In life everyone has to choose one way or another. The way doesn’t always seem like it will make a difference but that one thing you do may build and build until you can not get out from under it anymore. It can also go the other way as well, where good things just keep coming and making things better, or you have someone to pull you up even when you make a bad decision. This is talking about the internal struggles everyone has within their lifetime. Everyone has them and they are unavoidable and not everyone end up on the right side of them. You see this entirely throughout one of Shakespeare`s plays, Macbeth. Within Macbeth you see internal and external struggles within and around everyone in the play, but mostly with the main character Macbeth. …show more content…
Although you can still tell the “good” from the “evil” in this play. You see the beginning of the two sides developing in Act 1, Scene 3 when the three witches show up and tell Banquo, and Macbeth their prophecies. Macbeth is told that he will become Thane of Cawdor, and later King, while Banquo is told that his sons and his sons; sons will become kings. Macbeth instantly starts to fear the thought of killing to become king, but it is still there. Meanwhile Banquo is worried how his sons will become kings but does not want to do anything to make them ones; he instead continues life as if the witches never came. This is where you start to see where the characters downfalls start to …show more content…
We later find that Macbeth`s downfall was his ambition, but mostly for his ambition for the crown and for power. Banquo`s we later find was his trust; mostly in an old friend. He shows you this because in conflict you have to make a decision, and it’s not always the right one, but it is also what you do afterwards that can make or break you. We see this mostly with Macbeth as his ambition got him to the crown, but that was not enough for him, and what he did to get there made him paranoid to such an extreme that he kills anyone who seems to be in his way. The decisions that he made later on in the play is what made him truly evil because his first murder was pushed onto him, he was told to do it or he was a coward; that if he did not kill then he would not have respect from the love of his life. Macbeth had little choice after he slightly mentioned the plan to his wife; Lady Macbeth, although he did still do it, he felt bad and regretted it; as did Lady Macbeth. Again though Macbeth continued to kill, while lady Macbeth tried to stop: regrettable greed was her
...it by his wife, Macbeth is plagued with guilt when he sees Banquo’s apparition, and him being panic-stricken by the prophecy all exhibit the fallacy of Macbeth’s character. Were it not for the external factors that surround Macbeth within the play, then maybe there was a chance that he would have never committed the acts. “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more” (5.5.26-29). Macbeth reflects on his exceedingly ambitious life and how it really had no meaning to the world. Because Macbeth never got to enjoy any of his accomplishments in life, Shakespeare proposes that it is far better to achieve your goals fairly rather than foully. Also, if Macbeth followed his ethical instinct the result would have never transgressed into his death, or perhaps it was just meant to be.
It all began when “three strange figures” who later turned out to be three witches “told [Macbeth] he would become king (Nuttall 1). Macbeth at this time was a loyal kinsman to Duncan, the current king. While it was a thought in the back of his mind that Macbeth would eventually like to take the throne, it never occurred to him that he would have the murder Duncan in order to do so. The witches added turmoil to this idea by talking about Banquo as well and stating that Banquo’s sons will become king as well. This prophecy made it inevitable that murder would eventually take place. Although hesitant at first, Macbeth, with the persistent help of Lady Macbeth, followed through with the murder and took the throne as King. Had the witches not told Macbeth his prophecy, Macbeth would more than likely not have resorted to the tactics and actions it took for him to in due course become king. At this point in the story, Macbeth is not a cold-blooded murderer who he is destined to become later. Duncan’s murder was Macbeth’s first time to kill another man; however, this wouldn’t be his last as a cover-up would be needed. “[Macbeth] require[ed] a clearness” so t...
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
After Macbeth committed a dreadful crime at the start of the play, he realizes that by killing even more people he can get what he wants whenever he wants. Macbeth reaches a point where he is too busy fulfilling his own ambitions that he was not fulfilling his obligations as king. “Those he command move only in command, / Nothing in love…” (5.2.22-23). His obsession with power caused him to murder his good friend Banquo, and Banquo’s son. Macbeth’s out of control ambition has caused him to lose his emotion. He progressively sta...
Pressure is inevitable – it is something that is felt by all, whether the source is from within or as a result of other people and events. Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the main character is faced with many pressures, both internal and external. Although his pressures are external at first, they later become internal and affect his character as well as his sanity. Macbeth feels externally pressured by his wife and the three apparitions given to him by the witches. Consequently, he begins to feel mentally pressured by his fear to secure the throne, his paranoia, and his sense of tyranny and blood lust. These pressures cause his character to change, which leads him into greater downfall. When one is faced with pressure, both from within or from an outer source, their character is greatly influenced and subject to many changes.
This is because how he is king and Banquo knows about the witches and might be suspicious about Macbeth killing Duncan. Even though that Banquo is Macbeth’s best friend he is betraying him because he doesn’t want lose the crown and not be king anymore. He didn’t have any remorse planning this because he was not going to do it as he sent people to do it for him. We see how Lady Macbeth is less dominant in this scene like how Macbeth was in Act 1 Scene 7. When he says "make our faces visors to our hearts" this highlights that Macbeth is not scared to kill Banquo and has a plan on how not to feel guilty. Additionally, Macbeth says how he is jealous of King Duncan “life’s fitful fever he sleeps well”. This indicates that Macbeth is under a lot of stress because he’s about to kill his friend, even though he looks confident he still may not want to do it. Macbeth is trying to prove to everyone that he is the King and not is weak and he doesn’t want anyone thinking differently about him. In this scene we see how Macbeth has changed his behavior after he becomes King and has all the power. This shows the audience how Macbeth has drastically changed and gained so much power from killing
In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragedy is sealed by his ruthlessness that is a result of envy and anger. Succeeding the kingship, Macbeth does not find contentment in it. He yearns to have a future like Banquo who will be “father to a line of kings. /” (III. i. 65), but he is cursed with a “fruitless crown” (III. i. 66). Being the ruthless man that he was, Macbeth decides that if you cannot have children ascend his thrown then Banquo will curse with the same misfortune, so he has murderers kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance. Though killing Banquo is unforgivable, Macbeth’s ruthlessness was more evident when he also sends the murderers to kill Fleance. Macbeth’s ignorance of Fleance being a helpless child who cannot defend himself makes him more ruthless. Banquo could have defended himself from the attack of the murderers, as he is a great and experienced solider. Trying to have Fleance killed is unfair as he had no way of defending himself. Fortunately for Fleance, he was able to escape his death. The ruthlessness of Macbeth is also demonstrated when he chooses to kill the people who were present in Macduff’s castle, after hearing from Lennox that “Macduff is fled to England. /” (IV. i. 161). Macbeth had good reasoning to kill Macduff who was planning to attack Macbeth’s castle with army from England, but the killings of Macduff’s family were insensible and a result of anger: “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, /
...gicality and eagerness which leads his arrogant action to result in his demise. Banquo is much more wary about the prophecies given to both Macbeth and Banquo that appear to be really good for both of them. Macbeth is motivated by the gratifying appearance of the prophecies to act upon the possibility of the prophecies coming true. This gives him a false sense of security because he is tempted with the fact that these prophecies could quite possibly be the truth. This is want ultimately gives Macbeth the motivation to execute his arrogant actions. He is under the impression that his actions could in no way fail because the supernatural tells him he will get the power he seeks.
These are factors that contribute greatly to both protagonists’ downfall. Macbeth's guilt prevents him from fully enjoying his position as king. Macbeth's guilt begins to consume him, which starts the hallucinations and paranoia. Shakespeare emphasizes this when Macbeth hallucinates that Banquo is in his seat. “Re-enter GHOST OF BANQUO/: Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee!/:Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;/:Thou hast no speculation in those eyes/:Which thou dost glare with!”(3.4.94-98). It is obvious that the apparition of Banquo is the embodiment of Macbeth’s guilt, which is why he nearly reveals the truth about King Duncan’s murder. These hallucinations are all because of the burden of his guilt, which leads to his
What drove him to become a power hungry tyrant was his wife. She put ideas in his head that changed him. A day before Macbeth would not speak of the idea of killing the king and now he was considering it. By killing the Duncan, gaining the title and king, and not being caught, Macbeth was given an enormous boost. He now felt invincible and let power finally get to him and corrupt him. With this new amount of power, Macbeth was not willing to let it slip away. To protect his power, he did whatever was necessary. Macbeth cowardly had Banquo killed, going against everything he ever believed in. Killing Banquo was not enough for Macbeth. Shakespeare shows to the audience how power can make a person go higher in the world but at the same time make them more vulnerable. Macbeth was now vulnerable, to solve this he sent the murderers to kill Macduff.
Part of human nature is struggling to choose between two random forces. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare describes how conflict within a person can drive someone mad until the end of their lives. For Macbeth, part of this struggle was keeping his sanity intact after all the bad deeds he had committed. Another part of his struggle was swaying between the forces of innocence and guilt. The final struggle Macbeth had within him was going up against fate and free will. Throughout the play, Shakespeare demonstrates the inner conflict within Macbeth, as he contends against the conflicts of fate and free will, sanity and insanity, and innocence and guilt.
Macbeth’s provocative or violent actions on the challenges placed before him cause him to build an effect of downfall and dismay throughout the play. Originally, Macbeth handles his challenges in different ways and manners and is constantly changing his procedure. From handling situations carefully to not caring, Macbeth and his violence resulted in guilt and selfishness which he had to overcome. By the end of the play, Macbeth had become a selfish, greedy king and the challenges as well as experiences he encountered shaped him into who he is. He was shaped by the guilt of killing Banquo and Duncan, just to become powerful and a king. For example, in Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth faces adversity when his mind creates a ghost of Banquo, who he just found out was killed. In Macbeth, the uprising of adversity was often handled in various manners. By dealing with his own challenges, Macbeth transforms his handling of adversity from being cautious to thoughtless, which reflected his character and the transformation he portrayed throughout the
The second malicious decision chosen by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth was to have Banquo and his sons killed. This would cancel out the possibility of Banquo's sons becoming kings. In Act III scene 1, Macbeth states that Banquo and his sons would be murdered by saying, "Banquo, thy soul's flight, if it find heaven, must find it out tonight." (p.91) The consequence of the decision to kill Banquo and his sons started when Macbeth felt more guilt and developed a worried conscience in the form of a vision of Banquo's ghost.
At the end of the play this character feels guilt for what she has done and has taken the personality, which was that of her husband in the beginning.At the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth speaks and shows her shows how cruel and heartless she really is; "And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty". This shows she has no good in her, what so ever. Macbeth on the other hand, began as a good respectable character. When Lady Macbeth speaks of killing Duncan, he gives many reasons for reasons that he could not do so. Some of the reasons he gives in that speech are, that Duncan respects him, and trusts Macbeth. Duncan is also related to him by blood, and if he were to kill him he would never be able to rid himself of the guilt; wash the blood from his hands.At the climax of the play Macbeth makes plans to kill Banquo, with out Lady Macbeth, without anyone.
Though Macbeth is skilled for fighting and has won battles for Scotland, he has a difficult time battling his internal conflicts between good and evil. Macbeth is first introduced to this internal conflict when the witches give him a prophecy. The witches tell him that he will be the Thane of Cawdor and then become king after that. When he finds out that he is the Thane of Cawdor, he sees that the witches’ prophecy is right. He then thinks about how he will become king. Macbeth’s conscience bothers him after he thinks about the ways he can become king. Banquo is also given a prophecy from the witches about him being the father of many kings. He does not face internal conflict due to evil thoughts like Macbeth has been faced with. Macbeth begins to become ambitious not too long after the witches’ prophecy. He does not want to wait to become king. Lady Macbeth influences him to kill Duncan so Macbeth can become king. Macbeth does not want to kill Duncan at first. He says “if chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me...