“Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.13-14). In Macbeth, the play by Shakespeare, it talks about a brave, honorable man who later fiends for power and does whatever he can to get it, even if it means killing his friends and innocent people. In the play, Lady Macbeth has some power by influencing Macbeth to kill King Duncan and doing the dirty work, Macbeth also has some power when he goes crazy and starts killing people with his own will, the Weird Sisters, however ultimately have the most power throughout the play, by getting into Macbeths head and foretelling him of his future. In this excerpt from the play, “was the hope…/cat i’ th’ adage?”(1.7.35-44). Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeth and says, that when …show more content…
he told her he was going to hill King Duncan was he drunk, and goes on attacking his “manliness” and says if he does kill King Duncan he will be considered more of a man than he is now in this excerpt, “ what beast was’t …/ done to this”(1.7.47-68). She goes and makes him feel less of himself, by making him feel shameful and weak. By attacking his ego, she gets him to do the killing and dirty work so she doesn’t have to do anything but sit back and watch. Macbeth, however has some type of control in the play.
He loses his mind and goes crazy killing everyone to keep the power he has gained. After killing King Duncan and making it look like the guards did it, people start suspecting Macbeth of the murder. The first to go is his best friend Banquo, he sends out murderers to go and kill Banquo and his son Fleance, Fleance however escapes and gets away. “My lord…/ did for him” (3.4.17). “Thou art the…/ art the nonpareil” (3.4.18-20). In the two excerpts above Macbeth and the murderer, he sent to kill Banquo, are discussing the deed and if it was done. During his feast, the ghost of Banquo appears and scares Macbeth, everyone stares in confusion as he yells at nothing but air. Everyone in the room looks at Macbeth like he has gone mad, his wife tries to defend him, saying that he has a mental illness that causes him to do this. After a while of Macbeth’s craziness, Lady Macbeth asks everyone to leave. “I pray you…/go at once” …show more content…
(3.5.118-120). The Weird Sisters or “witches” have ultimate control throughout the play, they get into Macbeths head by telling him of the future powers and positions of authority he will gain.
“All hail, Macbeth…/ be king hereafter!” (1.3.47-50). This is the first encounter Macbeth has with the Weird Sisters. He later writes a letter to his wife telling her of his encounter with the Weird Sisters, saying that when he was burning with desire to ask them more questions they vanished into thin air, but the prophecies they had left him came true so far. Macbeth later encounters the Weird Sisters again, and they tell him to beware of Macduff. They also state that he cannot be killed by anyone who was born from a woman, the only time he can be killed is when the trees from Birnam Woods up-root and walk to Dunsinane Hill. The Weird Sisters are sneaky with their words and don’t go into full detail on what they mean by this. “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!.../ without there!” (4.2.71-134). the second meeting of Macbeth and the Weird Sisters goes quite similar to the first. With vanishing into thin air and leaving Macbeth as clueless and questionable as before, leading him to his
downfall. Although a countless number of people have control throughout the play, the Weird Sisters have the most control. This shows that when you can get into someone’s head, you can control them to do as you please.
Great power is required to control the fate of a man. There is only one source as strong as needed to cause Macbeth’s ultimate death. Now, who may hold this power in deciding Macbeth’s destiny? Both Lady Macbeth and the Weïrd Sisters play their own parts in Macbeth’s journey into madness but they alone are not responsible for his fate. Macbeth himself is the one who is in the most control.
This anger exposes how Macbeth will do anything to maintain his power. Macbeth continues to think about how he wont have anyone to pass his crown onto while thinking about Banquo’s sons he states, “ Only for them; and mine eternal jewel/ Given to the common enemy of man,/ To make them kings” (3.2.67-69). Macbeth uses a metaphor to compare his soul to a jewel. Jewels are seen as one of the purest things in the world he says that he gave his away to evil, meaning that he gave his purity away by killing and only for Banquo’s sons. As he begins to regret killing Duncan he also shows anger towards Banquo and his sons as he fears that they can derail his power. The last line of the soliloquy is “Rather than so, come fate into the list,/ and champion me to th’utterance” (3.2.70-71). The quote foreshadows the future the words “champion” and “th’utterance” put together means fighting till death. Through saying this Macbeth is explaining that he will fight for his power until he dies. Macbeth also personifies fate by saying it will come into the list. This could mean that Macbeth wants to alter his fate and change what the witches told him. This quote shows how Macbeth desperately wants power and will fight till death to keep it. The use of foreshadowing and metaphors showing Macbeth's anger helps show Macbeth's dedication to his power, and his resentfulness towards someone he once called a
We also see her as a selfish woman when Macbeth has second thoughts about murdering King Duncan. " Was the hope drunk. Like the poor cat I' the adage?" (line 38-48, Pg 59), "What beast wasn't then. As you have done to this" (line 52-64, Pg 59).
Macbeth began this play with a great future ahead of him: a Thane to the King with a great life and many friends. Shortly after Macbeth is given the title Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth and his companion Banquo encounter a group of witches. The witches are portrayed as wicked and menacing, saying “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Act 1, Scene 1). This quote shows that what appears to be fair and good, similar to that of Macbeth at the beginning of this play. This quote also applies to the Witches themselves. The Witches’ prophecies to Banquo and Macbeth appear to be fair and very appealing to the men, but are actually very deceiving and leads to Macbeth’s ultimate downfall. Following Macbeth’s visit by the witches, he tells Lady Macbeth of his encounter but says that he does not wish to kill King Duncan to become King. Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth as an evil mastermind, using her powers of seduction to challenge Macbeth’s masculinity. Macbeth may not have murdered for the throne if it was not for the actions of Lady Macbeth, who accuses Macbeth of being too kind hearted to take the closest path to the throne. Macbeth’s downfall begins with the actions that his wife convinces him to take. Shakespeare uses characterization to show that Macbeth is a tragic hero, but these characters’ actions also cause many conflicts that lead to Macbeth’s
Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.
Humans are always fascinated by power. Sadly, they do not realize the danger of it until it is too late. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare's underscores how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both consumed by power. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth dominates Macbeth, manipulating him to kill Duncan. After the death of Duncan, Macbeth becomes ambitious, and hires murderers to kill Banquo without notifying Lady Macbeth. Even though he is a decorated soldier, when Macbeth rises to power, he becomes ruthless. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth becomes weak, and insane. Shakespeare illustrates how Macbeth’s obsession with power undermines his moral judgement, leads to his mental deterioration, and ultimately results in his death.
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...
Macbeth feeling this way convinces a pair of men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. By having Banquo and Fleance murdered, Macbeth believes that it will prevent Banquo's sons from becoming king. Macbeth also hires the murderers to kill Macduff's family. This demonstrates Macbeth's obsession because it indicates that Macbeth values his power over his friends. His obsession with power causes Macbeth to feel guilty and lose his sanity. Macbeth's guilt and loss of sanity is indicated in the hallucinations he experiences. His first hallucination occurs just before killing King Duncan. Macbeth sees "A dagger of the mind, a false creation" (act II, scene I, line 38).
A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders. He killed his best friend Banquo out of fear and he senselessly murdered Macduff’s family. The hallucination of Banquo’s ghost is a representation of Macbeth 's guilt, all of Macbeth’s guilt is manifested in the ghost. Macbeth states that he feels guilty because of the murders. “Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear.” (III, iv, 80-81) Seeing the ghost of Banquo is the breaking point for Macbeth. The ghost also causes him to think more irrationally which leads to the murder of Macduff. Also, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is full of regret and guilt. The voices he hears reflect his mental state. “Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (II, ii, 35) His innocence was killed and he knows that he has to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, hence Macbeth will never sleep peacefully ever again. After each successive murder, Macbeth becomes more and more inhumane. “I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o 'er.” (III, iv, 143-145) Macbeth claims that after committing a murder, there is no turning back. He killed his best friend due to his ambition and fear. The third murder was outright moralless and unnecessary, he compulsively killed Macduff’s wife and children. Macbeth shows no remorse in his murders, he becomes an absolute monster towards the end of the play. As Macbeth loses his human morales, hallucinations appear to remind him of the sins he
Based on the text it states, “And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes. Now o’er the one-half world Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse…..I have done the deed.” This illustrates that Macbeth went through with the plan his wife cameup with. He killed King Duncan so he could become King. His ambition caused him to take part and do a bad action such as killing Duncan. The killing and wrong doings don't stop there however. Macbeth’s ambition pushes him to the limit. Macbeth then kills his close friend Banquo and attempted to kill Banquo’s son, based on fears that Banquo’s son will become king. Macbeth brings forth murderers and states, “ Know That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self…. So is he mine, and in such bloody distance That every minute of his being thrusts Against my near’st of life. And though I could With barefaced power sweep him from my sight.” Macbeth deceives the Murderers and tells them that Banquo is to blame for their misfortune. He then convinces them that Banquo is the enemy and he must be killed. Macbeth also tells them, “The moment on ’t, for ’t must be done tonight….Fleance, his son, that keeps
In the play Macbeth, many different major choices are brought forth to a certain character and the decision that is chosen affects the entire play. The results of these actions or decisions can be a positive or negative outcome towards the character. Does justice always prevail in the play Macbeth? If a character decides to commit a crime, will he/she be punished? If a character does a noble deed, will he/she be rewarded? As is represented in the play Macbeth, justice always prevails due to the guilty character's developing sense of remorse and/or the character receiving fair punishment. For every action there is a reaction and whatever the result is, it is meant to happen and it is just.
Macbeth did not have to kill all of the innocent people he had murdered. Instead, he could have turned himself in and said he killed the king. Like most people he didn’t want to die, so he decided to keep this as a secret and tried to live life as best as he could. In order for this to stay a secret he needed to murder a few people. He first had murderers go out and kill Banquo and Fleance. The murderers were able to kill Banquo, but Fleance escaped. Macbeth felt better that Banquo was dead since Banquo knew about the witches rules in order for Macbeth to become king. Therefore, Banquo would assume that Macbeth murdered the king. Now, there would be no assumption from Banquo that Macbeth killed Duncan. Macbeth wanted Fleance to be dead, since the witches said that Banquo’s sons will become the next kings after Macbeth, but Macbeth wanted his family to be the royal family forever. The next person that gets murdered by Macbeth is: Macduff’s family. Macbeth had people hired to kill Macduff’s family. This led Macduff and ten thousand soldiers from England to defeat Macbeth and ultimately kill the villain. All of the murders and the stress that people had to go through because of Macbeth made him a
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.
Macbeth is the remaining contributor to turning himself into the power-hungry animal he is before he is finally taken down. Macbeth let himself get talked into killing Duncan; he rationalizes with himself to kill Banquo. He is too ambitious. As soon as the witches cast the prophecy that he would be King, Macbeth lets himself be jealous. Once it is an option, he realizes how divine it would be to be King. Now, Macbeth will do what is necessary to get there, even if he suffers terrible consequences. After killing Duncan, Macbeth suffers by not being able to speak. “As they seen me with these hangman’s hands,/List’ning their fear. I could not say ‘Amen’/When they did say ‘God bless us’” (2.2.38-40). Macbeth cannot utter the sacred words of God; moreover, this illustrates to the reader how terrible the consequences are psychologically for this murder. Macbeth is also jealous of the prophecy Banquo gets, which also drives him to kill Banquo. Soon after he kills Banquo, Macbeth hosts a banquet, where Banquo’s seat is left empty. Only Macbeth truly knows what has happened to Banquo. However, he hallucinates that Banquo is at the table with all the guests when Macbeth says, “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” (3.4.113-116). Macbeth is seeing Banquo at his banquet even after he ordered murders to kill Banquo and Fleance, Banquo’s son. Macbeth cannot believe his eyes, he is shocked at the sight of Banquo and he is losing his mind. Macbeth endures horrific hallucinations, falling into the depths of insanity. These two quotations in the play are very important because they emphasize how Macbeth has turned into a mon...
When the three witches had met with Macbeth, and then he had told his wife, he did not feel sure that murdering the King was right, although he was the King’s savior. When Lady Macbeth hears about the news, she awakens, starts to plot Duncan’s murder and backstabbs Macbeth to kill him. She tells him to ‘be a man and go get what he wants’. At this point, Macbeth doesn’t have a choice. When she thinks that she can kill the King, she cries, “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex