Macduff's Reason In Macbeth

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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 …show more content…

While Macduff is Macbeth’s main enemy, there is no reason for Macbeth to kill Macduff’s family. Macbeth’s mind becomes overrun with paranoia and fear after receiving another prophecy from the witches, foretelling his demise in the Birnham Woods. His neuroticism invades his mind, leaving little to no room for rational thinking. This is evident through Macbeth’s hallucination of Banquo’s ghost. After killing both Banquo and Duncan, Macbeth is now comfortable with murder and other heinous acts, such as lying. By stating, “Unsafe the while, that we / Must lave our honours in these flattering streams, / And make our faces visards to our hearts, / Disguising what they are” (Shakespeare III. ii. 93-96), Macbeth chooses to lie to his guests, concealing the true whereabouts of Banquo. Again, Shakespeare utilizes the word ‘heart’ to highlight Macbeth’s emotions. Macbeth’s heart becomes corrupt with power and avarice, thereby allowing him to commit more heinous acts. However, due to his underlying guilt, Macbeth conjures up a vision of Banquo’s ghost sitting on his throne. This becomes a physical representation of Macbeth’s culpability of

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