In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the setting is taking place at a military camp when it is thundering and lighting out. Which you can automatically assume something bad is going to happen. Three witches come out of nowhere and greet Macbeth with three prophecies, which Macbeth then becomes very interested in. One of the prophecies that catches Macbeth attention quick is the one where he shall be king hereafter. That's when the part of the play really brings out Macbeth's evil side. He is thinking that he can become king and he goes and kills the king but during the whole thing his wife Lady Macbeth is asking him is he a man or is he a mouse because he would not kill the king at first. Which is ironic because after she herself cannot do it. Because in act 2 scene 1 line 84 -85 she says "Had he not resembled my father as he slept I had done't" Which therefore proves the quote to be right even though a person may look nice they always have a bad side to them.
The second piece of literature I chose to use to support my opinion is the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. The conflict is considered as man vs. himself. Willie the main character is always at a constant conflict with himself he must try to make himself known to other people but he cannot because he is an insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman who is facing insanity he can longer work up to his full potential because nobody wants to put him on a job so that brings himself to try to commit suicide which he tries to do in the end but he even fails at that. He is a good man but wanting to be known is what brings out the bad side in him. One minute he is a kind old man but the next he is yelling at his wife and telling her to shut up and disrespecting his sons which is ironic because he is trying to the best for them but in the mean time he is calling them all sorts of cruel names. Which proves that he is not all that good deep down inside.
So in conclusion Literature does open a dark window to a person's soul. It does show the person 's good and bad side which will undoubtedly come in conflict with the way a person will react to different situations. In time the window will shut because the person will have done so much evil that it will catch up to them and wind up killing them in the end.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The theme of appearance vs. reality is depicted through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s deceitfulness when hiding the murders they were soon to play a role in. The first instance occurs when the Macbeths decide to murder their noble king, Duncan. After discovering the weird sister’s prophesy that he will become king, Macbeth realizes that the greatest obstacle before him is the living king himself. His wife, therefore, tells him to abandon his kindness, his loyalty, and his emotions, and dispose of Duncan. Obediently and ambitiously, Macbeth betrays the king by inviting him as a guest in his castle, Inverness, and acts benevolently towards him to mask his true evil intentions. Another instance occurs when the plot to murder Banquo is revealed. Macbeth realizes that all problems have not been avoided; that a extreme threat to his power lies within Banquo and his young son Fleance. He understands that since the weird sister’s first three predictions came true, that their final prediction, that Banquo’s lineage will gain the thrown, will come true, as well. Hence he plots deviously with his wife. They discuss how they will invite Banquo to their estate where he will be killed by hired murderers. Similarly to Lady Macbeth’s advice regarding Duncan’s murder, Macbeth urges his wife, “…Let your remembrance…
- 707 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
I think that most types of conflict is used to show the theme, what it means to become a ‘contender’ (by working hard, never giving up, and self-improvement) in Robert Lipsyte’s The Contender because Alfred learns this message and does the work to become a boxer. Evidence of this is when, "You have to start by wanting to be a contender, the man coming up, the man who knows there's a good chance he'll never get to the top, the man who's willing to sweat and bleed to get up as high as his legs and his brains and his heart will take him" (Lipsyte, 25). This shows a character vs. self conflict because Alfred is training everyday and making sure that he works as hard as he physically can. Alfred is so determined to help Aunt Pearl and the rest…
- 377 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The quote “All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason that motivates characters in literature.” By Duff Brenna is a great way to summarize how authors make books. it is displayed in the book The Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. I agree with her quote 100%. An easier interpretation of this quote is Emotions will get the better of you and blind your judgment to give you the power to do things you normally wouldn’t. Both books have prime examples to support the quote, each with their own literary devices.…
- 838 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
3. A character vs. self conflict is a type of conflict that occurs within a person and might take the form of a psychological struggle.…
- 2254 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Before Macbeth gives his famous “Is this a dagger which I see before me” soliloquy, he has decided that he was not going to kill the king. Lady Macbeth wants to become queen, so she has an argument with Macbeth. During the argument Lady Macbeth says, “When you durst do it, then you were a man”, saying that Macbeth is not a man unless he kills king Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s words make Macbeth perplexed and he goes into his soliloquy where he debates whether or not to assassinate the king.…
- 480 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Macbeth the protagonist of the play is Scottish in the king's army who later becomes king. Shakespeare characterizes Macbeth at first as humble, brave and loyal soldier however, later on in the play Macbeth gets tempted by outside forces such as the scottish witches and his wife Lady Macbeth and get corrupted. In the play the third witches state “Thou shalt get kings,though thou be none:So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo”(I,iii,60). In other words the witches are telling Macbeth their prophecy that macbeth would be king to mess with Macbeth’s head. After the witches play with Macbeth’s head he starts falling apart. Many of the audience would agree that Macbeth is really malicious, envious and reckless and is not fit to be a good leader. Equally…
- 541 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Unlike Macbeth, the knowledge of the prediction, makes Lady Macbeth confident in her husbands future, and her desire for the throne strengthens and so does her impatiences. She believed her husband’s nature was ‘too full o' th' milk of human kindness’ to assassinate his own monarch and interpreted it, is a weakness. The controlling, Lady Macbeth manipulated Macbeth into submission by stating ‘When you durst do it, then you are a man’ to emasculate his character. Without Lady Macbeth’s persuasive ability, Macbeth would have never undertaken the unlawful murder of King Duncan and the unethical rise to the crown. Lady Macbeth was unable to control Macbeth, as he continued the heinous crimes of ‘Murder most foul’ throughout his rule. Lady Macbeth realises that her ‘desire was got without content’ as the consequences of their murderous actions, where met with remorse and insanity. Overwhelmed with guilt, the audience is able to witness Lady Macbeth fade in to the background, as Macbeth’s overshadowing, corrupt rule, grows. Through his wife’s ambition, greed and manipulation Macbeth’s morals are destroyed and his downfall as a person and a monarch becomes…
- 741 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst and “The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe are two works of literature that support this quote. In both of these works, it is evident that the two main characters from both stories both have very tragic flaws. These make the story more interesting to read because after reading it reveals the true nature of mankind.…
- 615 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
"The Tragedy of Macbeth", the play, by William Shakespeare proves this quote to be true by using many different methods. William Shakespeare uses themes to whisper that too much drive for something can help to destroy a person. Also taking part in evil can destroy a person. The Main character, Macbeth, allows his drive, or tragic flaw, to control his life to the point of death. One Example is when Macbeth gets killed because he killed so many other people, including Macduff's family, and Macduff wanted revenge. In it self the title of the play "The Tragedy of Macbeth", is a way of the author whispering to the audience that Macbeth will die by the end of the play. Throughout the play Shakespeare tells the readers that it was his drive and participation in evil that lead the Macbeth's death, you just have to read between the lines to see this.…
- 517 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Macbeth is portrayed throughout the play as an antihero, a noble and a valiant military man who’s affected by the power of knowledge and is drifted down a path of deceit and murder. The knowledge given to Macbeth from the witches "All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth that shalt be the king hereafter!" This foreshadows how Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and king. The effect of this foreshadowing is to start Macbeth's ambition to achieve this honour, the knowledge presented to him causes this to end badly. A similar scene which portrays the symbolism of fate, is when the witches tell Macbeth ‘he cannot be killed by any man born of woman’, as this prophecy ends up becoming true, foreshadowing how Macbeth will die; it’s ironic that Macbeth believing himself to be invisible and undefeatable is what sets him on a tragic course which ultimately leads to his death.…
- 790 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Setup: This quote suggests that true literature evokes an emotional or meaningful response in the reader; it in some way changes how we view things.…
- 431 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
1. "Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad…
- 252 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Macbeth at the start of the play is portrayed as a valiant person indicated by how the Surgeon in Act 1 Scene 2 refers to him as “brave Macbeth.” He is also characterized a ruthless person evident in how the sergeant went on to mention how Macbeth, “unseamed him from the nave to the chops “ which essentially describes being ripped apart. Furthermore, he is presented as a gentleman evident in how Duncan refers to him in Act 1 Scene 2 as “noble Macbeth.” However, Lady Macbeth in contradiction unveils the feminine characteristics of Macbeth. A female character of Macbeth seen in Act 1 Scene 3, where she mentions , “Art not without ambition, but without,” He Lady Macbeth refers to, have Macbeth lacks the ruthlessness to reach his ambitions, a ruthless…
- 197 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Macbeth is a play about subterfuge and trickery. Macbeth, his wife, and the three Weird Sisters are linked in their mutual refusal to come out and say things directly. Instead, they rely on implications, riddles, and ambiguity to evade the truth. Macbeth’s ability to manipulate his language and his public image to hide his foul crimes makes him a very modern-seeming politician. As Bernard McElroy says in his literary criticism about Macbeth, “ When confronted with the possibility of committing a daring through criminal act, he willfully deceives himself for a short time and embraces an opposite view of the world...in the aftermath he’s committed to a world-view he does not believe.” Macbeth tricks himself into believing it is fine killing the king so he will become king himself, by what the Witches said to him. However, his inability to see past the witches’ equivocations, even as he utilizes the practice himself, ultimately leads to his downfall.…
- 1161 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Although he seems very innocent, Macbeth is a pure example of the theme 'appearances can be deceptive'. In Act one, Scene three Macbeth says, "And nothing is but what is not." He has been thinking about murdering the King and the picture of himself as the murderer is so vivid that he is not capable of seeing anything around him. In Act two, Scene one, he says, "...and withered murder, Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin's ravishing strides towards his design." In his imagination, Macbeth starts to see murder as a withered man who is called to action by his guard, the wolf. After reading Act one, Scene seven, lines five, one would think of Macbeth as the sentinel who would keep an eye…
- 621 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays