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…
“Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee!” (2.3. 74). Thy greatest king hath been murdered. Thoughts of sorrow and wondering have filled thee. Who wouldst do such a thing? Was thy host not watchful enough with the most honored man in his presence? Maybe thou should have stayed with his Majesty for he is of the highest nobility and honor possible. Who ever hath committed this crime is guilty of murder and treason. Oh! The people, the people! What shall become of them without thy leader? Will the criminals roam the streets, with the people fearing to leave their homes? All of these are questions with no answers! I do believe it’s my turn to step in and allow myself the privilege of discovering which fiend it was that hath murdered his Majesty, the king. At first, it was thought to be the beast like guards who stood outside the king’s chamber. It deeply concerns me as to why Macbeth would dispose of them so soon after the death of his royal highness without the chance to probe their minds with questions and make them face the rest of Scotland as those whom betrayed their leader. Maybe it was the sons of the great Duncan which have set up the murderous plot to gain the throne for their own selfish purpose. The fact that they have left the country and fled in opposite directions is beyond my knowledge. If they wanted to be king, why murder your own father and flee to a different country…? What about the recently promoted Thane of Cawdor? He holds much too great of an honor and sincerely respected Duncan. But still, he did murder the guards; maybe he was hiding something like a vital piece of information. Now that I think of it, if I had been the one in Macbeth’s position, I too may have lost my temper. In the wise words of Macbeth, “Who can be wise, amazed, temp’rate, and furious,/ Loyal, and neutral, in a moment? No man.” (2.3. 27-28).…
many allies because of what Macbeth had done while he was king. But Macbeth still…
The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a story that follows a man who decides to take his destiny into his own hands after hearing a prophecy about his future glory and power. Throughout the play, paranoia drives the actions of different characters such as Malcolm and Donalbain, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth. Following the death of Duncan, Malcolm and Donalbain decide to run away because supposedly, their, “...separated fortune shall keep us both the safer. Where we are, there’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in blood, the nearer bloody” (Shakespeare 2:3:119-122), which accentuates their newfound distrust as they now think that everyone is out to get them. Similarly, after he murders the king, Macbeth feels like there is no one he can trust, even his friend Banquo.…
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is nobleman of Scotland and a great soldier. In line 36-37, a soldier describes Macbeth as a "cannon overcharged with double cracks" which showed his importance in that battle. Even after hearing a prophecy about him, stating that he will become a king in the near future, he decides not to kill the current king. In line 13, he states that being the king'size "kinsman and subject" are two reasons why he should not assassinate king Duncan. These two example show how Macbeth, in the beginning of the play, is loyal to the…
Distortions Through Deception in Macbeth In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the three witches destroy lives by their acts of deceit to create corruption, violence and an upset in the balance of good and evil. To be deceived implies a deliberate misrepresentation of facts through the words or actions, which is used by one to increase power. While caught in a viscous, power hungry cycle, it is hard to distinguish between what is ethical and moral as reality becomes distorted. It is this distortion and the negative repercussions that cause devastation, which has resulted from deceptions. These deceptions have ruined the lives of many, who were to caught up in a struggle for power and unable to realize their own shattered lives.…
Firstly, Macbeth is not always has he seems to be. When first meeting Macbeth, he is made out to be loyal to the king. Macbeth says, “The service and the loyalty…
Macbeth filled with morality and respect, is very loyal to king Duncan. When Macbeth is first introduced, his bravery on the battlefield leads Duncan into crowning him with the formal tittle of Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth could not imagine committing treason of any kind because of his profound regard for the king. The encounter and the prophecies of the three witches triggered Macbeth’s ambitious nature. They appear to him with visions into his future saying, “ All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.52) From this point on, Macbeth begins to think about his desire to be king,…
Throughout Act I in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the character Macbeth struggles with the Weird Sisters’ prophecy predicting his Scottish kingship. Macbeth believes the only way for him to rise to power is through murder. After contemplating whether or not to kill Duncan, the current king, Macbeth ultimately decides to follow through in order to gain status and power. As an audience member, I do not feel sympathy for Macbeth as he independently and consciously betrays his morals and noble duties.…
Before the attack on his palace is confirmed, Macbeth tells his servant, “As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have, but in their stead / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honor, breath” (5.3.25-27). After killing too many people, Macbeth finds no purpose in honor or having love like a king normally has because he has survived so long without them, so by now he has adapted to these emptinesses. He has come to the conclusion that friends are no longer necessary because they just create more issues and more curses. They give him a false hope of honor, but honor will not help him now. Macbeth yearns for the honor which he abandoned once he decided to follow Lady Macbeth’s…
A significant event in this story was when Macbeth murdered Duncan. This struck uneasiness throughout Scotland and some people feared for their lives. Malcolm and Donalbain especially were afraid because they believed; “There’s daggers in men’s smiles.” (Act II sc (iv), ln 165) Banquo’s murder is a fearful moment as well. Macbeth orders murderers to kill Banquo by saying; “Who wear our health but sickly in his life,/ Which in his death were perfect.” (Act III sc (i) lns 119-120) Macbeth is the cause of his innocent friend’s death and he does it purely for his own benefit and personal gain. Macbeth also causes the death of Macduff’s family. He says to Macduff; “My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already.” (Act V sc (viii), lns 6-7) when Macduff challenges him. The family has neither harmed nor threatened Macbeth in any way. There is pity felt for the deaths of these innocent people and fear of the murderous Macbeth throughout Scotland. This fear and pity adds to the point that Macbeth is a…
It is the witches who tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor and shalt be King hereafter! (Act 1 scene 3). Macbeth is shocked at this news considering the Thane of Cawdor is still alive at the time. This shows that Macbeth was not yet showing ambition or hunger for power but the witches had planted the seed that would lead to his eventual destruction. The witches also prophesy in this scene that Macbeths friend and comrade Banquo will have sons who will claim the throne after Macbeth and be lesser than Macbeth and greater (Act 1 scene 2). This gives the clue that Macbeths line might be short-lived and that once he is gone there will be no more of his descendants on the…
In the play Macbeth is driven to make substandard choices due his weak mind which ultimately lead to his downfall. Although Macbeth is describe as a valiant warrior with great combat skills he is a really flimsy character who is manipulated by others very easily. For instances when the witches first meet Macbeth to profess his fate; it takes them a few sentences to have Macbeth in the palm of their hands. "All hail Macbeth, hail to thee thane of glamis All hail Macbeth, hail to thee thane of the Cawdor All hail Macbeth thou shalt be king here after!” (1.3.48-50) in these lines the witches state Macbeths…
Macbeth executes his plan perfectly, and he is now the King of Scotland. Macbeth is now fraught with insecurities, and his ambition is now motivated by it. For example, the third act opens with a soliloquy from Macbeth. He is not satisfied that he is king, for "To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus." (3.1.50–51) Banquo's sons are destined to be Kings, and Macbeth simply cannot accept this. In the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth firmly states that he will defy the witches’ prophecy. Later on, Macbeth also starts to worry about another old friend, Macduff. Macbeth hears from a servant-spy that Macduff is in England, which to Macbeth is a…
Macbeth was a noble and loyal man, who would never harm his King. If it wasn't for the influences of the witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth, he would have lived happily as Thane of Cawdor, an honorable title in itself. The downfall of Macbeth was ignited by the actions by those around him, mainly, and eventually, his ambitions took over. Macbeth never had the intention of killing his king, but was ultimately persuaded that it was the correct thing to do. With his wife’s cajoling, and the three witches’ foretelling of his future Macbeth, will stop at nothing to gain position as King of Scotland.…