Macbeth: Shakespeares Comparisons And Contrasts

425 Words1 Page

Macbeth: Shakespeare's Comparisons and Contrasts

Throughout Macbeth Shakespeare uses comparison and contrast to bring out characteristics of his main character, Macbeth. Shakespeare uses comparison with Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo to bring out aspects of Macbeth's character. After hearing of Macbeth's courageousness on the battlefield, Duncan, a good and honest king, bestows the tittle of Cawdor on Macbeth. The king then proclaims his son Malcom to be Prince of Cumberland, in effect designating him as successor to the throne of Scotland. This dramatic announcement of Duncan's chosen successor marks the beginning of an ironic story. It is at this point in the play that we, the audience, become fully aware of Macbeth's intentions to murder the king. Duncan hails Macbeth as his "worthiest cousin" and blindly entrusts his fate to one whom he considers his "peerless kinsman." Shakespeare concentrates on Macbeth's courage so that he can contrast it later on with the terror and panic of Macbeth's psychological anguish.
Lady Macbeth will stop at nothing -not even murder- to satisfy her driving ambition. She worries that Macbeth is "too full of the milk of human kindness" to go after the throne. She wants to be tough and begs the spirits to "unsex me here." Macbeth, on the other hand, hesitates to murder Duncan for several reasons. Among these reasons the earthly consequences frighten him the most.
How would his new subjects react? Would the kingdom disrupt in chaos?
Furthermore Macbeth cannot escape present punishment if he fails. We see Lady
Macbeth's persuasiveness producing a new courage in her husband and that courage is manly enough to perform murder. Therefore, Macbeth has no reasons for murdering Duncan except for his "vaulting ambition," his lust for power.
Throughout the play we see Lady Macbeth's and Macbeth's conscience, or lack of, change places. Macbeth transformed from having a guilt ridden conscience to having no conscience what so ever. However, Lady Macbeth changes from having no conscience at all to becoming so guilt ridden that she took her own life.
Like Macbeth, Banquo is courageous.

Show More
Related

  • Macbeth's Journey From Honor To Dishonor in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    When the play started Macbeth was a very loyal person towards the King, therefore the King treated Macbeth like a son. The king tells Macbeth that he is in great debt to Macbeth and there is no amount of money or land to repay Macbeth for his services. Macbeth responds to the King telling him that all he wants is for the King to accept his services and duties to his throne and kingdom (Act I, scene IV). Macbeth shows a great deal of friendliness when he invites King Duncan to his house (Act I, scene VI ). Macbeth is thoughtful and very compassionate in the way of the king but without the King's knowledge he has a plan to kill the King while the King is sleeping.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Show a Change in Lady Macbeth

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is an extremely ambitious woman and wants more than anything for her husband, Macbeth, to be the next King of Scotland. When King Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm, is to be the next King, Duncan’s murder is planned. Lady Macbeth’s crucial role in the play is to persuade Macbeth to carry out the murder of Duncan. In the beginning she is ambitious, controlling and strong. However as the plot concludes there is an extreme change in her character and personality which surprises the audience. Lady Macbeth’s guilt eventually becomes too much for her to handle which leads to her death.

    Read More

  • Athena And Medusa Analysis

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    The women priests in the temple heard what Medusa spoke and they were shocked. The word spread what Medusa spoke through the entire temple and my company started to leave. Citizens of Athens knew I would be furious if anyone compared me to a different

    Read More

  • Key Motifss And Themes In Lloyd Webber's Phantom Of The Opera

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lloyd Webber’s widely regarded masterpiece Phantom Of The Opera uses key motifs and themes throughout the musical to establish its characters and scenes in an effective manner. Throughout the production the motifs, themes and songs all develop to reflect the changes their respective characters undergo. This is particularly evident when analysing The Phantom, his motifs and songs, and how they develop throughout the story.

    Read More

  • The Titanic: The Sinking Of The Titanic

    1487 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean at 2:20 a.m. after striking an iceberg, with the loss of more than 1, 500 passengers and crew. Thomas Andrews knew the ship’s flaws when he designed her nevertheless, Captain Smith knew of the collision between the ship and the iceberg. However, left all faith in the “Unsinkable Titanic.”

    Read More

  • History Of The RMS Titanic

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    The maiden voyage began on April 10, 1912. The ocean liner was called the “unsinkable” ship. The trip was to start in Southampton, England and finish in New York. There isn’t an exact number of total passengers, but according to some sources 2,453 passengers walked on board, for what they thought was going to be one of the best experiences of their lives. A different source states that there were only 2,200 passengers. In both, however, it does state that there were 885 crew members as well. During the five days before the sinking, guests enjoyed socializing, eating gourmet meals, working out at the gymnasium, swimming in the pool, or simply hanging out in their rooms. The first class staterooms cons...

    Read More

  • The Titanic: The Rise Of The Titanic

    1595 Words  | 4 Pages

    On April 30, 1907, an idea was born out of the minds of Bruce Ismay and William James Pirrie to build an unsinkable ship: the Titanic. A company, Harland and Wolff, out of Belfast, Ireland were commissioned to build this miraculous ship (United States). The company made quick work, and within a few days short of five years, the Titanic was then ready to set sail from its location in Belfast to Southampton, England. On April 10, 1912, the Titanic left for Southampton and arrived within the next 24 hours. There were 2,223 passengers consisting of immigrants to millionaires on board preparing to set sail for New York hoping to find their way to a better life (United States). The Titanic gave many people a chance to start a new life in America,

    Read More

  • Macbeth And Lady Macbeth Switch Roles

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Masculinity in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Lady Macbeth‚s eyes if Macbeth did not kill Duncan than he would not be a man to her anymore, she believes that he would be denying all urges for greater wealth and prosperity that man should have. She is wondering why he is not taking the opportunity to be king when he can easily do so, in reality, we know why Macbeth is contemplating the murder of Macbeth, because he has morals, qualities that we consider manly today.

    Read More

  • The Titanic Research Paper

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Titanic set voyage on April 1912 to New York. The Titanic and its sister ships, Olympia and Britannic were said to be virtually unsinkable by a magazine article, not the White Star Line. The Titanic was the second ship to set sail on its maiden voyage out of the three sister ships. The Titanic had been built a lot differently than most of the ships back then. For example, a normal ship was built with three funnels but the Titanic had four. The fourth funnel did not serve the same purpose like the other three; its use was for steam to be released from the kitchen. Another example was that the Titanic was the biggest ship at the time. The ship had received ice warnings at least six different times from ships but Captain Smith had ignored

    Read More

  • The Titanic: The Titaking Of The Titanic

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    “It took two hours and forty minutes for the titanic to sink, just long enough for 2,208 tragic performances to unfold, with the ships lights blazing” (Sides 2). April 1912 the white star line’s pride, the titanic, left for its voyage that would change history forever. While traveling through the Atlantic Ocean they collided with an ice berg causing fractures throughout the boat. The ice water filled the compartments causing the front of the boat to weigh down the back, separating the boat in two. Research shows that the cause of the Titanic’s sinking was due to a dramatic increase in the probability of running into an iceberg and its high speed while traveling through the North Atlantic Shipping Lanes in 1912. As a consequence of the sinking, the U.S. Coast Guard now runs the international ice patrol and monitors the ice bergs by radar and satellite. Also it is now required to carry binoculars and radio connector all times on a ship.

    Read More

  • Essay On Titanic The Unsinkable

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of the Titanic was told long before the ocean liner was even a thought. Fourteen years prior to the sinking of the Titanic, Morgan Robertson wrote a book called The Wreck of the Titan. In his book, a passenger ship called Titan set sail from England and was headed to New York loaded with first class passengers and luxurious items. The Titan hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic, causing the ship to sink and the passengers to panic. The lack of lifeboats and life jackets on the Titan lead to the loss of many lives. Morgan Robertson’s book would predict the fate of the great ocean liner, the Titanic, fourteen years after.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Medusa

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medusa saw all the statues and she whispered "Who ever did this statue did do a good job but it would look better if I was the statues." Every picture she saw she said that the person did a good job but she would look better in the picture and she is so delicate.

    Read More

  • Medusa Mythology Essay

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    A. A myth that I was told as a child is one version of the myth of Medusa and Athena. There was a beautiful maiden named Medusa who lived in Athens, Greece. She was very proud of her beauty, it was all she ever spoke or thought about. Medusa would also admire herself in a mirror for quite a long time. One day, she visited the largest temple of the goddess Athena, named the Parthenon. The temple was filled with statues and paintings of Athena. Medusa then told her friends that the sculptures and paintings should have been of her since she was prettier than Athena. Medusa was admiring her reflection from the large bronze doors, when suddenly, she was looking at Athena instead of herself. Athena was furious with Medusa, she then tells

    Read More

  • Essay About Medusa

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    On and on Medusa talked about her beauty to anyone and everyone who stopped long enough to hear her -- until one day when she made her first visit to the Parthenon with her friends. The Parthenon was the largest temple to the goddess Athena in all the land. It was decorated with amazing sculptures and paintings. Anyone who entered was awed by the beauty and intricacy of the fabulous temple. They couldn’t help but think of how grateful they were to Athena, goddess of wisdom, for inspiring them and for watching over their city... Athens. Everyone, that is, except

    Read More

More about Macbeth: Shakespeares Comparisons And Contrasts

Open Document