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Witches role in macbeth's downfall
To what extent are the witches responsible for macbeths downfall
Witches role in macbeth's downfall
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Manilyn Mae Pogoso
Mr. Dunne
English 12CP
March 8, 2014
Wickedness of the Witch
In the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, an uncanny setting dominates the theme and tone of the play. The Titan Goddess, Hecate, is the sole possessor of this evil. Along with her three witches, they set out to sabotage Macbeth in his conquest to be king:
And that distilled by magic sleights/ Shall raise such artificial sprites/ As by the strength of their illusion/ Shall draw him on his confusion. He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear/ His hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear: And you all know security/ Is mortals chiefest enemy. (3.5.26-33)
Witches are powerful beings that seek destruction in the pure of heart. Despite the minor appearances of Hecate in Macbeth, her character foreshadows the events that will occur within the story. Along with the Three Weird Sisters, they are the source of evil that corrupts the innocence in the human nature of Macbeth.
In pre-Greek history, Hecate is believed to have been a Titan goddess. However, because of her strength and general respect from the greek...
Hecate, in turn, exerts control over the witches. She, on the other hand, uses her superiority and power to exert control. It is clear to see that there is a clear class distinction between the witches and Hecate, who can only exert control because of her superior abilities.
Lady Macbeth’s atypical and complex character directly challenged the archetypal principles and beliefs of the Jacobean era which as a result, drew major fascination through the ages. Lady Macbeth was Shakespeare’s device to not only stimulate audience’s emotions, but to also provide historical context and elicit dominant themes which reflected Jacobean society. Her ambiguous character and remarkable influences in the play raised a lot of controversy and fascination amongst both modern and Jacobean audiences. She can either be seen as linked to the witches in a feminist bid to overthrow the balance of power, or as a representation of the evil side of Macbeth. Nevertheless, it was her distinct characteristics and actions which ultimately catalysed the chain of conflicts of the play. Again, this reinforces her important role in the play.
This essay earned a 89/100. it was a lot of work considering the lines from macbeth for textual support.
Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.
These three goddesses represent three different types of women in Greek society. Sarah Pomeroy, author of Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, believed that “the goddesses are archetypal images of human females, as envisioned by males” (8). Pomeroy understands the significance of the differences between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and what those differences meant for the women of Greece who were required to follow three important rules. The first rule was for the women to live a life of domesticity and motherhood. This was very important to the men in the society.
In the play ‘’Macbeth’’ by William Shakespeare Macbeth struggles with his conscience and the fear of eternal domination if he assassinates King Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s conflict arises when Macbeth’s courage begins to falter. Lady Macbeth is has a cruel, venomous, evil personality in which no man can escape from her wrath and raging power. Lady Macbeth is like a black widow who utilizes aggressive and ruthless tactics to persuade Macbeth to commit the assassination. This cruel minded woman utilizes the power of manipulation and reverse psychology to get what she desires.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a thane--a high-ranking vassal to the king, much like a duke. Macbeth is also an extraordinary general. Macbeth meets three witches after his victory in a great battle. The witches already know his weakest point and act upon it. Their prophecies rap into his pride he becomes their overly-determined puppet. Ultimately, Hecate's final words in scene III.5 show us the true intent of the witches:
She is stil worshiped to this day by the Indian people. Her story is quite different from Athena’s, she was not the goddess of war and had nothing to do with violence. Instead she was also the goddess of knowledge helping people learn things such as the Alphabet. The Indian people hold a festival every year in her honor on the fifth day of spring in which the Hindu children are given their first lesson in reading and writing (Das).
“This tyrant whose sole name blisters our tongues, was once thought honest…” (77). This quote represents the change of Macbeth throughout the play. The use of blood imagery is used to represent the character development of Macbeth from a noble thane to a murdering tyrant. We first see blood imagery characterizing Macbeth when he is called noble for defeating Norway. Then, the idea of un-washable blood shows that Macbeth’s character will change. When Macbeth begins to experience the blood of others on his own hands, it leads him to ultimately become the “villain” or antagonist of the play. Finally, before the death of Macbeth, blood imagery has been used to characterize Macbeth so much that he is now over confident and seems to be fueled by the idea of it. By examining the use of blood imagery, one can determine that blood represents Macbeth’s character development from an honorable thane to a disrespected tyrant.
In everyday society, there are movie stars, celebrities, athletes and powerful figureheads that are looked up to. In every generation people experience downfalls due to individual choices, personal conflict, and family problems, . These people develop a tragic flaw that usually leads to their ruin. In William Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth, the main character develops a tragic flaw, and ends up experiencing a downfall. In this play, there are people who can be blamed for his eventual demise, but in the long run, people are truly responsible for their own choices and actions. Macbeth is responsible for his own downfall. Macbeth is responsible because he abandoned his morals, he was easily persuaded, and he became too hungry for power.
One of Lady Macbeth’s commonly overlooked traits is her goodness, especially towards her husband, Macbeth. This goodness is first apparent at her introduction; as she reads the letter written to her by Macbeth. The letter tells of the three witches, whom Macbeth refers to as the weird sisters, and a prophecy regarding Macbeth’s future kingship. Immediately, Lady Macbeth desires the throne for her husband. Not only desire is felt, but also determination. Worried that Macbeth would not be capable of walking the quickest path to the throne, killing the current King Duncan, Lady Macbeth calls forth evil spirits to strip her of her weaker, feminine qualities. She says:
also the goddess of war and the patroness of arts and crafts. Which led her to be a great leader
When anything in life first begins to grow, it begins as a seed. The seed of a plant, or of a thought, or of an idea. Once created, the seed can do one of two things. It can grow, or it can die. Shakespeare’s play Macbeth tells the story of an innocent man who is turned evil from the seeds planted by those around him, allowing readers to explore the repetition of growth and how it is implied through characters. Throughout the play, growth is used to display Macbeth and Banquo as foil characters, show Banquo’s “goodness” through positive imagery, and to show Macbeth’s “evilness” through negative growth imagery. By analyzing Shakespeare’s use of growth imagery, critical readers recognize that growth enforces the idea that growth triumphs evil, embodied in the actions and consequences of Macbeth and Banquo as they make one of two crucial choices? Good, or evil?
Shakespeare is able to emphasize and enhance his meaning of work by alluding to the commonly known biblical and mythical figures such as Hecate, Beelzebub, Pontius Pilate and Neptune. Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft and wizardry. She is the “mistress of their [the witches] charms” (Act. 3 Scene. 5) and tells Macbeth his prophecy is to fear Macduff. Consequently, Macbeth orders his men to kill Macduff’s family, an additional example of Macbeth ruthlessly killing to further and augment his power. Hecate is the face of the witches and thus their leader in casting spells and controlling fate. When Macbeth tries to ruin the prophesies by trying to kill Banquo’s son, he is trying to overpower magic the witches posses in order to increase his power. Macbeth even returns to the witches a second time desperately seeking reassurance from the forces of evil that his fate is to remain king, but also displays a consciousness of guilt because he needs confirmation that what he has done is ordained thereby justifying his evil acts. Another allusion in Macbeth is Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. When the porter of Macbeth’s castle hears a knock at the door he yells, “Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of Beelzebub” (Act. 2 Scene. 3). The allusion to the devil reveals that the porter is like a slave to a man who is
The witches have a strong effect on Macbeth's character; they highly influence him in his accomplishments and awake his ambitions. They give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truth. Instead, they prove to be harmful for Macbeth, who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths. They are the ones who plant the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. '