As Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Man is not the creature of circumstances; circumstances are the creatures of men. We are free agents, and man is more powerful than matter.” Although Macbeth’s insanity eventually led to his decease, it was his murderous intentions that brought him to insanity. Macbeth’s deeds could not be blamed upon the deception of the witches nor on his imperious wife but only on himself.
Macbeth was introduced as the thane of Glamis, but in Act I, Scene III, his life shifted for the worst. As he and Banquo approached a heath, they came upon three witches. The three grotesque women proceeded to fill Macbeth’s mind with evil as they predicted to him:
FIRST WITCH. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!
SECOND
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WITCH. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! THIRD WITCH.
All hail, Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter!
(1, 3, 48-50)
Macbeth was truly a compassionate, brave and trustworthy man as he held only the title of thane of Glamis; however, soon after his encounter with the witches he gained the title of thane of Cawdor. With his new title in tow, the man that had once been a hero became power-hungry and greedy. Nevertheless, once he saw one of his three prophecies become true, he wrote to his devoted wife to inform her of the good news. It was at that point when the two began to conspire for power.
Regardless of Macbeth’s destiny to become king, the witches had also declared to him and Banquo another life-altering prophecy. The terrible three had announced to Banquo:
FIRST WITCH. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.
SECOND WITCH. Not so happy, yet much
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happier. THIRD WITCH. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all Hail, Macbeth and Banquo! (1, 3, 65-68) Once Macbeth had time to dwell on his newfound power, he felt the thirst within him for more. Thane of Cawdor was only a step below the king, yet that would never satisfy the greedy Macbeth. Once he arrived home, he and Lady Macbeth, his wife, began to plot the fall of noble King Duncan. Soon, their opportunity arose when King Duncan stayed at their home one night. Bloodthirsty Macbeth and Lady Macbeth worked together in order to secure the throne for themselves. Lady Macbeth took the lead as she coerced Macbeth throughout every step of the gruesome act. First, she set the plan into motion as she drugged the king’s two guards. Then, as she kept watch, Macbeth crept into Duncan’s chambers where he murdered him with a dagger. He then furthered his sins when he assassinated the king’s two guards so that they could carry the blame without the ability to oppose it. Alas, Lady Macbeth again had to take the lead when her husband forgot to plant the weapon. Her actions were provoked by her ambition as she placed the bloody dagger among the guard’s corpses. As the news of the crime spread, Duncan’s children were forced by fear to flee from Scotland. With Duncan’s bloodline out of the picture, Macbeth took his place on the throne of Scotland. Nevertheless, his power was accompanied by a vicious guilt. Day and night the king and queen were plagued by fear and anticipation. Macbeth now began to distress over the prophecy of Banquo’s children. Banquo’s loyalty to King Duncan frightened Macbeth, especially as he noticed Banquo’s suspicion toward him. As Macbeth’s anxiety rose, his mind began to deteriorate and slowly lead him to insanity. Macbeth then began to plot once more in order to secure his throne. This time, Lady Macbeth was forgotten in his schemes.
Thanks to his newfound power and wealth, Macbeth hired three murderers so that he could keep his hands clean. In that, Macbeth became an accomplice to the murder of his old friend, and noble soldier Banquo. The king’s three assassins tracked down their prey, Banquo, under the pretense that he was their enemy and the root of all of their problems. Although they succeeded in Banquo’s murder, his son Fleance was able to escape into the night.
However, with Banquo out of the picture, Macbeth’s conscience was only weighed down more with guilt. The ghost of Banquo haunted Macbeth to the point that his last thread of sanity snapped. When news of Macduff fleeing to England reached Macbeth, he sent his three murderers Macduff’s home to murder his wife and child. While the blood may not have literally been on Macbeth’s hands, he was covered in it in his mind.
Once word of the demented king of Scotland reached Malcolm, one of Duncan’s sons, he and Macduff made plans to overthrow Macbeth. When Macbeth learned of the traitors, he boasted his confidence to servants and generals. The witches had filled his head with nonsense once more, including the belief that no man of woman born could kill him. While he spent his time gloating, his wife passed away, yet he held no remorse for Lady Macbeth’s death. The atrocious man moved forward into battle where his madness led him to his ultimate demise at the hand of
Macduff. Some may say that Macbeth was a victim of circumstance or the persuasions of others, yet he controlled his circumstances. Regardless of the temptations of the witches, the guilt falls on Macbeth because he wielded the dagger. He spilled the blood of countless people all for the sake of sitting upon the throne of Scotland. While Lady Macbeth conspired with Macbeth and then pushed him into his crime on Duncan, her only crimes were in the conspiracy and cover-up. Therefore, the tyrannical Macbeth is responsible for the deaths of King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s wife and child.
The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare starts off with a noble warrior Named Macbeth that is titled thane of Glamis by his own uncle, King Duncan. Macbeth is awarded thane of Cawdor due to the switching sides of the original title holder who is hanged for treason. Macbeth who is deceived by his wife kills the king in a plot for power and they put the blame on the guards by laying bloody daggers next to them. Macbeth begins to lose himself as the play goes on. He kills his best friend Banquo and Macduff’s wife and kids. Lady Macbeth kills herself as she goes crazy from all the killings and then that is when Macbeth completely loses himself. Macbeth is told by the witches that he cannot be killed by any one of women born. Macduff and Malcolm, heir to the throne who fled Scotland think of a plan to kill Macbeth. Macbeth faces Macduff and Malcolm’s army alone as he is labeled a tyrant and is abandoned by everyone. He faces the army fearlessly as he cannot killed by any one of woman born but fails to realize that Macduff was born of C-section leading to his downfall and Macbeth is Beheaded. Malcolm becomes the new king. Lady Macbeth's deception had a dramatic effect on the play leading to a dramatic change in many lives. The three main points that will be discussed are how Lady Macbeth becomes deceived; how Lady Macbeth deceives others and the results from Lady Macbeth deceiving others. Lady Macbeth, was simply minded and became easily deceived.
Guilt surrounds Macbeth for the second time when he sends out the murderers to kill Banquo, his old friend. Macbeth had no other choice but to get rid of Banquo. Banquo had witnessed the three witches and the prophecies. One prophecy was that his son would become king one day "To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings"(Act3 scene1 line70). In order for Macbeth to be safe is to kill Banquo. Banquo may assume what had happened and tell the people of Scotland. "For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel".
Shakespeare's Macbeth is a heroic tragedy that shows the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition for those who seek power for its own sake. These psychological effects can be seen in many characters, but are most clearly displayed in the main character Macbeth. Macbeth begins the play as a noble and stable character- a loyal husband, subject, and the Thane of Glamis. However, as Macbeth receives more power and becomes more ambitious, he loses his mental stability. Macbeth’s mind deteriorates from his strong ambition, his guilt of killing, and the paranoia that comes of power. You can also see Macbeth’s mind deteriorate by examining his visions, attitude toward fear and death, and how
Macbeth begins to defer from his original character when he learns of the witches’ prophecies, which leads him to believe he is fated to be king and to pursue that “destiny.” After the witches make the prophecies, he merely views the thought of himself becoming king as something that “Stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. iii. 77). Macbeth’s disbelief of their claim of him obtaining the crown reveals how Macbeth does not trust the witches’ words and has no true ambition to become king. However soon after Banquo’s and Macbeth’s encounter with the witches, a messenger of the King greets him with the title of Thane of Cawdor as well as the title of Thane of Glamis as the witches had also done. These two titles are seen from Macbeth as “Two truths [that] are told/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme” (I. iii. 140-142). Having one of the two prophecies become reality validates the witches’ words and makes Macbeth take their words seriously to be the truth, sparking his desire for power to fulfill the last prophecy. He now believes that what the witches have made it his destiny to become king, and it is his duty to fulfill it. Through Duncan and Macbeth’s dialogue, Macbeth hears about Malcolm b...
In the beginning of the book, the main character Macbeth is a honorable man that stumbles upon 3 wicked witches that corrupt his mind. When Macbeth and the witches first meet, the witches tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and king, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.”(17) The witch’s corrupt Macbeth’s mind with the fact that he can obtain these titles by doing certain things like killing Banquo to progress farther in his ranks. Toward the end of the book, Macbeth isn’t a bystander anymore, but an enemy to many to where he will be slain by a man who was not of woman born. During a battle, a man named Macduff comes and kills Macbeth, “And let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.”(185) Macbeth became the evil that he stood by from in the beginning.
Throughout the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth continuously decides bad choices and the consequences of these decisions catch up to Macbeth and result in his mental deterioration, however with Macbeth’s almost infant feel for ambition this makes him susceptible to manipulation, which then grows into an insatiable appetite for power. The acts of this with the manipulation from outsiders, causes his blind ambition, his false sense of security and then finally his guilt, which all contribute to his derangement.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centring around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a nobel and strong willed man, who is ready to fight for his country. However, one may see that Macbeth has a darker side to him, he is power hungry and blood thirsty, and will not stop until he has secured his spot as King of Scotland. Though Macbeth may be a tyrant, he is very naïve, gullible, and vulnerable. He is vulnerable and willing to be persuaded by many characters throughout the play, his wife, the witches to name a few, this is the first sign that his mental state is not as sharp as others. One will see the deterioration of Macbeth and his mental state as the play progresses, from level headedness and undisturbed to hallucinogenic, psychopathic and narcissistic. The triggering event for his mental deterioration is caused by the greed created from the witches first prophecy, that Macbeth will become King of Scotland (I.iii.53). Because of the greed causing his mental deterioration, Macbeth’s psychosis is what caused his own demise by the end of the play. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the tragic hero Macbeth’s demise is provoked by his hallucinogenic episodes, psychopathic actions and narcissistic behaviours.
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).
Macbeth’s ambition to obtain power convinces him that it is his destiny to become King of Scotland, and that he should do anything to fulfill that destiny, even if it involves him committing tremendously immoral acts such as murder. After Macbeth realizes that the witches may actually speak the truth due to the second prophecy (Thane of Cawdor) becoming true, he begins to have an eerie and frightening thought of him killing his king and friend, Duncan, in order to ac...
When Macbeth is first introduced to the audience, he is seen as a tough, trustworthy hero. He wins the battle and gains King Duncan’s honor and respect. This all lasts until his encounter with the witches. The witches terrorized and cursed people purely for their personal enjoyment. They came across Macbeth and could not pass this opportunity. Unfortunately Macbeth fell victim to the witches’ ruthless, evil plans. The witches begin to recite prophecies which immediately strike confusion and curiosity in Macbeth’s weak mind. The first prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!” which was said by the first witch. Macbeth already was the Thane of Glamis. The second prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” This prophecy in fact, came true after his defeat over the King of Scotland. This of course caused Macbeth the want more. The third prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth that shall be King here after!” Macbeth new that the only way this prophecy would come true is if he murdered King Duncan. At this time, Macbeth was kind hearted and would not even think twice about murdering the man who trusts him. His weak mind caused him to fall victim to harsh words and tales of the future. The lovely Lady Macbeth is not at all who people perceive her to be. She is ruthless, impatient and power thirsty. She man...
Macbeth, one of the darkest and most powerful plays written by Shakespeare, dramatizes the disastrous psychological effects that occur when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition for power. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character loses mental stability and becomes enthralled with the idea of being king. Empowered by the three witches, this situation consumes Macbeth’s consciousness until his mental state becomes deranged. This mental deterioration is evident in what he says and does as he evolves into a tyrannical ruler attempting to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. In an attempt to fulfill his ambition for power, Macbeth displays mental deterioration and becomes increasingly bloodthirsty.
.... His insanity was a result of ambition taken much too far, ambition mutated and converted into evil by internal as well as social conflict; Macbeth’s wife did nothing to prevent Macbeth’s sickness and actually helped the problem develop. From his ambition came actions that filled his mind with conflict, dread, suspicion and guilt. It could be said that Macbeth was insane from the beginning, from the moment that the witches appeared to him in the third scene of the play or even from when he carved out his bloody passage in battle. Whether Macbeth was insane his whole life or just from the moment he first saw the imaginary dagger, it is indisputable that his visions and hallucinations only helped to supplement his lunacy.
In Act I of the play, Macbeth states, “We will proceed no further in this business. / He hath honored me of late, and I have bought / Golden opinions from all sorts of people” (1. 7. 31-3). Macbeth’s acknowledgement that he and Lady Macbeth should not go through with the plan suggests he knows the difference between right and wrong, however his wife acts as a negative influence in dictating his actions. This behavior indicates Macbeth is mentally ill because those with mental illness often struggle with decision making. Lady Macbeth’s poor influence on her husband, Macbeth, is also caused by mental illness.
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” Once said by Marc Twain, this is an excellent example of the human nature that is represented in the play: Macbeth. Shakespeare demonstrates that all humans have the ability to do good or evil. This is strongly affected by the choices that we make and by our actions. These decisions will have a huge impact on our lives and the lives of others. Throughout the play, Macbeth experienced a huge decent into evil and violent action that lead him to his death. With his thirst for power and constant paranoia, he killed his way to seize the crown. By killing Duncan at the beginning of the play, Macbeth soon realizes that nothing can be undone and his blood stained hands can never be cleaned. “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.3 70) said by Lady Macbeth after Duncan’s murder. But what they don’t know is that this is the start of the bloody massacre that will change who they are and how they think forever. Macbeth has multiple hallucinations and his paranoia leads him to hire murderers to kill Macduff’s family out of anger and spite. Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and gets to the point of madness when she kills herself at the end of the play. This demonstrates that our actions can be affected by human nature and our thoughts can be easily corrupted by temptation.