Preview

Is Macbeth Better To Be Loved Or Feared

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
500 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Is Macbeth Better To Be Loved Or Feared
I support the idea of being loved rather than being feared. Although Machiavelli believed it was better to be feared than loved “It may be answered that one should be wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is more safer to be feared than loved.” (chapter 17 paragraph 4). If Macbeth was asked to chose to be loved as a king or be feared as a king he would choose to be loved as a king. Duncan said “ Never again will that Thane of Cawdor deceive my trusting heart. Go command his immediate execution, and greet Macbeth with his former title.”Everyone found Macbeth trustworthy, Duncan explains how he trust Macbeth “You are welcome here. I have planted you, and will do all I can to make sure that you grow well.-Noble Banquo, you are no less deserving, and it must not be thought that you have done less; so let me embrace you and hold you to my heart.’ (Act 1 scene 4 page 45). …show more content…
If we were to ask Machiavelli if Macbeth would be a good king, his answer would be no. In Machiavelli eyes, Macbeth would not be fit to be a king, he was not comparable to the rules of Machiavelli. Machiavelli came to believe that being loved as a king, you were found weak. The use of force and fear we important tools in Machiavelli eyes. Now Macbeth did use fear but he was not able to deal with the guilt, which leads him to see Banquo ghost. The plan of killing Duncan did not go to plan because Macbeth felt guilty and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Ruthless Quotes

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is paranoid of losing his position, he wants to keep it to himself as well as to his descendants. As the three witches described Banquo: “Lesser than Macbeth and greater, not so happy yet much happier, thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.”, implying that Banquo is the root of many kings, Banquo and his son is a threat to Macbeth’s crown(1.3.68-70). Macbeth plans an assassination of Banquo and Fleance while they are on a ride before the dinner at Macbeth’s castle(3.1.129-144). Banquo is murdered and Fleance flees(3.3.29-30). Banquo’s ghost shows up at the dinner and scares Macbeth. Even though Macbeth doesn’t regret killing Banquo, he is still conscious of his terrible actions and the guilt of bringing Banquo to the end of his life. Macbeth at this point has become ruthless enough to murder his close…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “To be thus is nothing, but to be safety thus – our fears in Banquo stick deep.” Macbeth does not say in his soliloquy why he fears Banquo; because Banquo heard the witches’ prophecy and probably suspected Macbeth of the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth feels that Banquo is naturally superior to him, and being near Banquo makes him feel ashamed. Immediately after the murder of King Duncan and his ascent to the throne, Macbeth arranges for the murder of Banquo. He would rather see “the frame of things disjoin, both the worlds suffer,” than continue to “eat our meal in fear and sleep in affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly.” Also, Macbeth has reason to fear Banquo as according to the witches’ prophecy, Banquo would not be king, but his children and their children would be kings, and he does not want a meaningless crown on his head that Banquo’s children would just steal off him.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth, like all other humans on this planet, had a miraculous thing called free will. It means that he can make his own choices. It is true that the witches were very convincing, but in the end, he murdered his cousin, King Duncan, on a hunch. Even then, he's not sure if what he is doing is right. In Macbeth's monolog at the end of Act one, scene one, he goes on about this. He also hallucinates about seeing a bloody dagger. To any person in their right mind, a vision of a murder weapon would not be a good sign. Most people would make the wise choice of taking a nap or going to the doctor, not killing someone they love.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page

    Even now knowing that MacDuff and an entire army is on their way to storm his castle, Macbeth refuses to flee. Soon you will find out what will happen to Macbeth and what his downfall will be. “Why should I play the roman fool and die on mine own sword?” (V. VIII.1-2) this means that Macbeth is saying was the point in me fighting Macduff because he already killed his whole family why would MacDuff be any more different. In a turn of events MacDuff kills and beheading Macbeth in order to end his rule as king and get revenge for Macbeth having his family…

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth judges that power is more important than fear which is shown through his actions and words, and that reveals greed for more power will cause one to resort to an irrational nature. Macbeth’s judgment being power is more important than fear is shown through his actions towards Duncan and Banquo, which displays that greed for more power will cause one to resort to an irrational nature. Macbeth murdering King Duncan reveals his judgment.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Once Macbeth got the power he wanted, he abused it. Early on in the story, Macbeth hated the idea of killing for his own gain, but after he becomes king he has no problem with it. He orders to have his best friend, Banquo, killed and decides to have Macduff’s whole family killed, all out of his paranoia and desire for power. When Duncan was the King of Scotland he was benevolent with his power As king, Macbeth used his power to make people suffer.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Stuff

    • 20388 Words
    • 82 Pages

    Macbeth at a Glance In Macbeth, William Shakespeare's tragedy about power, ambition, deceit, and murder, the Three Witches foretell Macbeth's rise to King of Scotland but also prophesy that future kings will descend from Banquo, a fellow army captain. Prodded by his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth, he murders King Duncan, becomes king, and sends mercenaries to kill Banquo and his sons. His attempts to defy the prophesy fail, however; Macduff kills Macbeth, and Duncan's son Malcolm becomes king.…

    • 20388 Words
    • 82 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    A man can either become so overcome with guilt and turmoil that he can no longer physically go on, or the individual who wields corrupt ambition will eventually be destroyed by one who wields a moral ambition, and who accomplishes their goals without the use of sinful and vile acts. Each murder of Macbeth’s accompanies some sort of hallucination, initiated by his guilt. In act I Macbeth enters Banquo’s quarters to converse about the witches. Afterwards, Macbeth plans to whisk into Duncan’s chamber and murder him while he sleeps. Before he murders Duncan Macbeth sees a floating dagger and he cries out, “Is this a dagger which I see before me…” (II.i.44) This floating dagger serves to show that Macbeth cannot keep his nerves in control. It also reveals his guilt he feels for two reasons, one the lies he told his friend inspire guilty emotions, and second, he feels guilty about the plans that he puts into action. One death leads to another and Macbeth begins to make deals with assassins. Macbeth views Banquo and his son Fleance as a threat to his crown, and decides to eradicate the threat. Then after he murders Banquo Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo in his seat, and horror-struck Macbeth begins to converse with it in front of his court. Afterwards he recovers and tells his company that, “I have a strange infirmity which is nothing to those that know me.” (III.iv.85-86) These hallucinations show that even Macbeth’s guilt catches up with him. This guilt, all though eventually mastered by Macbeth, throws him out of character and makes it harder for him to act as though he has a clean conscience. If Macbeth cannot convince his subjects of his worthiness to be king then not only will he loose the thrown, but his life as well. Eventually matters escalate beyond Macbeth’s control. More threats have risen, namely Malcolm and Macduff, and Macbeth and his crown are in danger. Towards the…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    William penn

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To begin with, in Macbeth three witches come to visit Macbeth and Banquo. Well they are there they inform Macbeth that he will soon become king. When the witches state, “You greet with present grace and great prediction of noble having and of royal hope that he seems rapt withal” (Act I, Scene III, Pg. 6), they confuse Macbeth because the living and grand King Duncan is still alive and well. The witches in Macbeth represent evil and misdeed because they make Macbeth start thinking about the treacherous deed that he would have to do to become king. This relates to Machiavelli when he describes a Prince committing wickedness to become king especially when he states “Yet it cannot be called talent to slay fellow-citizens, to deceive friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; such methods may gain empire, but not glory” (Machiavelli), because he is illustrating that a Prince gaining the throne would be willing to kill, lie, and deceive anyone or anything that gets in his way. Machiavellis reasoning compares to Macbeth because Macbeth is willing to deceive his close companion King Duncan.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.” (2.1.33-34). He realizes that the dagger is just an image in his mind, but decides that it is a result of his fear and continues with the task. This is the first point where Macbeth shows a sign of a mental breakdown, although he is still able to think somewhat rationally. This ultimately evolves into a hardened Macbeth and causes him to continue with his horrific actions until he is out of control. The murder of King Duncan is followed by the murders of many others, including his closest friend Banquo. The build-up of guilt begins the affect Macbeth’s mental state more and more until he can no longer think straight. He begins to hallucinate and on occasion has visions of the ghost of Banquo. The ghost first appears at the banquet, where Macbeth sees the bloody image of Banquo sitting at the dinner table. His horrific reaction alone shows the guilt he has for the murder, and the fact that no other guests at the banquet are aware of the ghost confirms that the ghost has been made up in Macbeth’s head. This is the point at which the…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    He is considered a brave and courageous man, “…Like Valor’s minion carv’d out his passage…” 1, 2, 19, but after the witches prophesies, his life begins to change, making every word the witches spoke, come true. “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis…Thane of Cawdor…that shalt be King hereafter…” 1, 3, 47-49. Macbeth, at first is reluctant to murder Duncan, but with persuasion from Lady Macbeth, he is able to continue as they had planned. From the crime that Macbeth commits, it leads to sleepless nights, and fear, “As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands...” 2, 2, 3. Soon Macbeth begins to feel troubled in his own body, fearing for his life, he decides to murder Banquo as he was beginning to be suspicious of the way Macbeth has been acting. But Banquo’s murder only causes Macbeth more troubles, at the state banquet; Macbeth begins to see things that only he can see, floating daggers with which he murdered Duncan with and the ghost of Banquo. “Is this a dagger which I see before me…” 2, 1, 33. The more murders there were the more mentally deranged and unstable Macbeth became, pushing him to the edge until he felt he had no choice but to consult the Weird Sisters so he could find some peace of mind, some thought of comfort. “I conjure you by that which you profess,” 4,…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play, Macbeth, it was fear that was the main motivating factor that influenced the outcome of the play. In Macbeth fear is used to by Macbeth to become king. After Macbeth killed Duncan it was fear of an “own known Person” like in paragraph two that had drove Macbeths sons Malcom and Donalbain running away with their tails tucked in-between their legs. Without fear Duncan’s sons would have stayed in the kingdom and found out who truly killed their father. In the end, it was fear of others that Macbeth felt that caused him to become paranode and loose his thrones. Fear makes everyone crumble and obey. If a leader like Macbeth was only loved, then others would have overthrown him from the very beginning of the…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth New Honors

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    To begin with, Macbeth had many desires to become king of his country. Macbeth said “A prosperous gentleman; and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. 3. 73-74). Macbeth said again “Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor” (I. 3. 133). This gave an indication to the audience that he does want to be king after all. His desire for power grows throughout the play from when he had his first encounter with the witches. Macbeth then said to Banquo “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus, our fears in Banquo stick deep” (III. 1. 48-49). After he has murdered King Duncan and become king himself, Macbeth has a soliloquy in which he reveals that being king isn't enough; he needs to feel safe in the position, and he has reasons to fear Banquo. “But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Comparison

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    We all know that plays and movies are going to have their similarities and differences. Macbeth is a legendary Shakespearean play written by William Shakespeare himself. We all know what happened to Macbeth in the play yet do we know the movie of Macbeth 2015.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Macbeth is his own enemy. He is the Thane of Cawdor, he has a wife who is devoted to him, and his king thinks he is the best that ever lived. Instead of being happy, Macbeth oversteps his boundaries which ultimately gets him killed. He wants more than to be Thane, he wants to be king. He will do whatever it takes to become king. In the start of the play this was not the way of Macbeth at all, he was a noble, honest man. As the play progresses Macbeth is noticeably wanting more and more power. He murders his king, deeper into the story we find out the eventual prophecies of what will happen so Macbeth is forced to kill many people to stop these prophecies from happening. Macbeth turns into something he never wanted to be and it was all due to…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays