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Macbeth literary devices
Macbeth literary devices
Macbeth literary devices
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Malcolm Mambella
Mrs. Scala
ENG 2D
28 November 2017
Macbeth: The Dead Butcher
Butcher’s are people that kill without a conscience that is guilty of brutal or indiscriminate slaughter or murder. This evidently defines Macbeth, as the reader sees in the play. Macbeth goes from being thrilled to slaughtering victims. From the beginning to the end of the play, Macbeth is making decisive discovers on rather keep slaying or to be honorable and not murder. There are clear points where he kills and other points where he fulfills his vaulting ambition to keep on killing. The protagonist in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a dead butcher. Macbeth begins the play by hearing the witches prophecies and convinced that they are true. Soon after, he decides
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Macbeth’s royalness and self-confidence had made King Duncan believe in Macbeth to become a great leader one day. Duncan holds a great deal of amount of trust into Macbeth now. With Macbeth’s vaulting ambition, he has no choice now to kill Duncan and fulfill his ambition. Macbeth soon later kills Duncan with Duncan’s blood all over his hands. “Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house: Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.” (2.2.53-55). Macbeth has brought a great amount of guilt to himself. He feels that he will never sleep again because he destroyed …show more content…
Macbeth would do whatever it takes to keep his crown. After he sees the witches in Act four, Scene one, he fears that Macduff poses the greatest threat to him. This frightens Macbeth so he plans to get rid of him once and for all. Macduff is in England helping Malcolm build an army so this will be the perfect time for Macbeth to swoop in and kill Macduff's family. He knows that Macduff's loyalties are not with him, and this makes him very furious. He sends his murderers to kill his family in Scotland. "Whither should I fly? I have done no harm. But I remember now I am in this earthly world; where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime Accounted dangerous folly.” (4.2.82-86) Lady Macduff has done no harm to anybody but still, the Murderer has to kill her and the family. Macbeth is cruel enough that he has to get another person to do his deeds for him. He thinks slaughtering Macduff's family is going to help but it makes it worse. Macduff has, even more, rage now to kill
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
With this new knowledge, Macduff knows that he must be the one to kill Macbeth and secure Malcolm’s right to the throne. Macduff does kill Macbeth, being the only one able to do so and secure peace and prosperity for Scotland.
From the time Macbeth took the power of the Scottish throne, many more innocent civilians and royal officials have been executed by Macbeth to satisfy his lust for complete power. This central focus on power plunged the country into despair and lowered the wellbeing of his subjects, causing mass disapproval and speaking out from everyone; this subsequently led to Macbeth murdering anyone who spoke against him. This, as well as in seeking aid for Scotland, causes Macduff to travel to England, as, “For from broad words, and ‘cause he failed his presence at the tyrant’s feast, I hear Macduff lives in disgrace” (3, 22 – 23). Macbeth continues to ruin Scotland, causing Macduff to speak out, yet in a plain and concerned manner, rather than a boastful, selfish tone. Many would not dare speak against the king, as doing so ensures certain death. The courage of Macduff, however, does not prevent him from holding his tongue nor his actions, and he seeks to help Scotland without much regard for Macbeth’s backlash. This backlash, however, reaches Macduff’s family, and Macbeth orders everyone slain, which leaves only Macduff alive in England. Even though he no longer possesses anything in Scotland to physically fight for and protect, Macduff resolves to courageously fight for Scotland and rid it of Macbeth, while at the same time he works to avenge the murders of his family and household. Macduff’s final
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).
At this point in the play, Macbeth is afraid of losing his crown that he is willing to do anything to save it. He lost his moral values and rational judgment. Every actions does indeed have consequences. Macduff learns the truth that Macbeth killed Duncan and when Macduff is often absent from Macbeth’s sight he grows suspicious. Macbeth has also been told by the witches during his second visit to beware of Macduff. Upon hearing this, he decided to send people to kill Macduff and his family. Macduff fled the castle first leaving his family behind. During the time Lady Macduff voice her fear: "He loves us not; / He wants the natural touch: for the poor wren, / The most diminutive of birds, will fight, / Her young ones in her nest, against the owl" (4.2.11).
Macduff and Malcolm, along with ten thousand soldiers, move to Dunsinane to attack Macbeth at his castle. While the army is fighting, Macduff slips into Macbeth’s chambers. He calls out to Macbeth, saying, “That way noise is. Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still. I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms Are hired to bear their staves. Enter thou, Macbeth, Or else my sword with an unbattered edge I sheathe again undeeded” (420). Macduff tells Macbeth that he is coming to kill him. He hopes to get there before anyone else finds and kills Macbeth because he needs to avenge his wife and children. Macduff then finds Macbeth and stabs and kills him. If Macbeth had not chosen to kill Macduff’s family, Macduff would not have desired to kill him to avenge their deaths. This shows that Macbeth’s decision to murder yet another group of people led to his final
Furthermore, we also learn about Lady Macduff’s and her kids’ death. To prove this, Macbeth says in Act 4, scene 1 that he wants to kill Macduff and his family for joining Malcolm, the protagonist adds “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, babes, and all unfortunate swords / That trace him in his line.” Although many might argue that Macbeth was forced to kill Duncan, which caused him to kill everyone else, the protagonist could of have refused to follow his wife’s orders and refrain from the power he wants. From the quotations used, we can now tell that Macbeth is a monster due to the murders he
Macduff was the first to openly defy Macbeth by his decision to go to his castle in Fife rather than Macbeth’s coronation in “Scone” (2.4). Macduff flees to England to rally support and revolt against Macbeth (4.3). Macduff acts on his free will, uninfluenced by the power of Macbeth nor others, and does what he believes to be the best for himself and everyone else. He retains his independent thoughts and his sense of masculinity despite the consequences he might suffer, standing his grounds with his beliefs and ideology of being a true patriot. Later on, upon hearing the news of his family’s murder, Macduff shows his sensitivity: “I shall [disput it like a man], but I must also feel it like a man” (4.3). He depicts the ability to have emotions and link it to his masculinity as a part of human traits, embracing his weaknesses and flaws and showing that he also acts as he believes he should act. The sharp contrast between Macbeth’s cowardly actions and Macduff’s strong will is shown at the final battle between the two; Macbeth refuses to fight with Macduff when Macbeth learns Macduff is that one person in the prophecy that would defeat Macbeth until Macduff threatens to capture him alive and humiliates him in front of the crowd (5.8).Once again, Macbeth masculinity is threatened, and he gives in to the threat rather than stand his ground, leading to his ultimate demise. Macduff’s
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as A Dead Butcher and His Fiend-like Queen in William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth is a true Shakespearian tragedy, in which mast murders take place, in order for one man and women to take the throne and become king and queen. It starts with Duncan’s murder, which is done because Macbeth did not want to see Duncan’s son next in line for the throne and the only way to prevent that was by eliminating Duncan. The nest murder was that of Banquo. Banquo is a friend of Macbeth and his murder is un-predictable. Macbeth may have feared that if he did not kill Banquo, Banquo would kill him in order to gain a position power seeing that the witch’s just informed both Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will be the next King of Scotland and Banquo will never have the chance to hold the throne. Once Banquo is out of the way, Macbeth turns his attention to his real target, King MaCduff. Although at first hesitant about killing MaCduff, Macbeth chooses to murder MaCduff, a man who Macbeth himself said was a good man and a fine leader. The last murder is of MaCduff’s family. Macbeth can not take any chances and must kill any associated with the former king (King MaCduff). The murder of MaCduff’s wife and son is the most vicious crime of them all because for one we see the killing on stage and number two a child is murdered, the most vicious and horrific thing one can show. Macbeth murders for personal gain and has no regrets or else he would not have continued his mass slaughtering. Macbeth is responsible for these murders because he commits them himself, without any assistance, he kills everyone out of necessity, and because all these acts were done out of free will.
The witches do not force him to kill Duncan, but they do plant the idea is his head. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth made the decision to murder the guards, making Macduff suspicious of him. He also chooses to kill Banquo, and Macduff’s family. His actions are the reason that his life ended in the way that it did. At the beginning of his moral conflict he says in an aside “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir” (1. 3. 143-144). Macbeth is thinking to himself that if he is meant to be king by fate, he should just sit back and let it happen. He does not want to betray his king. After some careful thought, Macbeth chooses to take matters into his own hands by murdering the king. He was not influenced by the witches when he makes the decision to have Macduff’s family murdered. In an attempt to scare Macduff and show that he does not fear the Thane of Fife, Macbeth seals his own fate and ensures his death. Shortly after the death of his children and wife, Macduff returns to Scotland for revenge.
Towards the beginning of the play, Macbeth was told by three witches of his future as the Thane of Cawdor and as King of Scotland. Together, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth devised an evil plan to brutally murder King Duncan. In doing this, Macbeth was one step closer to his prophecy of being King coming true. Macbeth expressed guilt and second thoughts before he even did the deed, but after the murder is done is when his guilt really started to show. Immediately after, Macbeth heard voices saying “Macbeth shall sleep no more” (II.ii.22-43). The guilt would keep him awake forever and would continually eat away at him. He was so disgusted with himself that he couldn’t even put the daggers back at the scene of the crime (II.ii.51-53). Lady Macbeth, guilt free at the time, stepped in and did this for him. Guilt often causes people to lie, which is why Macbeth quickly reacted and killed the guards. Lady Macbeth attempted to cover for him and fainted as a distraction (II.iii.106). He couldn’t keep his thoughts straight and it ended ...
Macbeth follows the plan and kills Duncan (II, ii, 15). Directly following the murder, Macbeth can no longer say amen (II, iii, 31-33). Macbeth also hears a voice in his head say, “sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”(II, ii, 35, 36). For the rest of the play, Macbeth suffers from insomnia.
William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth” is based upon the danger of the lust for power and betrayal of friends, which certainly involves Macbeth. I feel that to describe Macbeth as "this dead butcher" is an unfair way of summarizing him at the end of the play because he was a hero to begin with, but he ruins his noble nature as he is weakened by evil.
Duncan's murder also turns his lords against him, and when the time of the battle comes, they desert him. His people, obviously not content with his rule, also desert him, and when the opposing army arrives at Dunsinane hill, Macbeth’s army leaves. "Where they not forced with those that should be ours,"(5.5.5). Macbeth has lost "honor, love, obedience, troops of friends" (5.3.29), because of his evil deeds, and this is what physically ends Macbeth. Feeling anger towards Macduff for having fled, Macbeth murders his whole family, and makes Macduff a powerful enemy. When Malcolm returns from England with an army, Macduff is there, as are most of the Lords of Scotland. But Macduff searches for Macbeth with the sole purpose of avenging his family. They fight and Macduff is victorious, he slays Macbeth, and proclaims Malcolm the rightful king of Scotland. As a result of his abuse on his people and his evil actions Macbeth's reign is brought to an end. For having followed evil, Macbeth is