before you go into the jury room. Finally, the will of the gods must be taken into consideration. It is not within the powers of mortals, even important mortals like Macbeth, to change the future as determined by the stars. I am confident that you, dear jury, will consider the three factors I will shortly describe and realize that Macbeth is a most unlikely suspect.
Narration: When it comes to the death penalty there are Opponents and Proponents and although both aim to defend and protect society from crime their beliefs differ in how to accomplish this.
...ophecies and the active role of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth cannot be considered solely responsible for his wrongdoing and ultimate tragic end. Although it was his tragic flaw that ultimately destroys him, Macbeth is deceived, tricked, and persuaded throughout the play into believing and doing a variety of things that would lead to this destruction. Because the witches spark Macbeth’s interest through the hopeful prophecies of his future, his natural reaction is to have more curiosity and to want to fulfill the prophecies by any means. Lady Macbeth’s blunt advice to just perform the action without thought is what numbs Macbeth to realizing how his ambition is affecting him. Finally, Macbeth does eventually face his death due to his tragic flaw, but his downfall involved many others who should also claim some responsibility regarding this downfall and Macbeth’s tragic end.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the theme of guilt and conscience is one of many explored throughout the play. Macbeth, is a well respected Scottish noble who in the beginning of the play is a man everyone looks up to; however as the play progresses he makes a number of bad decisions. Eventually, as a result of his actions he suffers guilt and this plays heavily upon his character until his personality is completely destroyed. Shakespeare uses a range of techniques in order to develop this theme such as, characters, imagery.
...ke A Death Sentence." Contemporary Justice Review 15.3 (2012): 309-321. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.
The underlining fact in the play is that Macbeth kills these people all by himself, there is no accomplice and therefore if this were brought to a court of law the only person who would be found guilty of murder would be Macbeth. There is no crime for saying “go and kill that person,” there is only a crime for actually killing a person. Also, Macbeth’s killings resulted in Macbeth gaining a position of power he wanted. He says “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies.
In the play Macbeth, many different major choices are brought forth to a certain character and the decision that is chosen affects the entire play. The results of these actions or decisions can be a positive or negative outcome towards the character. Does justice always prevail in the play Macbeth? If a character decides to commit a crime, will he/she be punished? If a character does a noble deed, will he/she be rewarded? As is represented in the play Macbeth, justice always prevails due to the guilty character's developing sense of remorse and/or the character receiving fair punishment. For every action there is a reaction and whatever the result is, it is meant to happen and it is just.
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
After struggling with the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth is reprimanded by Lady Macbeth for his lack of courage. She informs him that killing the king will make him a man, insinuating that he isn’t a man if he doesn’t go through with the murder. This develops Lady Macbeth as a merciless, nasty, and selfish woman. She will say, or do anything to get what she desires, even if it means harming others. It is this selfishness that makes it hard for the reader to be empathetic towards her later in the play, as it is evident in this scene that her hardships were brought on by herself. If she hadn’t insisted on the murder, she would not be driven in...
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s desire and ambition leads to her eventual downfall. When Lady Macbeth hears of Macbeth’s prophecy she dreams of the glory and high-standing that awaits being queen. She cannot withhold her ambitions and she is willing to manipulate fate to bring about Macbeth’s prophecy. She invokes evil spirits to be filled from head to toe with cruelty to do the evil actions necessary to make Macbeth king and to remove all remorse and pity for her action from her heart. She is initially able to be involved in the treacherous deeds that are needed to bring about the prophecy quickly, but as the play progresses the weight of the merciless deeds fill her with remorse. The remorse and pain she feels for her wicked ways cause Lady Macbeth to lose control of her life and wither away until the weight of her deeds causes her to die. Lady Macbeth’s wish is partially granted, her mind becomes evil and enables her to do horrific things, but her soul remains pure and unsure of her actions and her remorse for her wicked ways leads to her destruction.
The most tragic hero was Macbeth. A tragic hero is one who commits an act and suffers tremendously for it. Just as all tragic heroes, Macbeth made decisions that led him to his doom. His actions were influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the Witches? prophecies. He was greatly haunted by his desire of being King and to remain King. His noble characteristic slowly downgraded to a violent and cruel individual as the story progresses.
By embracing evil, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have committed unnatural actions that disturb them. Their guilt does not leave them in peace, and slowly degrades their health. Macbeth's guilt causes him to act strangely in front of his guests, and it disturbs him deeply. Macbeth's guilt is deeply mutilated, and it only affects him when he hallucinates "Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves / Shall never tremble" (III.iv.124-125), and as soon as his visions disappear he feels better "Why so, being gone, / I am a man again.- Pray you sit still" (iii.iV.130-131), not something normal considering the actions he has committed. His guilt paralyzes him when he does feel it, but most of the time he is guiltless, and that encourages him to commit more murder. Although his guilt does not ultimately destroy him, it is a factor that brings his own men against him, since through his guilt he reveals the actions he has committed.