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Internal and external conflict in macbeth
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Recommended: Internal and external conflict in macbeth
In many different reoccurring short stories, novels, plays and any other literature, involving characters, there is always a comparison between which character has the strongest role. For example in the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was most defiantly the stronger character. She went through a lot of heartache and disobedience for her love, Romeo. Romeo was strong but didn’t go through family issues and as much sacrifice, compared to Juliet. In Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, “Macbeth”, there is no straight forward answer as to who leads the strongest character. There are many different opinions and no opinion is right or wrong, in this case. If we were to compare Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, I would say Lady Macbeth leads the strongest character …show more content…
(I, ii, 49) Thus, that insult greatly affects Macbeth’s confidence. Macbeth doesn’t have the ability to have his own thoughts without the influence of Lady Macbeth’s opinions. Macbeth also loses his confidence when Lady Macbeth insults him, once again. All it takes for Macbeth is for Lady Macbeth to simply question Macbeth’s ambition. In this case, that is what Lady Macbeth is doing. Was the hope drunk Wherein you dress’d yourself? Hath it slept since? (II, ii, 36-37) Lady Macbeth is asking Macbeth if he was sleeping or drunk when he decided to come up with the decision of killing Duncan because now all of a sudden, Macbeth doesn’t want to kill Duncan. I believe Lady Macbeth had Macbeth wrapped around her finger after these few remarks. Macbeth doesn’t seem to put up a fight against Lady Macbeth again. Not sure why, but Macbeth seems oddly confident around anyone else, other than Lady Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth states that, if she was milking her baby she would rip the baby from her nipple, drop the baby to the ground and dash the baby’s brains out. Lady Macbeth would do anything to become queen, even if that was to kill her own
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List'ning their fear I could not say “Amen,”
When they did say “God bless us!” (II, ii, 25-29)
Macbeth is filled with a lot of guilt at this point and I think he feels major regret as well.
O , full of Scorpions in my mind, dear wife! (III, ii, 38-39)
This line is very well known and I think this line is so greatly popular primarily because, this is where Macbeth identifies himself as insane! Macbeth’s insanity all began because he wasn’t strong enough to defend himself and say no to kill Duncan, in the first place!
My last and very relevant point is Lady Macbeth is just more emotionally strong and stable compared to Macbeth. Macbeth shows great emotion about all the tragic events he and Lady Macbeth have been putting themselves through. Lady Macbeth has kept herself together. She is constantly reassuring Macbeth.
Consider it not so deeply. (II, ii, 30)
This line is said from Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth demonstrates strength for Macbeth after Macbeth says he wasn’t able to say “Amen” after the guards pray. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to not consider this act (killing Duncan) so seriously and to rub it
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
He says, “Better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind”(III.2.46). This quote takes place just before he does the daring deed and shows the reader that he knows it is not the right thing to do before he even goes to do it. His conscience tries to stay strong but he wants all the power as soon as possible so his conscience gives out and he decides that he will kill Duncan. He states before the domino effect of murders starts that he would rather be dead, than to be a guilty murderer. As the character gives into his dream of being the king he goes to do the deed and murder King Duncan. After he commits the murder, Macbeth feels immediate guilt. This is shown in a conversation with his wife yet again. He says, “I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on’t again I dare not”(II.2.56-57). This quote takes place right after the murder of King Duncan but he accidentally left the daggers in the bedroom with the corpse of Duncan. He immediately feels the guilt which is good for his conscience because he realizes he did something he should not have. He says to Lady Macbeth that he can not stand to even see what he has done anymore. Soon after Macbeth’s daring act his guilt begins to haunt him
In the Elizabethan era, the expectations for women were limited to being a housewife and a mother. Women were expected to obey their husbands. These expectations, and the person Lady Macbeth actually was, are polar opposites. Lady Macbeth did rely on Macbeth, but she only relied on him because she could only obtain her power through him. The methods she used to obtain this power go against the stereotypical Elizabethan woman.
As Macbeth becomes less dependent on his wife, she loses more control. She loses control of her husband, but mostly, of herself, proving her vacillating truth. Lady Macbeth’s character gradually disintegrates through a false portrayal of unyielding strength, an unsteady control of her husband and shifting involvement with supernatural powers.Throughout the duration of play Lady Macbeth’s truly decrepit and vulnerable nature is revealed. Lady Macbeth has been the iron fist and authority icon for Macbeth, yet deep down, she never carried such traits to begin with. This duality in Lady Macbeth’s character plays a huge role in planting the seed for Macbeth’s downfall and eventual demise.
Secondly Lady Macbeth shows more ambition then Macbeth does in terms of gaining power regarding kingship. When Macbeth does not want to murder Duncan anymore, for he recognizes that he is a kind man, good king and thinks Duncan should remain the king. Lady Macbeth however shows more ambition for power, becomes very upset upon learning how Macbeth feels how he doesn’t want to kill King Duncan anymore, she says “And Live a coward in thine own esteem” (1.7.46) meaning she’s calling him a coward for not wanting to kill Duncan and thereby gaining power. She convinces him to change his mind to want the power of kingship now, which can only be achieved by killing Duncan.
This passage shows Lady Macbeth asking the gods to fill her with all ruthlessness and hate to commit the killing of King Duncan but to have outer deceptive qualities to perceive other people like Macbeth himself.
Lady Macbeth negatively guides lots of Macbeth’s behaviour, for instance, when Macbeth hesitates to commit murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he has to do it to prove himself as the man that Lady Macbeth always mentioned; it is also one of the reasons that lead to Macbeth’s downfall, as well as the deaths of the other innocent characters in the text. “[Macbeth does] Like the poor cat i' th' adage? ”(1.7.46) says Lady Macbeth, when Macbeth is hesitating whether kill Duncan or not while he’s in Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth describes Macbeth as a poor cat from old stories to satire Macbeth’s indecision. She degrades Macbeth’s manhood as he doesn’t have the dare to act the way he desires, to pursue the power and glory that he wants. Macbeth replies that he only dares to do what is proper for a man to do. However later in the text, Macbeth’s actions go crazy, he cares his family no more, as well as his friends and subordinates. Lady Macbeth seems to know that she needs to push Macbeth into committing murder, or Macbeth will just let nature take its course. At some points, she wishes that she was not a woman so that she could do the things that man could do by herself, such as the murder, so she won’t see Macbeth lacks in the power of decision and his overtaken by misgivings and fear. In addition, Julia encourages
In these two quotes we see that there is a disagreement that continues through the entire scene. Macbeth decides that he does not want to murder Duncan and that is final and that the discussion is over. Lady Macbeth on the other hand feels that Macbeth is being a coward and that he should think about what he is doing before he makes up his mind. Slowly throughout the scene Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth that he should kill Duncan and he finally agrees. This goes to show that the relationship produces a sense of trust and openness. This is due to the fact that Macbeth listens to his wife and finally takes what she has to say into thought and carries through with it. The function of this is to create a sense of hostility amongst the audience. Everyone can't believe that Lady Macbeth is encouraging her husband to kill someone and it really makes them uncomfortable and shifts there mood of love towards Lady Macbeth to hate. This mood of the audience is highened in Act 2 Scene 2 when once again Macbeth has decided that he is going to stop what he is doing although he had already killed Duncan;
Lady Macbeth is clearly belittling Macbeth here and his insecurities rise because of this. Macbeth then attempts at being “so much more the man” and goes into Duncan’s room, and murders him in his sleep. Macbeth resorts to lashing out violently after his wife emasculates him, and destroys any semblance of confidence that he has. The reason why he does this is because when men feel insecure they sometimes take the easy route of hiding behind a mask of violence vs confronting their emotions and insecurities. Guys for the longest of times have had this programed into their very being, they can’t show weakness or kindness, only strength. The Mask you live in also brings up this point especially through Joe Ehrmann's recount of events that took place with his father. “That was a source of tremendous shame. I left that room with tears coming down my eyes just feeling that I wasn’t quite man enough. Football became a tremendous place to hide. [...] I thought if I could
Lady Macbeth’s murderous thoughts concerning the demise of King Duncan characterize her as callous and cruel, as well as ruthlessly determined to achieve her goal of rising to power alongside Macbeth. After she reads Macbeth’s letter containing his royal prophecy, Lady Macbeth immediately begins to concoct a plan that will dethrone King Duncan as quickly as possible. She tells “spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts” to “unsex [her] here,” (1.5.47-48) and allow her to promptly lose her identity and transform into a man on the spot. Her readiness to completely alter her appearance and gender emphasizes the lengths to which Lady Macbeth is willing to go in order to successfully carry out her plan. She then further implores the spirits to “come to [her] woman’s breasts/And take [her] milk for gall” (1.5.54-55). By asking the spirits to exchange her nutritive milk for fatal poison, Lady Macbeth suggests that she does not see her breasts as soft and nurturing, but rather obstructive to the execution of her plan, and that
She went through some psychological incapacity, and had no ability to make decisions. While Macbeth, when hit by guilt, could still make decisions and make some imprudent acts such as murder again. Even though the murdering caused him to experience a glimpse of insanity, he could still control his mind so resentment would not take over. In the end, the readers can observe that Macbeth, even being affected by guilt so many times in so many ways, is still stronger than Lady Macbeth. He could survive the play without committing suicide because a feeling was controlling him.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the story of a general who commits a regicide in order to become king. Early in the play, Macbeth is conflicted as to whether or not he wants to kill his kinsman, the king. In the first two acts Macbeth is not portrayed as a ruthless killer; he is a sympathetic character who succumbs to the provocation of his wife and a prophecy foretold by three mysterious witches. In contrast, Lady Macbeth is a manipulative, immoral woman.
iv. i. 79-80. This quote proves that Macbeth is becoming even more confident because he knows from the witches prophecies that none of a woman born can kill him. In the end, the witch?s basically started out with Macbeth?s ambitions to become king who makes him commit evil acts. Secondly, it?s Macbeth?s ambition to become king.
In the play, everyone seems to want power. Usually, men are the ones who are outward and aggressive about it, and women are more subdued about it. Lady Macbeth has a great deal of power over Macbeth the power which she holds over him, is the fact that she possesses more of the "manly" quality than Macbeth himself. Because of this, Macbeth is ashamed of himself. Macbeth constantly tries to disprove Lady Macbeths doubt of his manhood. "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." (1.7.22). As you can see in this quote, Lady Macbeth has her doubts.
Even though Macbeth is accountable for his own actions, in my opinion Lady Macbeth’s influence does not end immediately after the first “deed” is done. Why do I think that? Well, in the same way lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood, he later questions the murderers that he hired to kill Banquo and Fleance about their manhood. Therefore, that’s why it can be argued that Lady Macbeth consistently influence Macbeth throughout the play. In conclusion, my argument on whether Lady Macbeth is the most important character in the play, and without her character, there could never be a play called “Macbeth,” stays intact. I believe Lady Macbeth is the strongest, most important,