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Characters and themes in macbeth
Characters and themes in macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth Character Analysis
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Within Shakespeare's collection of tragedy plays, several protagonist were presented with a character flaw that would lead them to their downfall. These would include Romeo, Hamlet and Macbeth who struggled to resolve the tension between his morals or conscience with his lust and ambitions for greatness. Several factors are to be considered when evaluating the force that ultimately lead to his demise, such as the Three Weird Sisters' prophesies, Lady Macbeth, or the flaw in his character. The one factor that predominates the other two is the character flaw because the ambition lead him to stray to the path of darkness, murder his own men to protect his throne, and the other two only influenced his decisions, but only he can decide on the …show more content…
In the play Macbeth states, "That is a step on which I must fall down or o'er leap. Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires. (Shakespeare1.4)" This is the first account on which Macbeth is considering to stray off the light path and go on the path to darkness. His desires or his ambition is leading him toward the path that will become the destructive force responsible of his own death and it will become the cloak that will hide his light forever. Another example in the play is, "Only for them; and mine eternal jewel. Given to the common enemy of man."(Shakespeare3.1) Macbeth admits himself that he turned his back from God and stained these hands for his own greed, but only to hand down to Banquo's sons. This would eventually lead him to kill his most trusted friend and many others in the process. This attributed to his downfall because he turned his back to justice and righteousness, and shed more blood along the way. This path would make him continue to do immoral things and cause his own kinsmen to take up arms against him at …show more content…
Through this process he caused several deaths and many weeping widows too. Many would began to see him as a tyrant would no longer be willing to fight for him with their heart. In the story Macbeth says, "It will have blood, they say, blood will have blood." (Shakespeare3.4) Macbeth realizes that since bloodshed begets more bloodshed, then he might as well give rise to more while knowing that his actions will lead to something horrible for himself. Macbeth also says in the story, "For mine own good all causes shall give way. I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,Returning were as tedious as go o'er." (Shakespeare3.4) Macbeth states that all of these evil deeds are for his own good and since his hands are so stained, it seemed more reasonable to him to continue with his murder trend than to stop. Unfortunately for Macbeth his bloodshed caused his thanes to defect to support Malcom and that brought the end of Macbeth's legacy of
Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth explores the decline of the central character, Macbeth from a respectable warrior to a murdering and lying fiend. This change in character is a direct result of Macbeth’s unbridled ambition and greed.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is described as being “valiant”. He is a skilled warrior, who is loyal to his king and his country. Almost single-handedly, he wins the war for Scotland. He defeats many of the enemy soldiers, including a traitor, all in the name of his king. But, when three witches encounter Macbeth and his friend Banquo, Macbeth’s ambition begins to grow. They tell Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King. Soon after, Macbeth meets with King Duncan. He informs Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is astonished, and from then on he is obsessed with being king. His ambition begins to become ruthless when Duncan proclaims that his son Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland, and therefore, the heir to the throne: “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, /For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires:/The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be/Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (I,iv,48-53) At this moment, Macbeth, realizing that they stand in the way of the witches’ prophecies, decides that both Duncan and Malcolm need to die for him to be king. As soon as Macbeth kills Duncan, he enters into a world of evil. Later in the play, Macbeth’s ambition becomes increasingly ruthless. He kills his best friend Banquo, and almost kills Banquo’s son, Fleance, because he believes they would stand in the way of his reign. The witches told Banquo “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” (I,iii,67) This means that Banquo himself would not be a king, but that his successors would be. Macbeth tries to prevent this by killing Banquo and his son Fleance.
Among the greatest gifts that the renaissance produced was the eloquent and incredible Shakespearean plays. Written mostly in the 1590s these plays have been performed and admired countless times; entertaining mass audiences by providing interesting tales that explore the depth of human insights and the different universal themes. Among the many Shakespearean plays Macbeth, written in 1606, stands out with its short composition but multiple themes. This tragedy narrates the tale of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s quest to grasp ultimate power by ignoring their morals and succumbing to their dark desires, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This tragic play portrays the desires, needs, and temptations that accompany ambition in men and women. However the ambition in Macbeth is blind, it does not abide to the morals, but it allows space for dark actions as means necessary for accomplishment. Blind ambition serves as the main driving force that drives Macbeth to subdue to his dark desires, defy his noble behavior, and ultimately his downfall.
Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. In is way trying to get to the top he murders King Duncan, 2 Guards, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her son. In the state of New Mexico Macbeth will be charged with first degree murder for King Duncan, 2 counts of second degree murder for King Duncan Guards and 3 counts of criminal solicitation for Banquo and the Family of Macduff.
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
This path starts off with the initial killing of King Duncan. Even before he goes to commit the act, Macbeth tells of a ghostly dagger floating before him “and, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood, / Which was not so before... / It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes” (2.1.58-61). Macbeth refers to the treacherous act he is going to commit as the bloody business, making it known that he knows what he is about to do is treason. In this, he already feels guilt for what he is about to do, but it truly resonates with him once he starts washing his hands clean of Duncan’s blood that stained his hands in the act. He speaks, asking whether “all great Neptune’s ocean [will] wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” (2.2.78-79). His guilt for killing Duncan continues, building up as he becomes king and kills more people out paranoia for his deeds being
Human beings are not perfect, and, although people often make mistakes, it is the recognition of those mistakes and the demonstration of remorse that indicates an ability to change. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, spurred by the predictions of the witches of her husband’s future as king, makes decisions she will later come to regret. Although she appears to be strong in planning the king’s murder, her moments of doubt throughout the play indicate a sense of weakness which ultimately lead to her mental instability and death.
Shakespeare’s play Tragedy of Macbeth is based in Scotland, where a nobleman of King Duncan plots to kill the king in order to become king himself, but he doesn’t stop there. Macbeth’s greatest tragic flaw is that he is very gullible. In the play, Macbeth shows this by listening and believing the three witches, listening and giving in to his wife, and by his own delusions.
Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition and it consequentially leads to his downfall and ultimate demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero who is introduced in the the play as being well-liked and respected by the general and the people. He brings his death upon himself from this tragic flaw. His strengths turn into his weaknesses and his ambition drives him to the edge and sets himself up for his tragic death.
The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is a tale of a man and his un-bridled ambition, set in ancient Scotland. Macbeth is a nobleman of the king of Scotland, Duncan, who is in mid-war with Norway. Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter three witches. The witches tell the pair that Macbeth will be king, and Banquo’s children will also be kings. Any person in their right mind would question information given to them by strangers, let alone witches, but for some reason these statements intrigue Macbeth. They temp Macbeth to do evil things such as treason, and worse, to kill. Although un-bridled ambition is his main tragic flaw, there is one more that plays a big role in his decisions and the outcome of the story; Macbeth is far too impressionable.
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.
The character of Lady Macbeth is a complex one, there is much that can be said regarding the juxtaposition of ideas concerning her behavior. Within this essay I shall attempt to elaborate on her forceful, selfish and contradictory character.
In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Shakespeare creates the ruthless character Macbeth, who is willing to go beyond any measure in order to attain the power of being king, including murder, deceit, betrayal and overpowering the chain of being. Macbeth was first tempted by the idea of kingship when three witches presented him with their portent of Macbeth becoming the next King of Scotland. Ebullient, Macbeth, immediately informed his wife of the news and they both pondered the thought of having the power to rule all of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, a power seeker herself, promptly schemed a plan to kill King Duncan in order for her and her husband to rule, displaying her ready ambition for power. Macbeth’s thirst for power ate away at his conscience
Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.
	Probably the most important characteristic of a Shakespearean tragic hero is that one must posses a tragic flaw, because without the flaw, there would never be a downfall. The ultimate flaw varies from one play to another, King Lear’s flaw is that of arrogance while Macbeth’s it one of ambition. Some characters may be guilty of harboring many flaws, like Othello. Among Othello’s wrongs are gullibility and stupidity. In either case, the character never realizes ones flaws until act five, however, by that time it is too late (Desjardens).