Macbeth For some people, it would be easy to sacrifice their souls for power, while others might want to spend an eternity in heaven. Macbeth was desperate for power. He was determined to become King of Scotland and would have done anything or killed anyone to assume that position. Macbeth was once very loyal to King Duncan and never would have thought about harming or killing him because of how good he was treated. Then Macbeth became evil. Macbeth was less worried about the earthy consequences he was going to face because he knew that he was out numbered and would soon be defeated. Because of all his wrong doings, he started to worry more about the fate of his soul. He started to worry about the fate of his soul because he knew he was going …show more content…
He possessed the qualities of being a leader ever since he had become the Thane of Glamis. He knew in his head that he deserved a higher position. King Duncan then granted Macbeth with a higher title of the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth was pleased with this title until Lady Macbeth saw his real potential of one day becoming King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth then convinced Macbeth to kill King Duncan and states “ When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (Lady Macbeth 1.7.49-51) because she knows that Macbeth would make a better king then King Duncan himself. Macbeth risked his soul to kill him. After killing Duncan he feels great guilt but knows that becoming King is more important. He then doesn’t seem to care that he had Duncan murdered and goes on with his life as the new King of Scotland. Macbeth was never worried about the consequences he was going to face on Earth because he was focused on the power and praise he was going to …show more content…
He started to get defensive and ignorant towards his friends and the people of Scotland. He felt very threatened by Banquo and his future line of children because of what the witches had said to them. Macbeth sent murderers to kill Banquo the night of the feast and once they killed him, Macbeth states “ Here had we now our country’s honor roofed, Were the graced person of our Banquo present who may I rather challenge for unkindness then pity for mischance” (Macbeth 3.4.41-44) Macbeth is starting to see the ghost of Banquo and fears of what his after life will be. Macbeth is scared he sold his soul to the devil so that Banquo’s line will become king. Macbeth started to worry less about his earthy consequences. He knew that he was out numbered but he was still confident because of the witch’s apparitions. Macbeth was confident because all three of the apparitions seemed impossible to happen and he thought that no one could hurt him. He was too arrogant that he never realized that the apparitions could possibly happen. Macbeth’s over confidence eventually got the best of him. He started to think that he was invincible to all other
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
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.
As a result of Malcolm and Donalbain's suspicions resulting in their departure to England and Ireland Macbeth became king: this was the ultimate power that he and Lady Macbeth had as their goal (well, actually it was more of Lady Macbeth's goal), and now he eventually had received it. Nothing was going to take away this ultimate power from Macbeth, and he would do anything to keep it. Macbeth's ruthlessness results in him ordering three murderers to murder his best friend, Banquo. The power of being king has taken over Macbeth's life, and he is a victim of his own greed for power. He is a tyrant. Not only does Macbeth murder Banquo (not directly, of course), he also murders (actually he has people murder) Macbuffs family.
Macbeth learns that the first prophecy has come true. He thinks deeply about being king as he has a huge craving for power and status. Macbeth was persuaded into this evil act. This is evident when we read 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man, ' (Act 1 Scene 7) . This suggests Lady Macbeth is saying Macbeth is no longer a man. And then, trying to persuade him, she says that to be king "more than what you were" would be to be much more of a man. Lady Macbeth 's constant aggravation pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this
Macbeth is given three prophecies from three apparitions in the play. These apparitions cause Macbeth to believe he has ‘won’ and motivates him into doing more things he later regrets. The three apparitions are:
Later in the play Banquo starts to have a bad feeling about Macbeth. "Thou hast it now: King, Cowdor, Glamis, all,/ as the weird women promised, and I fear/ thou play'dst most foully for `t." III i 1-3, this is a quote from Banquo explaining how he feels about Macbeth's predictions coming true. Macbeth realizes this about Banquo and he starts to have feelings about killing Banquo. This isn't the only reason he feels this way, the witches had also made predictions for Banquo. "Thou shall get kings, though thou be none." I iii 67, Macbeth doesn't want any of Banquo's family to rule Scotland; he wants his own family to continue to rule. Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his on Fleance. The murderers end up killing Banquo, but Fleance gets away.
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.
Macbeth was capable of achieving his place as king but his path to greatness would not have occurred without his ability to be overconfident. This ability was responsible for his overall position as being blind to the possibility of failure. The witches assured him that he would be essentially invincible and that only in what seemed to be impossible situations, would his life be threatened. Macbeth explains:
Within the pages of the play Macbeth, one can find the five distinct literary devices of symbolism, allusion, alliteration, personification, and repetition used throughout. These three devices aid the story along and help develop the plot and characters each in a different way.
Firstly, he defeats his enemies. Next he is praised by the other soldiers and King Duncan appoints him as the Thane. For example, if a person desires for a manager title, the person will work hard to earn it, and it is possible that other workers will see this and boost the chief individual’s desire. It is from here that the person might think they deserve the title and look for more power. Similarly, Macbeth must have thought somewhere in his mind to be king. In the book Witches’ Caldron: a study of motive in Shakespeare’s Macbeth Dr. K.C. Mathur says that although the witches did prophesy he would be king and even boosted his desire “They did not create the thought of murder of King Duncan. It was Macbeth’s own latent ambition embodying his power drive and seeking affirmation that invites the witches.” (Witches Caldron, 6) Dr. Mathur also says “Macbeth had acquired this status and it is not surprising that he thinks of achieving higher status by being aggressive and domineering. It is this psychological impulse that is projected in his ambition for the crown and not any criminal instinct or latent evil.” (6) There was a negative environment of witches and the association of Lady Macbeth around Macbeth which influenced him to murder. The environment creates a huge part in the play and if he had a good environment it is possible that he would have remained loyal to King
The tragedy of Macbeth opens up with him returning home from a victorious military battle, displaying his honor and excellence. This is, also the first time he is presented with the opportunity for power. His success covered him with glory in defense of the crown. Macbeth is busily basking in his own glory and soaking up credit when Duncan basically steals his spotlight from right over his head, proclaiming Malcolm, Duncan's son, as the heir-apparent. This action also belittles Macbeth's achievement, since the procession of the throne is not necessarily dictated by bloodlines. Duncan is basically announcing that Macbeth, while noble, is inferior to his son Malcolm. This is where Duncan provokes Macbeth to hate him and also points out what Macbeth must do to become King. Duncan even tempts Macbeth, by pronouncing him as the Thane of Cawdor. This gives Macbeth a taste of power and he begins to have a desire for more. This desire or ambition is his fatal flaw. Shakespeare, by using Macbeth as a guide, shows that even the honorable men can fall into the hands of evil just like everyone else. No one is safe from his or her own ambitions of power and success. It is clear that Macbeth ends up a far more brutal and simple...
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 murder. “Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear.” (III, iv, 80-81)
Macbeth’s blind ambition leads him to surrender to his dark desires that taunt him throughout the play. Macbeth is frequently tempted to result to the wrongful methods that seem to roam inside of him. In the beginning however Macbeth tends to ignore these desires and depends on chance. He declares “if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir” (Shakespeare, act 1, scene 3, 143-144). This declaration by Macbeth shows his initial stand, which is reliant on fate and sin free. Yet as Macbeth’s character develops throughout the play, he moves farther from his dependence on chance and closer to his darker desires. Eventually his blind ambition to become king overp...
As well Lady Macbeth is being comsumed by fear and guilt, she is slowing losing her sanity. This is a result of her not being able to handle what she has done to Duncan. As shown in this quote "Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? [Act V, S I, L 32-35] Here Lady Macbeth is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands. As well she mentions hell an obvious fear of going there for what she has done. At the start Lady Macbeth was the one pushing on Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth takes her life right before the battle against the english is about to begin. This taking of her own life demonstrates her fear and in the end what that fear can do to a person.
After realizing that he has no way of undoing what was done he knows" for mine own good, all causes shall give way. I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more.”(Act 3, Scene 4, P.394), Macbeth would do anything to protect himself, he will act upon his unnatural thoughts from falling from grace of his own to rise as a king to his people. But in the end of Macbeth we have something different. We know Macbeth’s spirit, as well as his world is all but destroyed,” committed to the witches’ words, Macbeth is a walking corpse bound to be finished from his suffering” Macbeth believes that rather than having a tragic death Macbeth will die by natural causes and live out his expected life span to an elder age”…Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath to time and mortal custom. Yet my heart throbs to know one thing. Tell me, if your art can tell so much…” (Act 4, Scene 1,