Hubris in Macbeth According to Merriam Webster, hubris is “exaggerated pride or self-confidence.” When hubris is displayed in classical Greek works, it often leads to the downfall of the character and a bleak outcome. However, when hubris is used in Christian forms, it has a happier and more hopeful ending as opposed to that in Greek works. Both Christian hubris and Greek hubris can be found in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. Throughout the play, we see Greek hubris affecting Macbeth, until he reaches the point where he believes nothing can hurt him. This belief and his ego are ultimately what lead to his destruction and death at the end of the play. Despite Macbeth’s deterioration throughout the play, we do see small glimmers of hope and Christian …show more content…
Macbeth does not always display the characteristics of Greek hubris. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is almost a completely different person. In the first act, when the three witches first give Macbeth his prophecy, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis!” (1.3, line 49), “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor!” (1.3 line 50), “All hail, Macbeth, the future king!” (1.3, line 51), he is doubtful of what they are saying because he believes it is too good to be true. Banquo is confused as to why Macbeth would doubt something that provided him such prosperity, “Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear things that do sound so fair?” (1.3, lines 52-53). The way Macbeth first reacts to the witches’ prophecy proves how Macbeth begins the play as innocent and loyal, and how he does not want to hurt anybody to earn …show more content…
Having already possessed the title of Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth yearns to have the last part of the witches prophecy come true, the one part he secretly longs for – to have the title of king. As King Duncan sleeps, Macbeth comes forward and is prepared to commit murder in order to achieve his secret desire of becoming king. But before he can commit the act, he sees a dagger in front of him. This dagger represents the small amount of innocence Macbeth still possesses before he commits the murder. “Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible, to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?” (2.1, lines 37-41). But soon after the murder has been committed, we see Macbeth begin a downward spiral created by the presence of his Greek hubris. When Lady Macbeth commits suicide in act 5, scene 5, Macbeth has given up hope and his hubris has almost led him to his death. However, at this point, he still believes in the witches’ prophecy and the fact that he cannot be killed of anything born of woman. In his speech after his wife’s death, Macbeth says, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and
The English Dictionary defines hubris as “extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about his downfall”. Hubris is a fatal flaw in the personality of a character who enjoys a powerful position; as a result of which, he overestimates his capabilities to such an extent that he loses contact with reality. A character that suffers from hubris tries to cross normal human limits, usually violating moral codes. Examples of hubris are found in major characters of tragic plays. Like hubris, Odysseus’ curiosity leads him to lose sight of reality and causes the downfall of him and all of his men, Homers recall of the incidents with Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe in the ‘Odyssey’ reinvent the idea of hubris, no
Soon after, Macbeth and his wife are discussing how they can murder the current king so that Macbeth will become king. This is wild thinking. Before Macbeth commits the murder he says, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee: -- I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” (Shakespeare’s Masterpieces 18) Afterwards he says, “I have done the deed.” (Shakespeare’s Masterpieces 18)
By murdering the king, Macbeth’s state of mind plummets. He experiences hallucinations, which can be seen as products of his paranoia. On the night of Duncan’s death, Macbeth sights a floating dagger before him. Questioning his judgment, Macbeth asks, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” (II, i, 33-34). It reveals Macbeth’s swaying resolve to go through with the plan to kill Duncan. He also tells the “sure and firm-set earth” to “hear not [his] steps” out of fear that the stones would tell the world what he is about to do. Moments after Duncan di...
After being told that her husband could potentially be the next king, Lady Macbeth was quick to say that Macbeth should kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth was the one that came up with the whole plan to kill Duncan and intoxicate the guards, that way it will look like they were the ones who did it. Macbeth killed Duncan, but after doing so he is extremely troubled and stressed out. He comes walking out from the room with the daggers in his hands. Lady Macbeth orders him to go put the daggers back, to which Macbeth refuses. Lady Macbeth grabs the daggers from his hands and goes back to the king’s room to leave the daggers (Act II, scene II). She then proceeds to tell Macbeth to return to bed and if woken up, pretend like they have been sleeping this whole time. Lady Macbeth, even though she should not be in this time period, is the emotionally strong one in her relationship with Macbeth. She keeps her fasade up and we only see her actual feelings a couple times. Despite that, Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character and change quite drastically throughout the play. Lady Macbeth becomes less white-hearted. However, due to the guilt after the murder and the stress from constantly looking after her husband, Lady Macbeth takes her own life (Act V, scene
“There is no safety in unlimited hubris” (McGeorge Bundy). The dictionary defines hubris as overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance. In The Odyssey, Homer embodies hubris into the characters Odysseus, the Suitors, and the Cyclopes. Odysseus shows hubris when he is battling the Cyclopes, the Cyclopes show hubris when dealing with Odysseus, and the Suitors show it when Odysseus confronts them at his home.
When Macbeth and Banquo encounter the three witches Banquo is much more skeptical of them, asking “I’ th’ name of truth, are you fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly you show?”(1.3.55). Instead of being captured in words of grandeur, Banquo questions whether the witches are “fantastical” or evil as they appear to be. While he does eventually become more welcoming to his prophecy it is that original hesitation that shows how he does not blindly act in response to something that may be beneficial. Later on, act 3 scene 1 starts with a soliloquy from Banquo that reveals he is suspicious of Macbeth and hints towards some resentment and ambition similar to Macbeth’s. So, like Macbeth, Banquo is not the perfect man and is just as susceptible to the earning for power and success as Macbeth and Macbeth knows it. That is why Macbeth resolves to kill Banquo, he knows Banquo well enough that he suspects Banquo may plot to usurp him just furthering the idea that Banquo is not quite as honorable as initially implied. But, while Banquo may has experienced those pangs of ambition he does not act on them and therefore cannot be labeled a villain. And, in the end we do not know if he ever would have
Hubris is defined as excessive, personal pride. As Oedipus is about to learn the devastating truth of his origin and destiny, the chorus observes “Audacity sires the tyrant…” Creon accuses Oedipus of being irrational, and for allowing his pride to lead him into a journey that will affect his life forever. The greeks held reason to be the greatest gift of man, therefore a tyrant’s actions should be governed by reason. Hubris was not the essential cause of Oedipus downfall because of Oedipus’ prophecy, and Religious Incest. Hubris was not the essential cause of Oedipus downfall because of Oedipus’ prophecy.
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
Hu•bris /ˈ(h)yo͞obris/ noun: excessive pride or self-confidence. Hubris is believed to be the most serious of all seven deadly sins. Some say it was the original sin that led to all others. A word with such loathsome synonyms like arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, pomposity, and egotism was seen as one of the worst possible sins in Greek culture. They believed that no matter your social status those who exhibited it were destined to fall down into damnation. Yet some Grecian heroes seemed to ooze hubris in the form of confidence or cockiness. There was a fine line between the two that they should never cross. One hero in particular showed this sin on more than one account. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus, shows the sinful trait of hubris, in the form of cockiness when he talks to Polythemus, his crewmen, his wife, and his son.
The term “hubris” comes from the ancient Greek and Christian drama. In the ancient Greek “hubris” means tragedy concerned the fall of a great man like king Macbeth from, “Macbeth” from a position of superiority to a position of humility on account of his ambitious pride. In contrast, “hubris” in Christian drama means a ray of hope, a chance to rearrange everything to normal. In Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, Macbeth is a hubris because his false ambitions and greed eventually gave him death. On the other hand, Malcolm is a hubris on the Christian side because he is the person who will change what Macbeth has ruined and give hope to the people of Scotland. Each side of the hubris conveys a message which implies too much ambition will cause one’s
That is why the witches told him that he is the thane of Glamis, which he already knew, Thane of Cawdor, and then tell him he will be king. The witches told him that he was the Thane of Glamis, because in his head that is where he is. They tell him that he is the Thane of Cawdor because he thinks that is what he deserves. They call him the King because even though he is the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of Cawdor, he does not believe that it is enough.Although Banquo hypocrisy makes him say that he sees the witches but, he doesn't. He simply acts like it because he is afraid of Macbeth and knows that Macbeth is a powerful man. Macbeth decides that he needs to kill King Duncan in order to become the king. Lady Macbeth goes along with it because she is power hungry. She acts like she believes everything that Macbeth says.Before Macbeth kills King Duncan, he sees daggers floating in the air, proof that he is simply losing his mind. The daggers are pointing at Duncan but Macbeth cannot grasp them. Macbeth says, “ Daggers of the mind, a false creation/ proceeding from the heat oppressed brain” (2.1.38). Macbeth then kills Duncan. After the deed is done, he hears a knocking, which is all apart of his paranoid imagination. Macbeth attempts to wash the blood of his hands but feels it is
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...
Seeking for greater power, Macbeth murders Duncan who is the king at that time, which caused a great pain for the kingdom. Duncan is a great king, but just not a so good human reader. He has never been aware of Macbeth. He never have a thought that Macbeth might be a danger, who is willing to kill him for the throne. On the other hand, Macbeth does not accept to be just a general for the rest of his life. He wants a greater power, higher position than he is having at the time. Because of the suggests from the trio witches: “ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”(1.2.49-50), Macbeth has the thinking about killing the king to take his throne. By calling Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor, they give Macbeth the thought that being a king is his fate. On the night Macbeth is planning to murder Duncan, the Old Man see many strange events: “And Duncan’s horses (a thing most strange and certain),/ Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, /Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out/ Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would/ Make war with mankind” (2.4.14-18). It creates a scary feeling in the kingdom, and means something bad will happen to the kingdom.
“To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on the’ other--”(I,vii,26-28). Macbeth’s ambition for power is the only thing making him want to kill the king. Lady Macbeth has to boost Macbeth back into the plan by calling him a coward and saying if he does kill Duncan he would be a big shot guy. Macbeth then sees a dagger and is leading him to Duncan’s room. That point in the play Macbeth hasn’t even murdered Duncan but is losing himself. After Macbeth has killed Duncan, Lady Macbeth tells him not to think about it for it will drive them mad. Some irony to go along with the second point. “Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”(II,ii,33-34). Macbeth is losing himself fast already because of regret.
Often times, hubris leads to downfall and tragedies in life, or in literature, like Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth suffered from the consequences of his own disposition. And it proves that often times, this attitude leads right to one’s tragedy. Macbeth’s life became hopeless after he realised that he was deceived by the witches which gave him more confidence. With his example it can be proven that, tragedy and hubris are closely connected to each