Parallels Between Macduff and Macbeth
In humans, greed will often play a more pronounced role in their actions then morals. In the Shakespearian play Macbeth we see how far greed and ambition has crushed the stability of Scotland and destroyed the lives of multiple lords and innocents. At first we see Macbeth as the glorious hero who “unseam’d” (1.2.23) the traitor Macdonwald in the defense of his King and Country, yet turns into a king who is powerless and paranoid. The downfall of the usurper is enabled by Macduff who decapitates Macbeth at the end of the play. We see that Macduff is actually following a route similar to that of Macbeth, and is the one whom greed and the witches would have chosen to manipulate to his harm next. Macduff filled with anger and grief would be the next catalyst of chaos in Scotland.
Shakespeare tells us through the play that greed can bring down the greatest amongst us. This is shown no clearer than in the case of “Brave Macbeth” (1.2.17) as we see him “carve out his” (1.2.20) path to “unseam” (1.2.23) the traitor Macdonwald and prove his courage. He was rewarded for these deeds with the thaneship of Cawdor and the renown of his soldiers and the other lords of the court. The three witches, however, soon show the true power of greed as they “win [him] to [his] harm…with honest trifles” (1.3.26, 28) and he becomes a paranoid despot grasping to regain control of his life and his realm. Eventually the greed and ambition for greatness and power led him to become a “dwarfish thief…in a giant’s robe” (5.2.18, 20) whose men “move only in command, nothing in love.” (5.2.17) Most of the Scottish lords of the time would think themselves above such ruthless need for power, perhaps Macduff most of all,...
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...ches had made the foulest. Therefore the weird sisters would have tried to corrupt Macduff, not necessarily through the murder of Malcolm yet, still make him foul. Not only have Macduff and Macbeth walked similar paths to the greatness they hold at their finest moments, but the catalyst that brought down Macbeth would want to destroy Macduff as well.
Clearly there are great parallels between the Thane of Glamis and that of Fife. Greed can take down the greatest men and make them foul. Both Macbeth and Macduff were great men, and skilled, brave warriors, but both men also have remorse in their hearts and are seen as fair by the conniving witches. The witches would seek out these men to convert them to evil. Greed is a circle that has no ends, only infinite beginnings-of which Macbeth and Macduff both are one-it creates chaos and disorder wherever it is sown.
Even though others question Macduff’s responsibility for his family’s murder, "Why in that rawness left you wife and child”, he ultimately left them out of love for both family and country. Macduff’s persistent desire to defeat Macbeth determines his loyalty to country, rather than to the tyrant Macbeth. From the beginning, Macduff has valued country over leader, so when Duncan is murdered, and Macbeth will be coronated, “Will you go to scone/No, cousin, I’ll to Fife” (2.4.35-36). Macduff doesn’t attend the coronation because he is suspicious of Macbeth and his possible involvement in Duncan’s
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist chooses to forgo civic responsibility in order to act upon his true desire of having power. This conflict not only provides for the majority of the plot, it provides Macbeth with depth of character and makes him far more relatable for the audience, and ultimately gives the work greater credibility as a tragedy by allowing the audience to empathize with the protagonist. Macbeth, over the course of the play, fails to balance his loyalty to king and country with his desire for the crown. As a general in King Duncan’s army and the Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, Macbeth is a servant to the Scottish King. However, temptation strikes, and the he soon finds himself stained with royal blood.
Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs
Lady Macduff as a Foil for Lady Macbeth. In many of Shakespeare’s plays, there is a major character, and a lesser character whose character traits directly contrast those of the major character. This literary device is called foil. One example of this exists in the play Romeo and Juliet, in which Mercutrio foils Romeo’s character with his disdain for love and belief in man making his own destiny.
& nbsp;   ; Macbeth's greed starts to become a problem when people start figuring out the truth behind Duncan's death. Macbeth realizes that he is well beyond to point of no return and that the only thing left to do is to keep eliminating people whom may potentially stand in his way, or hurt his political figure such as when Macbeth sends orders to have Macduff's family assassinated because Macduff hurt Macbeth politically by not showing up at the party. "The castle of Macduff I will surprise/Seize upon Fife; give to th' edge o' th' sword/His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls/ That trace him in his line" (4.2.150-153).
Some people are just meant to be heroes. In this wonderful play by Shakespeare Macduff is a good choice and born to be a hero. Throughout Macbeth there are several examples of Macduffs heroism and bravery. Macduff is a loving, caring man of action, Thane of Fife and a Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth's kingship. When he leaves his loving family to flee to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth has Macduff's wife and children murdered. At the end of the play, Macduff (who was born through a caesarian section) kills Macbeth bringing prosperity back to Scotland, and proving the truth in the witches prophecy that "no man of woman born" can harm Macbeth and his true heroism.
When people come into a position of power the definition of power is altered and changed according to their perspective, where they believe that every decision that they take and do which hurts others and may even result in their demise is not of their responsibility, they would believe that what they are doing is the right thing no matter what it is and even if it is to others morally repugnant. And such people would do anything to remain in that position withholding power causing them into doing horrible things such as murder, deception, lying, bribery, coning and stealing. Now as we ponder through out this play we notice a drastic change in the one of the leading characters that is Macbeth, because of the power he held and of the greed that got the best of him, and turned him to his antithesis. At the commencement of the tragedy Macbeth was a noble man of high rank in the king’s army he was man who could be trusted with a person’s life. He fought for the king, for justice, fairness and for freedom, he was never afraid of anybody, he was never greedy, where he was humble and never aspired to be king. He was valiant and noble, where he defended the king’s honor and was a true gentleman. He truly embodied the idea of a man. His manhood was never questioned by anybody. He cared for his friends, especially Banquo who was hi...
For instance, Macduff is protective of Lady Macduff when the are talking about the king being killed. The drama states,” Macduff: ‘O gentle lady,/ ‘Tis not for you to hear what I can speak...’” (Shakespeare 30). Although Macduff is being sexest with good intentions when he says this, I would protect someone from the truth if I thought I would hurt them in any way. In addition, Macduff is concerned with the welfare of the kingdom when he seeks out Malcolm to take it back. The drama states,” Macduff: ‘Let us rather/ Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men/ Bestride our down- fall’n birthdom. Each new morn/ New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows/ Strike heaven on the face, that is resounds/ As if it felt with Scotland and yelled out/ Like syllable of dolor,’” (Shakespeare 63). I am a concerned individual by nature, and I will seek out help if it is in the best interest of someone. Also, Macduff does as he is ordered when he goes to fetch the king in the morning of his death despite Macbeth offering to do so. The narrative states,” Macduff: ‘I’ll make so bold to call,/ For ‘tis my limited service,’” (Shakespeare 29). I do as I am told and follow orders instead of letting someone else do it because that way I know it got done correctly. And, Macduff is driven by revenge to kill Macbeth after he learns of his family’s demise. The drama states,” Macduff: ‘That way the noise is. Tyrant, show thy face!/ If thou be’st slain and with no stroke of mine,/ My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still,’” (Shakespeare 83). Although I would not go as far as trying to kill someone, I would act out in revenge if someone caused harm to any of my family or
In Shakespeare’s novel Macbeth, the theme of ambition for power and the corruption that comes along with it, is seen through the main character Macbeth. Macbeth first gains power at the beginning of the book, but as he rises higher up in the ranks, he begins to become more controlled by his newfound power in an effort to become the king of Scotland. As his power grew his corruption did as well, killing anybody who threatened his path to become king. This would lead to the eventual death of him, his wife and countless others. By analyzing the way Macbeth is under the influence of unrestrained ambition for power, it is clear that an unhealthy urge for power can lead to serious and devastating consequences for not only himself but the people around
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
Although often influenced by the input of others, Macbeth undertakes heinous acts through his own ambition, proving time and again that though the actions may not have been suggested by his own conscious, he is, nevertheless, freely willing to perform them. From the very dawn of mankind, itself, a persistent theme seems to ring out, that “[w]hoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken” (Proverbs 22.8). When man acts in a way that does not conform to the nature of his Creator, then he will surely bring destruction upon himself. In Macbeth, there were many people in positions of “unchecked power”, as that is often the norm for the kinds of governmental powers that were within the time period portrayed, but the ones who were most shown to be affected by a tragic downfall due to corruption were the same people who rebelled against the decent nature of God and instead took matters into their own hands and attempted to climb the social ranks through the means of cheating and
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.
People, no matter how seemingly innocent, have the ability to turn evil at any given moment. Humans have a natural tendency to commit sins due to greed and selfish acts against others. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth, a once noble thane, slowly grew to be the most hated in all of Scotland. Throughout the play the King Duncan speaks very highly of him and entrusts Macbeth with power he wouldn’t normally have. This as a result to the execution of the thane of Cawdor for treason and Macbeth gains his wealth and power. This is the point where he begins to be consumed by his ambition and leads him to murder the completely innocent to become and stay king. Macbeth gradually enter deeper states of malevolence after the acts of killing King Duncan and his guards, killing Banquo, and killing Macduff’s family.
Shakespeare’s writing of Macbeth captivated his audience and kept them on the edge of their seats. Macbeth is a classic tale of greed and corruption. The more power a person has the more corrupted they become. They had to have what they did and more, it was never enough. They would do whatever it took to get what they wanted even if it meant killing the King of Scotland, just so they could have it all. Corruption controls and destroys lives and will turn you into a person that others don’t want to be around. It changed the lives of the people of Scotland and corruption still changes lives today. When a person is in power too long and the decisions they make directly conflict with others they don’t feel responsible for their actions. The facts remain, whether you prefer the truth or the captivating fiction, both stories of Macbeth will be remembered for years to
Macbeth, who at the beginning of his play’s plot is in a position of some honor and power, obtains position as king of Scotland through secretive foul play, spurred on by some external manipulation as well as personal ambition. “Macbeth’s ambition is unchecked by both moral and legal considerations-he will stop at nothing to get what he desires… Macbeth’s unbridled ambition is the root of the play’s evil because he is willing to throw the world into chaos in order to satisfy his personal desires.” (Thrasher, 92). His rebellion is heinous, but so long undiscovered. His ambition, though present in some degree from the beginning, metastasizes within him through the play as more obstacles to his retention of royal status crop up. “He begins well…but this...