Macbeth Essay
The story of Macbeth is all about the triumph of evil. The Scottish play shows how evil can get the best of people who are good. In Macbeth, we see an example of the triumph of evil in a man with many good qualities. Macbeth has the qualities of being a brave man, and of being a nice person which is shown throughout the play. He also shows that he would like to stop killing and go back to being good, but simply can’t go back. These qualities are shown throughout the play and will be expanded upon in the following paragraphs.
The first of the many good qualities Macbeth has from before evil takes over him is bravery. His bravery is shown through this quote by the captain shown below.
Captain. “… And fortune, on his damned quarrel
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smiling, Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak: For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name-- Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, And fix'd his head upon our battlements.” (1,2,14-23) This quote shows how that before evil took over Macbeth, he was a brave man that was well respected by the people of his country as well as the king, as he says this to the captain about Macbeth “O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” This also shows that Macbeth was loyal to his country before his evil side came out. It shows his loyalty because this quote talks about how Macbeth put it all on the battlefield and risked his life for his country. Evil does take away his loyalty but doesn’t take away his bravery. When the play is close to coming to an end, Macbeth is informed that there are 10 000 soldiers, he says “I will fight, till from my bones my flesh be hacked.” This shows that Macbeth’s bravery has stuck by him throughout the play. Another good quality in Macbeth is his kindness. When he is told his fate by the witches and part of it is shown as true, he writes a letter to Lady Macbeth talking about his plan. She reads the letter and says this about Macbeth. Lady Macbeth. “…Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;” (1,5,16-19) This quote is a great example of his kindness as she says that he is too full of the milk of human kindness.
When this is said, there is not a lot said before that would also show that he is kind, but, since Lady Macbeth is his wife, she would know more about him than the readers which would lead us to assume that he was a nice person before the triumph of evil. His kindness is destroyed by the evil that takes over him as he goes on a killing spree to keep his crown. Even going as far as killing wives and children. His kindness makes a brief re-appearance when he says “Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure.” This shows kindness because he wants to let Macduff live but the evil in him quickly takes over once again and leads him to want to kill him for self-assurance. Therefore, Macbeth is a kind person that had evil take over …show more content…
him. Finally, Macbeth is a man who regrets what he has started and wishes he could go back. He knows that to go back jus isn’t an option anymore because he is in too deep. This is shown in the quote below. Macbeth. “…I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er:” This quote shows that Macbeth has thought about going back to being normal Macbeth but is simply in way too deep to be able to do so.
He says that to go be would be as tedious as going further. This shows that Macbeth is not completely evil, but has put himself in an extremely bad position. This quote shows how evil has triumphed a man with good qualities because the evil keeps him going because he has no other option anymore. The good quality shown in this quote is the fact that he regrets doing what he has done while the evil tells him to continue on with the killings. Overall, this quote shows the triumph of evil in a man with good
qualities. In conclusion, in Macbeth we see an example of the triumph of evil in a man with many good qualities. The Scottish play shows the triumph of evil in a good man and how evil can destroy people who are good. Throughout the play, Macbeth shows that he is a kind person and is very brave. He also shows that he regrets doing what he has done and is in a position where stopping the killings and returning to normal would be too difficult if not impossible. All of these qualities are shown and explained in the paragraphs above. So, to conclude, Macbeth is a man with many good qualities that evil has gotten the better of.
“Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues /Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off; (1.7.16-20)” The powerful values of being a good king in Macbeth, all the king's learn to manage throughout the book. William Shakespeare's ideas towards kingship can be seen throughout the play Macbeth, and shows that a king should be chosen by a divine right. Throughout the play Macbeth the most important topic is kingship. Followed by knowing the difference of kingship and tyranny. Shakespeare closed it out with cruelty and masculinity along with staying true to principles.
A lot like Macbeth, the character Banquo was also a highly skilled soldier, and very much trusted by their king, even though Macbeth respects Banquo’s bravery he also fears his wisdom. While Macbeth is quick to action and has little to no time for thought Banquo chooses not to turn his thoughts into action, Banquo is however a lot more cautious as shown when he and Macbeth met the three witches. Banquo actually considers the reasons for what the witches are offering and later realizes they are telling him his future and thinks that the witches are attempting to make him greedy for power. Macbeth however reacts oppositely. Banquo actually considers the reasons for what the witches are offering and rather than thinking about the outcomes of his
Initially MACBETH is seen as a great soldier, a fearless fighter who has loyally defended his King against a treacherous rebellion. However, he is corrupted by evil in the form of three witches and their supernatural prophecies, and by ambition, not so much his own at first but by Lady Macbeth's ambition for him to murder Duncan, thus attaining the crown of Scotland.
Greed is a quality that many have, but too much of it can be catastrophic. In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character Macbeth has a tragic flaw that leads to his eventual downfall. A tragic hero is generally defined as someone who has great potential; someone who is born into nobility and could have a great future. However, they are doomed to fail and often die because of a tragic flaw. These characters usually learn a lesson from their deeds. However, it is usually too late for them to have a happy ending. These characteristics apply to Macbeth, whose greatest flaw is his greed for power. Shakespeare uses characterization, conflict, irony, and foreshadowing to show the audience that Macbeth is a tragic hero.
What is identity? How are different parts of our identities connected to each other? How much control do humans really have over their identities? Shakespeare’s Macbeth describes identity as a person’s actions, status, knowledge, thoughts, feelings, motivations, fate, how he or she sees himself or herself, and how others see him or her. Set in 16th-century Scotland, the play tells the story of the nobleman Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is first portrayed as a war hero who, upon returning home, receives his prophecy from the witches. He learns that he will be the king of Scotland, but the only way this is possible is if he murders the king who was ruling at the time, Duncan. After Macbeth and Lady Macbeth commit this murder, guilt
Furthermore, Lady Macbeth knew Macbeth was a kind person . This is evident when we read "Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o ' the milk of human kindness, To catch the nearest way." (act 1 scene 5).This tells us that Lady Macbeth is suggesting that Macbeth is a caring and
“Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.” Once quoted by the late President Abraham Lincoln, this quote relates to the character of Macbeth in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, as he appeared as an unexpecting new leader but was really a greedy, murderous monster. Though he is constantly manipulated by his wife Lady Macbeth in their horrendous plan to murder their King, Duncan of Scotland. Shakespeare uses both flowers and birds to convey a theme of appearance vs reality.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centred around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a noble and strong willed man, who is ready to fight for his country. However, one may see that Macbeth has a darker side to him, he is power hungry and blood thirsty, and will not stop until he has secured his spot as King of Scotland. Though Macbeth may be a tyrant, he is very nave, gullible, and vulnerable.
Even though Macbeth can be called a tyrant and a murderer, he is nonetheless, very courageous. In the beginning of the play, he fights very bravely for his king and country.
Macbeth started off as a noble, virtuous man, he was loyal to the king and was well respected by the other noblemen. The prophecies and hallucinations corrupted Macbeth’s intentions and as a result, Macbeth became power
Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs
In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a strong theme of power. Macbeth is a king who is given three predictions from three witches, one of which is that he will become king. The one problem is he doesn’t know what he has to do in order to become king. His wife then decides that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. This one murder then leads to others in order to cover the original murder up. Once Macbeth becomes king, he doesn’t want anything to change, he wants to stay king until he dies. He then begins to kill again, but instead of killing to cover something, he is killing anyone who stands in his way of staying king. Macbeth’s fate is affected by the personality trait of bravery, his ability to be manipulated, and his determination.
The heroic loyal character of Macbeth is forced into a internal battle to decide between ambition and loyalty to his king. Macbeth overcomes the evil within him, though Lady Macbeth crushes his thoughts of loyalty to the king by calling him a coward or threatening his manliness. Macbeth allows the evilness to grow within him, which allows ambition to take control of his life. Due to the evilness that has started to control his life he prepares to kill the man who has given him everything to his credit, to fulfil his ambition, and to become King.
Macbeth was not evil he was just a man struggling with his identity and trying to be something he was not. He new nothing other than how to be a soldier and he was good at it. In the end he realised it was the only way he could win his battle. “I’ll fight till from me bones me flesh be hacked. Give me my armour.” 5:3:33. Even though Macbeth had become hated and thought of as a tyrant to others he had won his own battle. This becomes clear when at the end of the play Macbeth feels proud to say “My name’s Macbeth.” 5:8:6.
Before being transformed into a murderous monster, Macbeth is a model Scottish noble. He shows great loyalty and devotion to both King Duncan and his country in his fight against the Scottish rebels. He also fights with great courage, which he draws from knowing that he serves a good and virtuous cause. He is modest when confronted with his achievements, in contrast to the arrogance that he displays after becoming king. He loves Lady Macbeth, an emotion he will eventually lose by the end of the play. Most of all, he fears what his greed and ambition can lead him to become, and he feels dubious about acting on them.