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The transformation of macbeth
The transformation of macbeth
The transformation of macbeth
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The idea that pursuing passion without forethought can be detrimental to an individual's character; particularly when defying morals is evident in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Shakespeare argues that those who “art not without ambition”(I, v, 18) have the ability to completely change their own perceptions, and morals. This is evident in characters such as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth; whose greed, and hubris for the throne converted them into murderers. Although these two change detrimentally by cause of their passions, they are not alone. Macduff also changes through his greed for vengeance on Macbeth. Throughout the play this trio of characters change for the worse; through their determination to achieve and preserve their passions.
The first
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mention of the prophecy from the witches to Macbeth and Banquo leaves Macbeth confused. Knowing that he is “Thane of Glamis” but unsure “how [he is] of Cawdor.” (I, iii, 75) Macbeth does not give the prophecy much thought as he does not believe it to be true. When Lady Macbeth reads the letter and learns of the prophecy, she see’s it as a sign. Believing that “being what he is promised” (I, v, 13) as Thane of Cawdor, he will be king as well. This begins her obsession with becoming queen. Lady Macbeth is a puppeteer, manipulating Macbeth into doing what is needed. Lady Macbeth’s consideration of the castle and battlements her own marks the beginning of her downfall into hubris, and lust for power. Lady Macbeth is arrogant about the prophecy, acting as if it has come to be already; she believes being queen is no longer a want, but rather a need, her “fell purpose” (I, v, 48). Lady Macbeth is controlling Macbeth by telling him “The future [is] in the instant” (I, v, 62); meaning it has already happened and there is no other choice for him. In theory what it takes to become what she desires, murder and “play false” (I, v, 20) are nothing. Lady Macbeth’s efforts to conquer the throne dishevelled the moment she sees the bloody hands, and realizes the severity of what she instigated. Defying her morals, Lady Macbeth is “ashamed to wear a heart so white”(II, ii, 82). The pursuit of her passion inevitably undermines her sanity and morality. Knowing just how bewitched Macbeth is with herself, Lady Macbeth knows he will do anything for her.
She knows that he will be the “serpent” (I, v, 57) in the king's “Garden of Eden”. This taints Macbeth's loyalty, respect, and honour into desire and passion. Macbeth’s passion is to make the woman he loves as joyful as can be, no matter the cost. Macbeth loses sight of his passion, after the throne is achieved; because he feels the need to preserve it. Being so distracted in what he believes needs to be done, Macbeth forgets why he is doing it. Macbeth’s passion, and love for his wife fade in the shadow of what he has become. Arrogance leading his sword; Macbeth murders Banquo, and Macduff's family without further guilt as he is already so far “in blood”(III, iv, 146). Lady Macbeth’s passion and desire corrupted a once honourable, respectable man to the point her death is but fuel toward his hubris and toward his war for power. The Macbeth of Act one would have cried over his dead wife, but he has lost sight of his passion. More so Macbeth says “Life’s but a walking shadow” (V, v, 26) and that everyone is bound to die, so he did not cry. Hubris of a man believed to be invincible is to blame for his unexpected reaction to his wife's death. Unconsciously Macbeth pursued his passion for his wife, which negatively affected his character by desensitizing his morals; changing Macbeth into a bloodthirsty …show more content…
man. Although Macbeth's reaction to the death of his previous passion was less than expected, Macduff reacts to the slaughter of his family more understandably.
Malcolm suggests revenge to Macduff, which is answered by saying nothing could be worse than losing one's family. Macduff believes that because Macbeth has no children true justice can not be achieved. Macduff is affected by their death, in the sense that nothing could compare to what he has been through. This is a paradigm shift in Macduff’s character, being that he now has nothing left to lose. Obsessed with the death of Macbeth, changing his character from the level headed man into the vengeance thirsty man, hereafter. Macduff speaks of his wife and children who still haunt him. Begging “fortune, to find”(V, vii, 24) Macbeth, Macduff’s Character change is evident as he seems to be irrationally wrapped in anger. His passion being that the only thing he wishes for is Macbeth’s death. Having “no words” and with his “voice in his sword” (V, iii, 9) Macduff is clearly very different than the start of the play. Macduff’s conquest was in vain and was unneeded. Unneeded because Macbeth would have died either way, but Macduff felt it his responsibility to avenge his family. This negatively affects Macduff’s character, because he put his own need above that of the majority. In the past Macduff would have never been so blindly wrapped with revenge. Macduff seeked out his passion so madly he didn't take time to think about the
outcome. The characters of Shakespeare's Macbeth go about great change brought on by their greed, desire, arrogance, and passion. The pursuance of passion and its effects on an individual is demonstrated in this play. Whether our passion be for the greater good or through greed, these characters depict how greatly our passion dictates who we are as individuals.
When Macbeth aspires to take the throne, he acknowledges that Duncan was a better king. Macbeth demonstrates that he is not seizing power for others, only to satisfy his lust for power. This is referenced when Macbeth orders to “hang those that talk of fear” (5.3.36), or to hang the people who are worried about the invading army. In doing so, Macbeth demonstrates that he cares only about his well being, rather than that of his subjects. In contrast, Malcolm’s reasoning and actions are much more noble. Macduff’s dialogue when attempting to convince Malcolm is almost entirely based on how unfavorable Macbeth’s kingship is to Scotland. Macduff describes it as under “great tyranny” (4.3.32) and that with “each new morn… new sorrows strike” (5.3.5-7) and that “Not in the legions/ Of horrid hell can come a devil more damn'd/ In evils to top Macbeth.”(4.3.55). Not only does this inspire Malcolm to return to Scotland, it also explains why Malcolm returns, not for himself, but for his country. One can see that he is quite tactical from his leading the assault on Dunsinane, despite not being in the military or having experience. Malcolm also proves himself to be perceptive, as he recognizes the danger on his life. One can even examine Malcolm’s philosophy in his final soliloquy; he speaks of “calling home exiled friends who fled” (5.8.66-67), the kingdom being “planted newly”
After the slaughter of his former comrade, Macbeth explains to his wife, “Strange things I have in head that will to hand/Which must be acted ere they may be scanned” (3.4.137-140). This assertion from Macbeth paves the path for his future misdeeds. Lady Macbeth is concerned by her husband’s announcement and responds with, “You lack the season of all natures, sleep” (3.4.141). Lady Macbeth believes that her husband has lost his sanity. She no longer supports Macbeth’s murderous plans, and resents his new impulsivity. Following this conversation, Macbeth continues to kill harmless people, such as Macduff’s wife and children. He implies that he will no longer think about his actions before completing them, which is a deranged approach to life. The change in Macbeth’s behavior reshapes Lady Macbeth’s personality. She realizes that “what’s done cannot be undone” (5.1.57). Lady Macbeth now recognizes the lasting impact of the murders on herself and her husband. Initially Lady Macbeth approves Duncan’s murder, as it leads to her queenship. Her sadism and zeal for power declines after Macbeth’s killing spree. Lady Macbeth’s newfound heart is the outcome of her husband’s wicked
Some people are just meant to be heroes. In this wonderful play by Shakespeare Macduff is a good choice and born to be a hero. Throughout Macbeth there are several examples of Macduffs heroism and bravery. Macduff is a loving, caring man of action, Thane of Fife and a Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth's kingship. When he leaves his loving family to flee to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth has Macduff's wife and children murdered. At the end of the play, Macduff (who was born through a caesarian section) kills Macbeth bringing prosperity back to Scotland, and proving the truth in the witches prophecy that "no man of woman born" can harm Macbeth and his true heroism.
One such character in “Macbeth” is Macduff, the Thane of Fife. Within the play, Macduff is the foil ; a character that exemplifies the contrasting characteristics of another character, who is Macbeth in this play. In stark contrast to Macbeth, Macduff resolves to restore peace and order in Scotland, which Macbeth has disrupted. After King Duncan's unfortunate demise and the coincidental murder of Scotland's Commander and Macbeth's dear friend, Banquo, Macduff suspects that Macbeth is not the “innocent flower”(1.5.56-57) he pretends to be. Macduff finds himself on the course to England, where Malcolm, the rightful heir to the throne, has found refuge. He wishes that Malcolm would reclaim the throne as the legitimate heir, which shows his allegiance to the royal family. Instead of grasping the throne for himself, he decides to endanger his family to restore the lawful king. When he was informed of the assassination of his kin, he was able to express his grief, like a true man. In this line Macduff mourns for the loss of his family, “...All my pretty ones/ Did you say "all"? O hell-kite! All? / What, all my pretty chickens and their dam/ At one fell swoop?”(4.3.255-258). Here, Macduff's immense capacity to sacrifice for the common good of his people is shown. Consequently, the following lines display his course of actions at the
Now Macbeth is in a complete delusion as he now believes to be himself invincible, yet is still paranoid enough to kill Macduff even though he doesn 't think he can be caused harm. Sending murderers to take care of Macduff, who kill Macduff 's wife and children when Macduff himself isn 't there.
Macduff and Malcolm, along with ten thousand soldiers, move to Dunsinane to attack Macbeth at his castle. While the army is fighting, Macduff slips into Macbeth’s chambers. He calls out to Macbeth, saying, “That way noise is. Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still. I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms Are hired to bear their staves. Enter thou, Macbeth, Or else my sword with an unbattered edge I sheathe again undeeded” (420). Macduff tells Macbeth that he is coming to kill him. He hopes to get there before anyone else finds and kills Macbeth because he needs to avenge his wife and children. Macduff then finds Macbeth and stabs and kills him. If Macbeth had not chosen to kill Macduff’s family, Macduff would not have desired to kill him to avenge their deaths. This shows that Macbeth’s decision to murder yet another group of people led to his final
Even though others question Macduff’s responsibility for his family’s murder, "Why in that rawness left you wife and child”, he ultimately left them out of love for both family and country. Macduff’s persistent desire to defeat Macbeth determines his loyalty to country, rather than to the tyrant Macbeth. From the beginning, Macduff has valued country over leader, so when Duncan is murdered, and Macbeth will be coronated, “Will you go to scone/No, cousin, I’ll to Fife” (2.4.35-36). Macduff doesn’t attend the coronation because he is suspicious of Macbeth and his possible involvement in Duncan’s
Furthermore, we also learn about Lady Macduff’s and her kids’ death. To prove this, Macbeth says in Act 4, scene 1 that he wants to kill Macduff and his family for joining Malcolm, the protagonist adds “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, babes, and all unfortunate swords / That trace him in his line.” Although many might argue that Macbeth was forced to kill Duncan, which caused him to kill everyone else, the protagonist could of have refused to follow his wife’s orders and refrain from the power he wants. From the quotations used, we can now tell that Macbeth is a monster due to the murders he
Furthermore, Macduff also betrays his family. When Macduff leaves to Malcolm is found out by Macbeth, Macbeth orders: ‘give to th' edge o' th' sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.’ [Act4 Scene1] This indicates that Macduff’s careless act leads to the slaughter of his whole family. He doesn’t take his family goes with him, instead, he leaves them at home defenselessly. This can be considered as a betrayal of Macduff’s family because he sacrifices his family to gain a morally higher success. In the end, he kills Macbeth with his own hands, however, he will live with guilt and grief for the rest of his life and regret the death of his family. Macduff’s betrays only to a less extent because his betrays for good purposes and are not very severe compares to what Macbeth has
Macduff was the first to openly defy Macbeth by his decision to go to his castle in Fife rather than Macbeth’s coronation in “Scone” (2.4). Macduff flees to England to rally support and revolt against Macbeth (4.3). Macduff acts on his free will, uninfluenced by the power of Macbeth nor others, and does what he believes to be the best for himself and everyone else. He retains his independent thoughts and his sense of masculinity despite the consequences he might suffer, standing his grounds with his beliefs and ideology of being a true patriot. Later on, upon hearing the news of his family’s murder, Macduff shows his sensitivity: “I shall [disput it like a man], but I must also feel it like a man” (4.3). He depicts the ability to have emotions and link it to his masculinity as a part of human traits, embracing his weaknesses and flaws and showing that he also acts as he believes he should act. The sharp contrast between Macbeth’s cowardly actions and Macduff’s strong will is shown at the final battle between the two; Macbeth refuses to fight with Macduff when Macbeth learns Macduff is that one person in the prophecy that would defeat Macbeth until Macduff threatens to capture him alive and humiliates him in front of the crowd (5.8).Once again, Macbeth masculinity is threatened, and he gives in to the threat rather than stand his ground, leading to his ultimate demise. Macduff’s
Macduff leaves an impression of his loyalty on his friends. Macduff was in England, when he was questioned about Malcolm’s reign. ”Fit to govern? No, not to live.” (4.3.105) Macduff is remaining loyal to Scotland by trying to protect it from the kind of king Malcolm claims to be. Before waking Duncan, Macduff says to Macbeth. “I’ll make so bold to call, For ’tis my limited service.” (2.3.25) Macduff follows every order because of his loyalty to the king. After Duncan is murdered, Macduff mourns as he tells the news. “Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight With a new Gorgon.” (2.3.45) This is the extent of Macduff’s loyalty, he is absolutely heartbroken and mournful as he informs the rest about Duncan’s death. Throughout the course of the play, Macduff shows a strong sense of loyalty and is always doing what is best for his country.
Ambition can lead people to stray away from one’s logic and pursue irrational passions. Leading into a difficult situation with only emotion leads to one’s downfall because there is no support for one’s argument. For Macbeth, this sentiment is true. By following his vehement thoughts, he does not heed to the advice of the witches, who warn of his stupidity. Instead, Macbeth chooses to murder Macduff’s entire family. In Act IV, Scene II, Lines 170-171, Macbeth states, “The firstling of my heart / Shall be the firstling of my hand.” The use of the word ‘heart’ is to illustrate Macbeth’s emotions. His rationale for murder is declining. Prior to this decision, Macbeth’s guilt became almost too much for him to bear while killing Duncan. Macbeth’s reasoning for killing Macduff’s family is simply that he felt like
Macbeth fears Macduff may be raising an army in England to dethrone him. Out of vengeance Macbeth sends a murderer out to murder Macduff’s wife and child. To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword
...ction to the murder of his family. Macduff represents what true manhood is, a man that has emotions and feelings. When Macduff receives news of the murder of his family, he immediately starts to cry and grieve. Malcolm tells Macduff to "Dispute it like man", telling Macduff to stop crying and to act like a man (IV. iii. 256). Macduff responds with, "I shall do so;/ But I must also feel it as a man:" (IV. iii. 257-259). Macduff responds that he will deal with it like man; however, he will deal with it with emotions and feelings, as well as by taking action. Macduff's statement, in contrast to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, implies that it is okay for a man to have feelings and emotions, and that Manhood is more than just violence and action. Furthermore, unlike Macbeth, whose idea of masculinity causes serious character flaws, Macduff's idea actually helps him achieve his
Macduff is the archetype of the avenging hero, not simply out for revenge but with a good and holy purpose. Like Macbeth, Macduff is also shown as a human being. When he hears of death of his “pretty chickens,” he has to hold back his emotions. Even when Malcolm urges him to “Dispute it like a man,” Macduff’s reply “I will do so. But I must also feel it as a man” makes Macduff more like Macbeth.