TEMPTATIONS IN MACBETH
“Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a movable body.” - H. L. Mencken
Mencken is explaining in this quote that temptation is impossible for a human to resist. William Shakespeare’s 17th century play Macbeth is the tragedy of a character who couldn’t resist the temptation of power. In Macbeth’s case, his temptation led him to commit heinous and treacherous acts. Temptation can ignite the flame of ambition, but it is not responsible for the good or bad acts that result of that spark. Shakespeare shows us how a battle-hardened and loyal soldier such as Macbeth could turn into someone who is someone who is selfish and greedy for the throne. Shakespeare conveys the message that nobody is safe from temptation,
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but how you act on it is what defines you. Macbeth and Banquo, two good friends both experience temptation from the same source, but they act on it differently. Their different choices lead them down different paths and legacies. This play accurately defines the nature of temptation and the consequences of committing bad deeds in the name of it. Shakespeare shows us what tempts Macbeth, how he handles it, and the connection between Macbeth’s ambition and his temptation. Macbeth is undoubtedly tempted by the three witches at the starting of the play.
By promising him the titles Thane of Glamis and Cawdor and the King of Scotland, the “weird women” spark Macbeth’s inner ambition. “Look, how our partner's rapt.” (I;iii, 153) Banquo says this after he witnesses Macbeth’s reaction to the three witches’ prophecy. Almost instantaneously after hearing his future, Macbeth’s expression changes. Macbeth is promised everything that he wanted, but even Banquo was promised something. Banquo was promised that he would not become king in his lifetime, but that he would bear a line of kings. Later on in the play, when Macbeth is king, he orders the murder of Banquo, and especially his son. It is natural that both Macbeth and Banquo were tempted by the promise of royalty, but by comparing the two nobles’ acts following their temptation, we can examine their character and values. Macbeth, with the heavy influence of his wife, acted on his temptation. He killed King Duncan and two guards to pin the blame on. Banquo on the other hand, didn’t get ahead of himself and had faith in the prophecy. At one point, Macbeth was willing to do the same thing and let the prophecy do its magic. “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir.” (I;iii, 154-156). Macbeth and Banquo both ended up murdered, but their legacies were different. It is understood that Banquo’s son, Fleance, escapes and eventually becomes or gives birth to a king. Macbeth on the other hand, is made an example of, and is brutally killed by Macduff. Macbeth 0’s By having two characters that are faced with the same challenge but handle it differently, we can see the differences in character and
values. Macbeth was made to be watched as a play, not read as a book. Shakespeare crafted his main antagonist so it would be interesting for his audience to watch when he was tempted. Dialogues which showed Macbeth’s struggle to handle his temptation, which was power, were points of interest in the play. Macbeth states, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function, Is smother’d in surmise;and nothing is But what is not.” (I;iii, 149-152). In this dialogue, Macbeth is already speculating murder, when the topic has never come up before. He also says “smother’d in surmise,” which means that he is clouded with speculation, whether he should act on his temptation or not. Macbeth’s strange responses to seemingly pleasing proclamations make it interesting for the audience. The response of the valiant soldier to three ‘weird women” is one of great surprise, even to Banquo, his closest friend. Banquo’s response to Macbeth’s reaction after hearing the prophecies uttered by the witches is, “Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear things that do sound so fair?” (I;iii, 54-56). Macbeth, instead of expressing happiness in response to the prophecies, he seems startled and bitter. A reason for this might be that he is afraid that his innermost desires have been revealed. Macbeth does not handle his temptation calmly, instead he panics and makes haste to do things he thinks he need to do. An example of this is when Duncan announces Malcolm (his son) as his successor. “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires:the eye wink at the hand! Yet let that be.” In this dialogue, Macbeth talks about removing his latest obstacle, Malcolm from his path to the throne. He asks the stars to aid him in hiding his darkest thoughts and desires (the throne). Macbeth handles his temptation with utmost panic and insecurity, but that is exactly what makes him an interesting and complex character. Macbeth isn’t the only one to give in to his overwhelming temptation. In the current world, there are many examples of people who have given in to their unique temptation. A popular example are cigarettes. We hear stories of people who find it very hard to stop smoking, as they are now addicted. Cigarettes may have been offered to them by their peers, and curious about how it feels, they accepted the offer. Another way we can analyse Macbeth’s temptation is to compare the source of the temptation and Macbeth. The source of the temptation, which is the witches’ prophecy was said in a way to tempt Macbeth. By already hailing him as the titles which he eventually inherits, any person would be overly tempted and anxious for the day the person actually gains those honors. Instead of concisely telling him the future, the three witches weaved it into a riddle for Macbeth to figure out. Just by manipulating their choice and way of speaking words, they aroused an ambition in Macbeth that served as a foundation for his future misdeeds. The three witches always spoke in riddle to set a precedent for some mistakes that Macbeth commits. One of them being not taking Hecate’s warning of the harm Macduff could cause to Macbeth. Even though the ignorance on Macbeth’s part ultimately led to Macbeth’s downfall, it was the Hecate’s cunning speech which induces Macbeth’s overconfidence. By stating the need to fear Macduff before uttering that “no man of woman born can harm Macbeth,” Hecate suppresses the initial fear of Macduff. Macbeth is instilled with a false sense of security, and that leads him to not do anything when he knows he will be attacked by Malcolm’s highly superior force. Shakespeare mastered a character who is easily tempted and commits major misdeeds based of masterful temptations. Referring back to the quote on temptation by H.L. Mencken, temptation isn’t easily vanquished and is often irresistible. Most people get consumed by their temptation and commit acts in the name of their goals, as was the case with Macbeth. Macbeth gave in to his lust of power and violated his loyalty to the throne of Scotland and King Duncan. Macbeth gets tempted into committing major misdeeds such as killing his King and his best friend. His ambition gets the best of him and he commits treacherous acts even though there is no need to. Mencken
Both Banquo and Macbeth are introduced as loyal captains in the king`s army, but as the play progresses, Macbeth is overcome with the desire of power due to his reception of the prophecies. Upon hearing, Banquo does not become greedy for power, but, alternatively, he is suspect and cautious begins wondering if “we [Macbeth and Banquo] eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?” (1.3). Realizing the witches were simply trying to make him ambitious, Banquo remains loyal to his king and his country, despite knowing that he will have a dynasty to rule Scotland. Despite having the motivation, Banquo does not commit treason against his king but rather wants to “keep my [his] bosom franchis'd and allegiance clear” (2.1), meaning that he has no desire to betray the king for personal gain. Conversely, upon hearing the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth becomes ambitious for power and follows them blindly. He is curious about the witches’ prophecies and demands they “stay… [and] tell me [him] more” (1.3). When he hears that the prophecy that his heirs will rule Scotland he will be king, Macbeth`s ambition is born and his thoughts instantly turn to murder, even though the witches had not mentioned murdering King Duncan which shows that Macbeth has previously thought about murdering his king. As a result, Macbeth has no loyalty to neither his king nor his country and commits treason. While both Banquo and Macbeth hear the witches` prophecies that promised power, only Macbeth conceded to their prophecy and became overcame with ambition. Macbeth is a direct antithesis to the honorable, dependent Banquo. He transforms into a greedy man who is obsessed with his
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...
After the death of Duncan, Macbeth begins to distance himself from Lady Macbeth, and he becomes ambitious. Despite being a king, Macbeth is worried about Banquo:
Macbeth’s ambition is to remain king for as long as possible and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. Macbeth feels as if he was given a childless rule, and that his legacy will not continue on in fears his rule will be taken away by someone outside his family. Macbeth states, “For Banquo’s issue, I have filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder 'd, put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel given to the common enemy of man. to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings”(Shakspeare 3.1.64-69). Macbeth had committed murder, poisoned his own mind, and destroyed his soul only to end up benefiting Banquo’s heirs. Macbeth, being the paranoid character that he is, feels threatened by this and orders both Banquo and Fleance to be killed. In Act 3, Macbeth says that, “and mine eternal jewel, given to the common enemy of man, to make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!” (Shakspeare 3.1.67-9). Seeing this choice of act, leads Macbeth’s blind ambition doing all he can, in order to remain where he is, even if he is ‘blind’ to what it going on and fails to truly understand the concept of his choices in killing Banquo, which only further deteriorates his mind because of his thirst for power, causing
Later in the play Banquo starts to have a bad feeling about Macbeth. "Thou hast it now: King, Cowdor, Glamis, all,/ as the weird women promised, and I fear/ thou play'dst most foully for `t." III i 1-3, this is a quote from Banquo explaining how he feels about Macbeth's predictions coming true. Macbeth realizes this about Banquo and he starts to have feelings about killing Banquo. This isn't the only reason he feels this way, the witches had also made predictions for Banquo. "Thou shall get kings, though thou be none." I iii 67, Macbeth doesn't want any of Banquo's family to rule Scotland; he wants his own family to continue to rule. Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his on Fleance. The murderers end up killing Banquo, but Fleance gets away.
The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is a tale of a man and his un-bridled ambition, set in ancient Scotland. Macbeth is a nobleman of the king of Scotland, Duncan, who is in mid-war with Norway. Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter three witches. The witches tell the pair that Macbeth will be king, and Banquo’s children will also be kings. Any person in their right mind would question information given to them by strangers, let alone witches, but for some reason these statements intrigue Macbeth. They temp Macbeth to do evil things such as treason, and worse, to kill. Although un-bridled ambition is his main tragic flaw, there is one more that plays a big role in his decisions and the outcome of the story; Macbeth is far too impressionable.
...le Macbeth tells them that ‘every man be master of his time’ so that he can ‘keep alone’. By choosing to isolate himself and not inform Lady Macbeth of his plans to murder Banquo we see how Macbeth feels as if he can’t even trust his closest companions. After turning his back on Lady Macbeth, Macbeth becomes fixated not only on the prophecies of the witches but when he hints to Lady Macbeth that ‘a deed of dreadful note’ will fall upon Banquo and his son he talks like the witches. This shows how Macbeth has turned his back on seeking council from his lords and advisors and begins to act as a king who instead of rationally thinking things out, he chooses to justify his reasons on prophetic predictions from a world of sorcery.
These ambiguities are iteratively explained, corresponding with the changes in characterization; for example, when the second vision granted to Macbeth by the Weïrd sisters advises him to, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.90-92). Upon hearing this, Macbeth appears to simply disregard the earlier prophecy that it will be Banquo’s children, not his own, that will take the throne after him and believes himself to be effectively invincible, which coincides with another shift in Macbeth’s nature, more specifically his growing arrogance that eventually leads to his defeat at the hands of
One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life.
William Shakespeare once stated, “Temptation is the fire that brings up the scum of the heart.”(William Shakespeare) Although slightly bleak, many works of art have this similar idea. Through this, similarities are found concerning aspects of each work. Differences occur in the protagonist’s own personal journey on the path of temptation. Undeniably, this parallel is found within William Shakespeare’s own infamous play, Macbeth and the two-time Oscar- winning film, A Simple Plan. Macbeth is fighting for the honor of kingship even though he is not liable to inherit the crown and only becomes acquainted with the idea through a prophecy of three witches. Hank Mitchell, the protagonist of the movie, is presented with 4.4 million dollars in an abandoned plane that he and his friends are first to find. The journeys of both Hank and Macbeth follow a similar plotline that deal with character changes, conflicts confronted and a tragic outcome which seem to root from the pull of temptation.
Throughout the play we are able to see the change Macbeth has encountered. He started out as a noble thane, content with his life. But as soon as the Three Sisters' have gotten the notion of Power in his head, we see his thrive for power ultimately corrupting him. By studying the impact power has on relationships in Macbeth, it is obvious that Banquo and Macbeth's relationship best represents the impact which the need for power can have on a relationship. This conclusively demonstrates that lust of power can drive people to doing the cruelest things in order to capture it.
Macbeth takes his first step toward becoming evil when he is confronted with the knowledge that he will be king. When the witches tell him "All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king thereafter!" he makes the mistake of letting his ambition overrule his judgment. If his judgment had remained intact in the face of the witches' powerful prophecy, he certainly would have decided not to let his actions be dictated by a prophecy given to him by three strange witches who evade most of the questions he asks. With great trepidation and considerable pressure from Lady Macbeth, he commits his second mistake by proceeding to murder King Duncan. Driven by a persecution complex that starts with the knowledge that Banquo is meant to be the f...
After they hear the prophecies told to them by the evil sisters, Banquo starts to worry about Macbeth and his ambitions to become king. Macbeth is thinking that he may become king without doing anything else, and Banquo thinks Macbeth does not deserve to be thane of Cawdor. At this point, the two friends start growing farther from each other because they do not trust one another. Banquo starts to fear Macbeth because he knows if his prophecy is true than he is a threat to Macbeth's throne. Macbeth realizes he must get rid of Banquo to secure his spot on the throne and make sure his sons will not take his place.
Temptation can be defined as a strong urge to do something usually bad or resulting in a harmful effect. The deeper people get into the temptation the harder it is to get out. It can be compared to digging a hole with no ladder to get out, the deeper you dig the harder it will be to get out. This idea is seen in many pieces of text including the following poems. “A Poison Tree” by William Blake and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, both convey the message that people must be able to fight temptation and control themselves in moments of great distress.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare confronts audiences with universal and powerful themes of ambition and evil along with its consequences. Shakespeare explores the powerful theme of the human mind’s decent into madness, audiences find this theme most confronting because of its universal relevance. His use of dramatic devices includes soliloquies, animal imagery, clear characterisation and dramatic language. Themes of ambition and mental instability are evident in Lady Macbeth’s reaction to Macbeth’s letter detailing the prophecies, Macbeth’s hallucinations of Banquo’s ghost and finally in the scene where Lady Macbeth is found sleep walking, tortured by her involvement.