...In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the frequent chronicle of the use of blood happens to be the most significant motif and prevails against any other motif in regards to having a unique ability to reveal truth about a character in every realm. In this tragedy, blood is used to show change in the character Macbeth from a great war hero, an outstanding leader, and a man worthy of respect and honor, to him becoming nothing more than a tyrannical, evil, hollow shell of a human being. This morbid transformation occurs swiftly from beginning to end, and shines a holy, vivid light on the dark and stormy heart of Macbeth each step of the way. Initially, blood is used to represent Macbeth’s deceit and literal back stabbing of the guards of King Duncan, as well...
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...A motif plays important role in manipulating the sentiments of main characters, and progress the evolution of their relationship. In William Shakespeare Macbeth, darkness, blood, supernatural and animals imagery occurred to indicate the evil deeds and development of the relations of the characters. Macbeth kills the king Duncan, the morning is dark after the night of King Duncan murder and Lady Macbeth’s hands full of blood which show their relation to the evil side of the world. Furthermore, Macbeth hallucinating a dagger and supernatural abilities of the witches and animals attacking each other which also indicate the evil side in the events that has occurs. Motif is used in the play to manipulate the characters emotions and indicate their...
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...Readers get the idea of negative ambition throughout the play Macbeth. The play Macbeth, is another brilliant written piece by the famous playwright William Shakespeare. The play is about a great warrior, who gets the wrong idea about ambition after being told that he will become King of Scotland. Macbeth believed that the only way to achieve power and wealth is to kill anyone who gets in his way to the throne. Specifically, the use of irony, motif and characterization all prove that negative ambition can...
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...Macbeth is one of the most symbolistic books of all time. Shakespeare has been known to be one of the best authors of all time.In the play Macbeth he uses symbols that are use to symbolixe other things in the book. In Macbeth power consumes the main character, taking him so far as to kill two men, one being his best friend and the other being the king. In Macbeth one of the major themes is the theme that power will consume you, it is expressed by the motifs as the daggers, sleep and guilt, and nighttime. The motif of daggers is symbolic by foreshadowing that a murder will happen. When Macbeth sees the dagger before he even kills king Duncan it is representing that a murder will occur. In Act 2 Scene 1 Macbeth begins to see the dagger in his...
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...implications of blood and its effects in his play Macbeth to show the cycle of violence that repeats throughout the play. Shakespeare first introduces the character of Macbeth as a brave hero. In the first act messengers tell Duncan about Macbeth’s bravery in war. The bloody images used in this act show Macbeth as the hero of war who should be rewarded for his bravery. Thoughts of heroism and bravery fade quickly as plans to murder Duncan for Macbeth’s benefit and power gain arise. Blood quickly changes to a motif of guilt and fear because of the murder that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have committed. Surprisingly Macbeth keeps killing to calm his fear but sheds more blood in the process. The killings result in meeting the unnatural and bloody Macduff, who wants revenge and ends the cycle of violence....
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...text 'Macbeth' and in the film 'Gladiator' directed by Ridley Scott and how it can lead to one's downfall. Macbeth is shown as the "noble" hero by the King after slaying the Thane of Cawdor and claiming victory in the war for Scotland, while Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' portrays Maximus as the "noble" hero but still not comparing to Macbeth like Commodus does in the film. Shakespeare effectively focuses on the cynical repercussions of ambition in 'Macbeth' and how it can lead to one's failure. Macbeth is shown as a wellborn protagonist after being regarded as "Noble Macbeth" by the King of Scotland, King Duncan after slaying the Thane of Cawdor and winning the war for his country. This starts to show the effects of Shakespeare's Aristotelian Tragedy where the tragic hero is established. Macbeth's ambition begins after he and Banquo are told their fates by prophesising witches. "All hail, Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter". This quote is indicated by one of the witches that starts to show the beginning of the end for Macbeth. The behaviour and attitudes of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth leading up to the murder of King Duncan are completely contrasted. Macbeth expresses great reluctance to act, convincing himself that the murder is unjustified, and will bring him great troubles, grief and negative consequences. "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition". Macbeth says this to Lady Macbeth to show his hesitancy towards this act. Lady Macbeth on...
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...The Natural Un-Unnatural William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play about a man whose ambition deems him insane. Through certain acts that Macbeth, the main character, disrupts the balance of nature and the unnatural. The actions that breed from Macbeth’s actions, due to his ambitions, cause unnatural things to occur. Throughout the play, the natural and unnatural balance of nature is thrown off, creating an unnatural atmosphere. Throughout William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, an atmosphere that is unnatural is created through imagery of unnatural birth, animal motifs, and the actions of Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, images of unnatural births help fuel an unnatural atmosphere. In act four the witches brew up a potion consisting of different parts of living things. One of those things is a “Finger of birth-strangled babe/ Ditch-delivered by a drab” (IV,i,30-31). This contributes to the atmosphere of the play because during the Elizabethan time period, grueling births were not common. The fact that a prostitute gives birth to a baby on the side of the road, foreshadows that the baby will bring evil upon society; ultimately creating an unnatural and eerie atmosphere. Also, the fact that Macduff is “…from his mother’s womb/ Untimely ripped” (V,viii,15-16) plays a role as to how an unnatural atmosphere comes about. Imagery of Macduff’s birth causes a dark and unnatural atmosphere. Macduff is born from a sea section because Shakespeare tries to appeal to the...
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...In the Elizabethan Era gender roles were strictly defined and maintained by those in high society. Throughout Macbeth, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a slow demise to insanity as they attempt to . In addition to motifs like blood, hands, and nature, Shakespeare uses gender reversals to convey the importance of congruency within genders. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth uses gender role reversals to show the character’s progression to insanity, this is to inforce the notion that men and women need to stay within their predetermined roles. Men are typically viewed as ruthless and carouse, but the men in Macbeth are seemingly gentle and value life; however, the women, especially Lady Macbeth, are the opposite of demure and very headstrong....
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...The downfall of a central character is common in a Shakespearean tragedy. Examine how Macbeth’s actions led to his own downfall. Macbeth is a play that adheres to a typical Elizabethan tragedy, which follows the journey of a noble protagonist, who is flawed in some way, placed in a demanding situation, ending with a fatal conclusion. On the same note, hamartia and hubris qualities deem Macbeth himself to be the ultimate tragic hero, flawed with erupting ambition. Macbeth is an ever evolving character who loses his nobility to acts of murder. ‘The higher you are the harder you fall’ governs Macbeth his fall is a result of his own actions. Paradoxical themes of Ambition Vs. Power, Appearance Vs. Reality and Fate vs. Free Will, dictate the future and irrational decisions made by the tragic hero. It is evident that through Macbeth’s murderous actions, in Act 2 Scene 1, Act 3 Scene 4 and Act 5 Scene 8 that he finds it hard to restrain himself, causing him to escape his moral compass. Macbeth’s insanity manifests his downfall which is plagued by his love for Lady Macbeth, his belief in the prophecy, fate and ultimately his tragic flaw of ambition. Undoubtedly, Macbeth’s own actions lead to psychological torment and the degradation of his moral sensibilities. In Act 2 Scene 1, Macbeth’s soliloquy reveals his true thoughts and feelings to the audience. Antithesis is used at the commencement and conclusion of this monologue to emphasise the idea of contrast...
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...Blood as a Correspondent to Guilt William Shakespeare has written many plays throughout his life. His words are eloquent, his characters are dramatic, and his style is treasured. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, blood is a reoccurring symbol. Shakespeare made the connection between blood and guilt; blood flows through our veins all around our body, it is a part of us. Even though guilt is not physically a part of us, we create it in ourselves. Blood is the physical representation of guilt as it symbolizes the irreversible effects of murder on the human mind. Guilt is the downfall of order and sanity. Even before murder, guilt consumes Macbeth’s mind causing him to hallucinate. Macbeth sees “gouts of blood” (II.1.46) on this “dagger of [his] mind” (II.1.38) as he is walking towards Duncan’s chamber to murder Duncan. Macbeth, at first, thinks the dagger is “a false creation, /Proceeding from [his] heat-oppressed brain” (II.1.38/39), but as he continues down the hall he then starts to feel it is not his sick brain, but it is the “bloody business” (II.1.49) of murder which causes this dagger to appear. This reveals that Macbeth is already emotionally unstable from Duncan’s murder even before one drop of blood is spilt from his body. Furthermore, Macbeth’s state of mind after the killing was so exceedingly erratic due to the guilt he felt that he forgets to frame the guards for the murder. Macbeth returns to Lady Macbeth, from Duncan’s room, to let her know that he has “done...
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...personality. The play Macbethby William Shakespeare describes a thane named Macbeth who is prophesized to become King. To achieve this title, he decides to kill the king, Duncan, while Duncan is sleeping. Following the murder, Macbeth is unable to sleep because of his guilt. Lady Macbeth, who assisted Macbeth with the murder, eventually also experiences sleep disorders. Sleep represents innocence in the play because innocent characters are associated with sleep, and guilty characters are characterized with lack of sleep. The witches’ discussion about punishing a sailor introduces the connection between guilt and sleeplessness. One of the witches comes across a sailor’s wife who...
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...Weston Balskus Macbeth Thesis Paper 1-2-13 British Lit The Witches in ‘Macbeth’ “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble” (Act 4 Scene 1). These famous words, said by the three witches, come from one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies- ‘Macbeth’ Completed in 1606, this play is set in Scotland, and dramatizes the corroding psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the Scottish lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. Shakespeare wrote this play when attitudes were completely different to the attitudes of society today, in particular, widespread belief in witchcraft. In the play of 'Macbeth' the witches have an important effect on Macbeth, the characters, the plot, the theme and the audience. They help construct the play and without them it would have been a totally different story line. The three witches effect characters’ lives, orientate the plot, they are related to most of the themes or motifs and appeal the audience's attention. The witches, or three sisters, have a strong effect on the characters of the play- especially Macbeth. When Macbeth meets the witches for the first time, they greet him as the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is Thane of Glamis and does not know about Cawdor, he hasn’t heard that the Thane of Cawdor has died. “I know I am Thane of Glamis, But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives” (Act 1 Scene 3). When Macbeth learns that the thane of Cawdor has in fact died...
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...Macbeth by William Shakespeare, is a play saturated in the blood of many. The play is a horrific story of the downfall of noble Macbeth, in which a significant number of people die at the expense of Macbeth’s ambition. Blood itself becomes a motif and appears a total of forty-two times in the play. The constant mention of blood reminds the reader of the extent of the crimes that have been committed and the cruelty that is necessary to commit such heinous acts. Blood, often associated with violence, is used both in a literal and figurative sense, and is placed strategically within the play. .Blood evolves throughout the course of the play and begins to symbolize the guilt that will forever be stained upon Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth....
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...FRAME 5: THE DAGGER The blood-stained dagger may be an over-used symbol in Macbeth, but it is an universally acknowledged symbol for the play and would be the most effective in reminding the audience of the Macbeth’s first abuse of free will: the murder of King Duncan. A board game must be relatable and it would be no assumption to believe that all of Scotland remembers the murder of Duncan with a dagger. This step is further speeds Macbeth’s corruption by the prophecy and his own ambition. His illusions of the dagger can also be linked to fate since the hallucination indicates that he doesn’t want to commit the murder, but feels that he must. This self-fulfilling prophecy continues to make him believe that he is being guided by...
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...Manhood in Macbeth In today's society the traditional stereotype of manhood is that men are to be strong and powerful. Normally males demonstrate a being strong and have a powerful exterior, while females usually show that they are full of inertial emotions. Common Manhood motifs shown in in Macbeth are tied together with strength, power, physical courage, and force. The characters in the Macbeth use the idea of manhood to instigate one another into fighting, just to serve their own benefits the characters have manipulated their ideas of manliness. Masculinity becomes a trait that is manipulated by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by making him questioning his manhood and convincing him to murder the King of Scotland, Duncan. The same way Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband. Another example would be how Macbeth convinces the three murderers he hired to kill Banquo and Fleance by questioning them, and making them question their own power and masculinity. One point of view of masculinity could be its dominance over femininity. The first women that appear in the play are the witches. When they meet Macbeth for the first time, he “start and seem to fear” (1.3.54) their prophecies. While it is not shown in the play, there is also a wish that...
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