Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Themes of King Lear
Themes of King Lear
Health consequences of fast food
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Themes of King Lear
Animal: The Witches are like a Komodo dragon because they mortally hurt their prey and then wait till they die. For example, when the Witches meet up after the battle the first which describes that a woman didn’t give her chestnuts and this displeased her. She proceeded to make her sailor husband never be able to sleep. First Witch says, “I will drain him dry as hay: / Sleep shall neither night nor day / Hang upon his penthouse lid; / He shall live a man forbid” (1.3.19-22). A komodo dragon bites its prey secreting several toxic proteins into it, then it stalks its victim till they die. The Witch, like the komodo dragon, vitally altered her victim. She cursed him to never be able to sleep, which will lead to him going insane and quite …show more content…
possibly suicide. Food: The Witches are like beef jerky because they are dry and wrinkly looking.
This is shown when Banquo describes what they look like; Banquo says, “You seem to understand me, / By each at once her choppy finger laying / Upon her skinny lips” (1.3.43-45). Banquo is saying her skin looks chapped and dry, which is what beef jerky looks like. Place: The Witches are like a fast food restaurant, because the stuff they give Macbeth and Banquo is enticing, but it's actually harmful. For example, when the third Witch announced, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.53). This shocking information stimulates Macbeth’s and Banquo’s interest, however, they are witches so they most probably have a deleterious intent. This is just like fast food, which is very enticing and seemingly delicious, but it’s also very unhealthy. The Witches telling Macbeth he will be king seems really good, but it will ultimately lead to his …show more content…
destruction. Thing: The Witches are like money because they inspire people to commit heinous acts.
The comparison is obvious when Lady Macbeth says, “Give him tending; / He brings great news. / The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements” (1.5.37-41). Macbeth has sent a message to Lady Macbeth stating that witches told him he will be king of Scotland. This news makes Lady Macbeth greedy for the power, and she begins to plan out how to kill Duncan, the current king. Then later in Macbeth’s and his Lady’s quest for power they actually kill Duncan, after Macbeth is crowned king. Money is very similar to the Witches ability is cause people to lose their morality; money corrupts politicians, makes corporations work to undermine unions, and causes people to undertake in dangerous
dares.
Both characters in each story begin as innocent-minded individuals however, when they are exposed to valuable power and possession, they become greedy. Furthermore, Macbeth was known as a loyal hero at the beginning of the story however, this changes when he is informed about his prophecies. This selfishness is evident when Macbeth says “Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ whose horrid image doth unfix my hair /and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? (I,III lines 133-138)”. Through these lines Macbeth expresses the thought of killing Duncan, which demonstrates that he is greedy for control and the crown as he is willing to murder the current king. On the other hand, Hank shares the same quality as Macbeth; however, he becomes greedy over money. When Hank, Lou and Jacob decide to keep the money, Hank immediately volunteers to keep it in his...
The three witches use cleverly chosen words and prophecies to exert control over others. These prophecies seem to be more potent than any action, as they can be interpreted in any number of ways, and have the ability to provoke otherwise hidden thoughts and desires. For instance, upon hearing the first prophecies and seeing the first part come true, Macbeth says, “This supernatural soliciting, cannot be ill, cannot be good … If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs.” This shows the power of the witches, and indeed the supernatural in general. The prophecies, of which Macbeth is convinced are true, have provoked thoughts and ideas, both good and evil.
The Witches introduce the theme with the infamous phrase “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (scene 1, line 11) in the first scene. It’s functional for the Witches to say this in the beginning of the book, as they are the start of all the perplexity. They become the core of confusion when they awaken Macbeth’s ambition and transform his perspective of good and evil, making bad things look good and good things look bad. Ironically in connection with this, Banquo warns Macbeth, “Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence” (1/3/125-126). The Witches continue to speak in contradicting language, such as “lesser than Macbeth, and greater” (1/3/65) and “Not so happy, yet much happier” (1/3/66) that adds to the sense of moral confusion, by implying that nothing is quite what it seems. Banquo’s warning is fulfilled at the end of the play when the Witches had won Macbeth’s trust with prophecies that became true –‘honest trifles’- and then betray him in the things that really mattered, his life and his country -‘deepest consequence’- to win his spirit for hell.
The path that Macbeth takes to obtain, maintain, and pass down this power heavily involves murder, betrayal, and deceit. However, the person Macbeth succeeds in deceiving the most is himself. Macbeth takes actions without really considering the consequences based on the words of the witches. He leaps to conclusion that because one of their predictions came true the others would as well and begins to regard them as all-knowing beings. When Macbeth is emotionally unstable and paranoid after the murders of Duncan and Banquo, he seeks assurance from the witches. Macbeth is so blinded by the idea that the witches provide him guidance in the right direction that he fails to see the warnings that they give him through the
... the witches is too mysterious. The forest came to Dunsinane meant the soldiers were hiding under cut trees, so it looked like the forest was actually moving closer. But it was just the appearance of reality. And another prophecy that he misunderstood is that only a man not born of a woman could kill him. But this prophecy only meant the man that would kill Macbeth was born by C-section, maybe that was an operation too new so that Macbeth did not know about it. But Macbeth lives long enough to see that everything came to a bad ending. No wonder he wants to die and not see the “sun” anymore. But if he felt sorry for all his wrongs, maybe he did not go to hell. Macbeth paid, just like his wife, for believing in lies and doing wrong. But Shakespeare is a genius because he found one place where liars and people who believe in magic can find an honest job: acting.
The witches play no part in Macbeth’s crimes except for prophesying that he could not be killed. This may have led to his overconfidence, but the death that this results in is only his own. Macbeth clearly has a murderous ...
One of the first supernatural occurrences in Macbeth involved witches giving a prophecy to Macbeth and Banquo. The witches tell Macbeth, “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (Shakespeare, 30). After this prophecy, the witches give another prophecy to Banquo: “FIRST WITCH. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. SECOND WITCH. Not so happy, yet so much happier. THIRD WITCH. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (Shakespeare, 31). These prophecies signify that while Macbeth will become king, only Banquo’s heirs will obtain the crown.
In the third scene of the first act of Macbeth, Macbeth is introduced along with his best friend Banquo. MacBeth was a Scottish nobleman who was considered to be a war hero because he routed two armies and killed a rebel leader. In this scene, they met three witches who were recounting all of the evil things that they had done. For example, the second witch said she had been killing swine and according to Thomas Marc Parrot, "Killing swine. One of the commonest charges brought against supposed witches in Shakespeare's day was that they maliciously killed by pestilence, or the evil eye, the domestic animals of those they had a grudge against."(Parrot 2). When the witches saw Macbeth and Banquo, they hailed Macbeth; the first witch called him the thane of Glamis, the second called him the thane of Cawdor, and the third called him the future king along with telling Banqou's that his children would become kings as well.
In the story of Macbeth the first three characters to enter are the three witches. They are perceived to have beards and have the ability to shapeshift into animals, specifically rats without tails. They can be thought of as demonic figures from the underworld, or elements of the malicious supernatural. When the three witches are introduced into the story the first words said were “when shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (47). They were also thought the have been able to control the winds and weather. Like demons from the underworld. Throughout the story the three witches seem to stalk around the characters and leech into their minds like nightmares or bad thoughts. Also, whenever they speak they seem to all speak together in horrific tones and rhyme all of their words; like they are conjoined together. Throughout the story the three witches deliver an abundance of quotes that not only help develop themselves, but do introduce and develop other characters.
showing that through the witches temptation not only is Macbeth destroyed the Kingdom is as well. They are part of the 'larger organism'. The witches also give misleading advice throughout the tragedy. This advice causes him to become scared and makes him feel as if he needs to kill more people to protect himself. This false sense of fate and power on his part is a major factor in his downfall. So, the witches influence Macbeth by causing his ascension, his madness, and his demise. They cannot thus compel his will to evil; but they do arouse his passions and stir up a vehement and inordinate apprehension of the imagination, which so perverts the judgment of reason that it leads his will toward choosing means to the desired temporal good.)
Macbeth’s private ambitions are initially displayed in the beginning through asides and soliloquies, making him seem ‘golden’; displaying Macbeth as ‘good willed’ and ‘honest’. However, it is until Macbeth encounters the three witches, that his own flaws are shown. The three witches arguably play the most import part in the play- with their prophecy’s fanning the flames of ambition within Macbeth, serving as the primary motivation to plot the death of Duncan- and as result Banquo; with there prognostics resonating deeply with his ambitious tendencies. As the prophecies come true, the possibility of becoming king increases and Macbeth immediately "yields to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix [his] hair" (1.3 144-145) as he fantasizes about killing Duncan. Macbeth becomes self aware of his thoughts; however, the idea that Malcolm poses a threat to his ambition outweighs his own moral conscience. He summons darkness to conceal his thoughts of murdering from heaven: "Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires:/ The eye wink at the hand!" (1.4
The witches have a strong effect on Macbeth's character; they highly influence him in his accomplishments and awake his ambitions. They give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths. They are the ones who plant the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man,' (Macbeth, Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 7) Lady Macbeth's constant harassment pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this evil. When you reason things out by yourself you tend to now what is right and what is wrong, a conscience. But with the outside influence from the witches he thinks that that is his destiny and he must do everything to fulfill it. One can wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. He is overthrown and killed. Through his own ambitions, the ambition of his wife and the witches' prophesies, Macbeth has caused his own destruction and downfall. We can now clearly see that ambition not achieved through our own ability leads to destruction. 'Hail Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor and shalt be King hereafter'. (Act 1 Scene 3) These prophecies from three strangers are taken without question and probably without good judgment. Just the thought that he may be King clouds his thoughts and ambition takes over. The witches can predict the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they cannot control his destiny.
These three witches met Macbeth and Banquo, “[w]hen the battle’s lost and won” (1.1.1-4). This is a significant detail, because it was the beginning of a pattern and an inveterate theme. When a battle of any form had finished, the witches reappeared. This is a key detail when analysing the importance of the supernatural in the play. These were times when Macbeth was curious, guilty or impatient and was in need of more answers. The witches reappeared, and provided him with the extra answers or encouragement he needed to fulfill his prophecy. However, when the witches left him with this fate, he got anxious and decided to pursue a means of fulfilling this prophecy. Macbeth’s only way to gain the throne would be the death of King Duncan and his predecessors. Due to the witches’ prophesies he was not very troubled as to how he was going to ensure these happenings. Instead, he went about formulating a plan to has...
In this play like I mentioned before there were three witches, they take a very important part in the play because they are part of the reason why Macbeth murders the king. They state he will become king soon, “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!” (I. iii. 48-50). He does not believe so because he does not yet know that the Thane of Cawdor is already dead and that he has been the thane of Cawdor. He lets that get into his head and lets his wife Lady Macbeth interferes so he can become the king as soon as possible. That’s the mistake he made when he decided to do what his wife said and kill the King. That’s why he is now guilty for first degree murder which is a death that was made being pla...
The witches influence Macbeth in his achievements and awake his ambitions. They give him a wrong sense of security with their apportions of truths. The witches are the ones who made the idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth’s mind. They also told him that he would become thane of Cawdor and later would become king of Scotland and Macbeth wants to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more. By Sinel’s death I know I am the thane of Glamis; but how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives, a prosperous gentleman; and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief, no more than to be Cawdor” (Shakespeare 312). Banquo is known as the real victim of the witches. After Banquo hears the prophecy of the witches that his sons will become kings he still does not believe them. He believes that he has eaten a root that is making him hallucinate and does not believe anything they tell him. (Shakespeare 313) Banquo says, “Are you sure we are talking about what we have seen here? Or have we eaten some plant root that makes us hallucinate.” Banquo also says to Macbeth: “but ‘tis strange; and oftentimes of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles. To betrays in deepest consequence” (Shakespeare 314). Shortly after they meet with the three witches they meet a messenger who tells Macbeth he is the Thane of Cawdor. When Banquo hears this he realizes the witches are right and