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Fate in Macbeth
Macbeths paranoia and insecurities
Fate in Macbeth
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Macbeth can never be secure without heirs of his own because of the other plans that have been stated due to the death of Duncan. Macbeth will constantly be worried of someone taking his throne. Both Macbeth and Banquo know that Macbeth will become king, but Banquo will beget future kings. Fate has a kingly plan for Banquo’s children. This frightens Macbeth into thinking that Banquo already has a plan to hasten the day of his heirs. This amount of fear drives Macbeth into contemplating on committing another murder to crush Fate’s kingly plans for Banquo’s children. The amount of jealousy that Macbeth has embodied in himself must be outrageous in order to be plotting to kill his noble friend. Even after the deed is done Macbeth shows no signs
of compunction and even thanks the assassins who he has hired to kill Banquo. This is ironic because Macbeth was unable to say “amen” after the death of Duncan but could so easily thank the men who killed his so called noble friend. This proves that jealousy is an ugly thing and it got the best of Macbeth proving his throne was more important to him than a friendship. I still think that Macbeth could have become king even if Lady Macbeth had not unsexed herself because them being able to have children would only create heirs of Macbeth’s for later down the road when he could no longer rule the throne. The only reason Lady Macbeth unsexd herself was so that she could kill Duncan but then she conned Macbeth into doing it himself anyways so either way Macbeth would have still took the throne. After Lady Macbeth unsexed herself I had foresight that Macbeth would still ascend to the throne even though she could no longer produce heirs. By this time Lady Macbeth had already began plotting to kill Duncan so Macbeth could take the throne and had only unsexed herself in order to be able to commit the murder on her own. Although Lady Macbeth already had herself unsexed, she ended up not having to have it done because she conned Macbeth into doing the murder himself which led him to commit another which was on his own friend.
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
Both Banquo and Macbeth are introduced as loyal captains in the king`s army, but as the play progresses, Macbeth is overcome with the desire of power due to his reception of the prophecies. Upon hearing, Banquo does not become greedy for power, but, alternatively, he is suspect and cautious begins wondering if “we [Macbeth and Banquo] eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?” (1.3). Realizing the witches were simply trying to make him ambitious, Banquo remains loyal to his king and his country, despite knowing that he will have a dynasty to rule Scotland. Despite having the motivation, Banquo does not commit treason against his king but rather wants to “keep my [his] bosom franchis'd and allegiance clear” (2.1), meaning that he has no desire to betray the king for personal gain. Conversely, upon hearing the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth becomes ambitious for power and follows them blindly. He is curious about the witches’ prophecies and demands they “stay… [and] tell me [him] more” (1.3). When he hears that the prophecy that his heirs will rule Scotland he will be king, Macbeth`s ambition is born and his thoughts instantly turn to murder, even though the witches had not mentioned murdering King Duncan which shows that Macbeth has previously thought about murdering his king. As a result, Macbeth has no loyalty to neither his king nor his country and commits treason. While both Banquo and Macbeth hear the witches` prophecies that promised power, only Macbeth conceded to their prophecy and became overcame with ambition. Macbeth is a direct antithesis to the honorable, dependent Banquo. He transforms into a greedy man who is obsessed with his
The Bard of Avon creates some truly mean and ugly characters in the persons of the Macbeths, but he creates a counterpart to them in the character of Banquo. This military man will be the subject of this essay.
After Duncan’s death, Macbeth feels that Banquo is suspicious of him because he knows about the prophecy. With the goal of eliminating a possible threat, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth convinces the murderers that he is not only their enemy but, “so is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ that every minute of his being thrusts/ against my near’st of life,” (III.i.119-121). Here Macbeth explains that Banquo is also his enemy, and that every minute Banquo is alive, is a threat to his own life. While Banquo may be suspicious, this is far from the truth. Banquo is Macbeth’s closest friend, and his willingness to kill him without hesitation shows how much he has changed. He is willing to harm not only his best friend, but also Banquo’s innocent son who may pose a threat in the distant future. Macbeth’s instinct for self-preservation outweighs his morals, and his extreme caution leads to the downfall of others. In doing so, he digs himself into an even deeper hole, and is surrounding himself in secrets in order to protect himself. This takes a toll on Macbeth mentally, because he fears that everyone is his enemy, and that he can only trust
In the tragic play “Macbeth”, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and Banquo’s first encounter with the witches is used as a means to give the reader a look into the personalities of both men. Macbeth’s reaction to the witches is one of appropriate shock and surprise until later on in the play where we see him consumed by the words of these supernatural beings. Where as Banquo is merely curious. Shakespeare conveys this in a manner in which his audience not only understands but feels both the surprise of Macbeth and burning curiosity of his counterpart, Banquo.
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 fears his rule will be taken away by someone outside his family. Macbeth states, “For Banquo’s issue, I have filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder 'd, put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel given to the common enemy of man. to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings”(Shakspeare 3.1.64-69). Macbeth had committed murder, poisoned his own mind, and destroyed his soul only to end up benefiting Banquo’s heirs. Macbeth, being the paranoid character that he is, feels threatened by this and orders both Banquo and Fleance to be killed. In Act 3, Macbeth says that, “and mine eternal jewel, given to the common enemy of man, to make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!” (Shakspeare 3.1.67-9). Seeing this choice of act, leads Macbeth’s blind ambition doing all he can, in order to remain where he is, even if he is ‘blind’ to what it going on and fails to truly understand the concept of his choices in killing Banquo, which only further deteriorates his mind because of his thirst for power, causing
In the last Act of Macbeth, he feels trapped as he has no other plan to fall back on. Macbeth is left waiting on fate to decide the outcome of the remaining of his life. He revisits the witches in search the outcome of his future. The prophecies seem promising on his behalf in the beginning until he is informed with disturbing news about Banquo children ever reigning. “Shall Banquo ever reign in this kingdom?”(3.5)
This willingness to do whatever is necessary to become the king of Scotland is also what causes Macbeth to commit so many murders, the first of which is Duncan. In order for Macbeth to be king, the current king must die and his successors must be unavailable for the throne. Fate plays a huge hand in the way that Duncan's murder plays out. Duncan's two sons flee so that they will not be suspected of committing a crime that they did not, the murder of their own father. Because they have fled the country, it is Macbeth that is the one who may become king.
In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, the appearance of Banquo's ghost plays an important role. But it also leaves us to wonder if it is a sign of Macbeth's failing sanity, or an actual apparition appearing to frighten Macbeth. Closer examination shows evidence that this is indeed a figment of Macbeth's imagination. First, it is not the first, but the third, or arguably, the fourth time Macbeth has seen or heard was isn't there. His wife too, will have struggles along the same lines. In addition, it can be argued and demonstrated the Macbeth had lost his sanity before this point. And in a broader view, we see that the ghost of Banquo is treated much differently than ghosts used in Shakespeare's other works are.
The reader finds in Shakespeare's Macbeth that the cunning and machinations of evilly inclined people do not pay off. On the other hand, the progeny of the honest will rule the kingdom. This paper is the story of Banquo the innocent.
Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but his title as King of Scotland, causes for Macbeth to loathe Duncan. In the play there is very little interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies Macbeth is loyal to Duncan, and would never imagine killing him. After the one of the witches’ prophecies comes to be true, the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth "yield[s] to that suggestion / whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / and make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (1.3.146-148). Partly because of Lady Macbeth’s suggestion his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, and he begins to take into consideration killing Duncan, to become king. Macbeth however, does not feel comfortable in killing Macbeth, giving himself reasons why not to kill Duncan: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself,” (I, vii, 13-16) Lady Macbeth, convinces Macbeth, that killing Duncan is the right thing to do until right before he performs the murder. We learn from this murder that Macbeth truly had faith in the king and was very loyal, but knowing that one day he would become king, his ambition and the persuasion of Lady Macbeth, causes him to perform the act, that he will regret. This murder changes Macbeth as a person, however, and he soon feels little regret for killing King Duncan, but this act will soon aid in his downfall.
In the suspenseful drama The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare tells a tale of an overly ambitious nobleman’s sinful rise to power and his dreadful, deadly downfall. Macbeth, the main character and antagonist, begins the drama as a loyal captain. Duncan, the King of Scotland, praises Macbeth, declaring him as a “worthy gentleman” (I.ii.24). Later, three unnamed witches appear to Macbeth and his loyal friend Banquo, and the witches prophetically greet Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter. Of the bold, unsettling statement, only one is currently true about Macbeth, but the proclamation lights the fuse to a ticking time bomb of vaulting ambition in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth aids in her husband’s vaulting ambition, his hamartia, or fatal flaw, by encouraging him to murder Duncan while he is sleeping in their castle at Inverness. After the murder, the King’s two sons flee, establishing them as the first suspects and leaving the throne wide open to Macbeth. Macbeth becomes paranoid and answers any possible threat to his throne in blood, which is apparent in his murderous actions against Banquo after the witches say he “shalt get kings, though thou be none” (I.iii.67). Macbeth feels the only way to avoid this prophecy was to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, who was able to escape the murder unlike his father. After a guest appearance by the ghost of Banquo at a dinner banquet, Macbeth visits the witches. The witches inform Macbeth to beware Macduff, a nobleman opposed to Macbeth’s rule, that he is unable to be harmed by any man born of woman, and that he is safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth successfully orders the murder of Macduff’s family. Then, Macduff joins forces with one of Duncan’s son...
Griffin Miller Mrs.Siefert English 10 9 april 2024 Banquo's Emotions In Macbeth: In Macbeth by William Shakespeare the character Banquo is a very important character. The reason he is an important character is because of the growth, trying to help the fact he was mad about his kids not being kids. He does show his anger, his fear, and his regret in this story.
Act two end of scene 3 Banquo has just returned from a meeting discussing the vicious murder of King Duncan where various theories have been said. Doubts and fears are filling his mind as he ponders the murder.
The only problem was Duncan, the current king since he had appointed this son, Malcolm, as the heir to the throne. However, once Macbeth kills Duncan, killing is going to make the prophecies true. Although, Macbeth lost the ability to sleep because he was haunted by his inhumane acts, he was king and being king is all that matters. Macbeth feels guilty of the murder he committed but once the feels threatened by Banquo, his desire for power kicks in. Banquo could jeopardize Macbeth's rule.