...complains about the porter’s slow response to his knock. The porter says that he was up late carousing and rambles on humorously about the effects of alcohol, which he says provokes red noses, sleepiness, and urination. He adds that drink also “provokes and unprovokes” lechery—it inclines one to be lustful but takes away the ability to have sex (2.3.27). Macbeth enters, and Macduff asks him if the king is awake, saying that Duncan asked to see him early that morning. In short, clipped sentences, Macbeth says that Duncan is still asleep. He offers to take Macduff to the king. As Macduff enters the king’s chamber, Lennox describes the storms that raged the previous night, asserting that he cannot remember anything like it in all his years. With a cry of “O horror, horror, horror!” Macduff comes running from the room, shouting that the king has been murdered (2.3.59). Macbeth and Lennox rush in to look, while Lady Macbeth appears and expresses her horror that such a deed could be done under her roof. General chaos ensues as the other nobles and their servants come streaming in. As Macbeth and Lennox emerge from the bedroom, Malcolm and Donalbain arrive on the scene. They are told that their father has been killed, most likely by his chamberlains, who were found with bloody daggers. Macbeth declares that in his rage he has killed the chamberlains. Macduff seems suspicious of these new deaths, which Macbeth explains by saying that his fury at Duncan’s death was so powerful that he could...
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...fate of Macbeth and his companion, Banquo. Macbeth is currently the Thane of Glamis. The strange witches announce to him that he will become Thane of Cawdor and later King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth seeks this as an opportunity and advises Macbeth to murder King Duncan so he can take over the throne. At first, Macbeth is hesitant and fears the consequences of the action of murder. Macduff discovers King Duncan’s corpse and thereafter conveys the news to Ross. King Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee to England. The realization that Duncan’s sons and thereafter, Banquo and Fleance becoming heirs to the throne is a threat to Macbeth. He understands that as long as they are alive, the fear of his power will remain insecure. He succeeds in the murder of Banquo, however, Fleance is still alive. Macbeth begins to start hallucinating fatal images of daggers and blood stains after the ghost of Banquo visits him. Macduff...
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...Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry ‘Hold, hold!’ Lady Macbeth speaks these words in Act 1, scene 5, lines 36–52, as she awaits the arrival of King Duncan at her castle. We have previously seen Macbeth’s uncertainty about whether he should take the crown by killing Duncan. In this speech, there is no such confusion, as Lady Macbeth is clearly willing to do whatever is necessary to seize the throne. Her strength of purpose is contrasted with her husband’s tendency to waver. This speech shows the audience that Lady Macbeth is the real steel behind Macbeth and that her ambition will be strong enough to drive her husband forward. At the same time, the language of this speech touches on the theme of masculinity— “unsex me here / . . . / . . . Come to my woman’s breasts, / And take my milk for gall,” Lady Macbeth says as she prepares herself to commit murder. The language suggests that her womanhood, represented by breasts and milk, usually symbols of nurture, impedes her from performing acts of violence and cruelty, which she associates with manliness. Later, this sense of the relationship between masculinity and violence will be deepened when Macbeth is unwilling to go...
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...Limitless Macbeth In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character of Macbeth has many goals and does anything he needs to in order to make those dreams come true. Shakespeare develops Macbeth’s ambitions in the play which usually revolve around him trying to gain power. Shakespeare indirectly shows how the acceptable limit of ambition relates to death. He develops the idea that when death occurs Macbeths ambitions become darker and less acceptable. At first Macbeth is loyal and fights for his country but when the ambition of being king comes along he hesitates to kill Duncan. Once Macbeth becomes less humane and after Duncan’s death Macbeth’s ambition goes over the limit and he kills Banquo and MacDuff’s family, hungry for power. But is Macbeth now being king make him able to cross the acceptable limit of ambition without being questioned. Shakespeare in the beginning of his play suggests to his audience that Macbeth is a loyal, fearless, selfless warrior as shown in the quote “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)/ Disdaining fortune with his brandished steel” (1.2 18-19). It’s showing how Macbeth battled his way through the Norwegian soldiers all the way up to Macdonawald and cut him from his stomach to his head. Duncan, the king, has a great response by breathlessly saying out, “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” (1.2 26). This shows just how satisfied the king along with the whole country is of Macbeth for fearlessly fighting off the Norwegian invaders...
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...character in the text, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare struggles to find a way to deal with guilt and how it leads him to dwell on negative thoughts than on positive. As a consequence, his mind becomes entirely obsessed with murder, hatred and depression which affects his judgement and reflects on his actions throughout the novel. In general this text comprehensively uses symbolism of blood, supernatural forces...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
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...of Macbeth by William Shakespeare centers on the main character Macbeth and a prophecy that changes his life. Macbeth finds out he is to be the king of Scotland. The prophecy shocks and overwhelms him. The story follows his journey to becoming King and the consequences that follow due to the method he used to gain the crown. In his way to becoming king Macbeth changes the order of the kingdom which affects the Macbeth and people around. It even goes to the point of affecting the animals. Social order is an important part of the story because its interruption is the origin from which the conflicts in the story occur. These conflicts help analyze what, by Macbeths doing did he change that caused an interruption. It also highlights what...
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...Through Scene 1 of Act 5, the reader gets a “new” Lady Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth was seen as a strong woman (who cast a spell to become a “man). She seemed very fearless and non paranoid while plotting and assisting in the murder of Duncan. Gentlewoman tells the Doctor how Lady Macbeth had been getting up from bed, taking paper, writing on it, reading it, and then going back to bed (all in her sleep). When Gentlewoman declines to reveal what Lady Macbeth was saying, Lady Macbeth enters with a candle (taper). Now, both Gentlewoman and the Doctor witness and observe Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking. Her sleepwalking reveals that her ramshackle conscious is restraining her from staying calm. It also...
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...Macbeth Analysis Brian Williams English 125 Melissa Edison April 22, 2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly...
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...Macbeth Analytical written response ‘Macbeth achieves the power he has longed for, but it comes at a terrible price’ What does the play have to say about this? ------------------------------------- Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a character study of a man who, through his own relentless quest for power and the influence of others, loses everything he loves and eventually, his own life. After Macbeth’s success in battle against the King of Norway, glowing reports of his bravery are given to King Duncan, who prepares to promote ‘noble Macbeth’ to Thane of Cawdor. Before Macbeth hears of the king’s decision, he and his fellow general, Banquo, are told by a group of witches that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and “King thereafter”. They also predict that some of Banquo’s offspring will be kings. Both men wonder if they should take these “imperfect speakers” seriously, but their doubts are swept away when Macbeth is declared Thane of Cawdor. Remembering the second part of the prophecy, thoughts of murder enter Macbeth’s mind. There are two factors that cause Macbeth’s thoughts to develop into a plot. He reasons that if part of the witches’ prediction has come true, there is a chance that the rest of it will too. When he confides in his wife who is described as being “top-full of direst cruelty” Macbeth, who she likens to “an innocent flower”, falls under her evil influence and together they hatch...
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...Title: Macbeth Analysis Instructor: Erin Schwartz English 125 Introduction to literature Amanda Manley 11/25/2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the...
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...him to Thane of Cawdor. By the end of the play, however, he has become a moral-less tyrant. His ultimate fall from grace lies in his ambition, his desire to become King at any cost. His image at the end of the play, a senseless, paranoid, murderer is sharply juxtaposed with his portrayal as a valiant solider initially. It is this juxtaposition of a noble hero and a ruined tyrant that invokes ‘a catharsis of pity and fear’, as described by Aristotle, in the audience, and that still allows contemporary audiences today to relate and respond. The three weird sisters are the ones who plant the seed of ambition – “all hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter”, they predict – but it is Macbeth who fosters it. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/Shakes so my single state of man that function/Is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is/But what is not.” Macbeth contemplates the murder of King Duncan, even when the witches themselves have not...
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...the beginning of the play Macbeth is the "bravest" soldier and the honorable Thane of Glamis. His rank and nobility are of great value, and he seems to be fit for his status. But his encounter with the witches awakens in him a deep impatient ambition. Immediately after the first prophecy of being Thane of Cawdor becomes true the "horrid image" of the murder of King Duncan in order to become king himself crosses his mind. He is not totally cold and solely ambitious as shown by his terror of the murder image, which thoroughly defies his loyalty. There is love in Macbeth as shown by his letter to Lady Macbeth in which he calls her his "dearest partner of greatness." Macbeth is already thinking about being king but he is undecided about whether it is better to succumb to the temptation presented by the witches or to wait for Fate to crown him. Banquo warns him that at times evil forces "tell us truths . . . to betray's in deepest consequence." Even though he does not state it out loud, Macbeth does care about morality and religion, as demonstrated in his soliloquy (I, IV, 12-28) where he lists the three reasons why he should not kill Duncan: he is "his kinsman," "his subject" and "his host." Macbeth adds that "Duncan hath born his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels." Lady Macbeth knows her husband and feels that he is "too full o' th' milk of human kindness." To counter this she accuses Macbeth of being a coward if he...
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...In the light of your critical readings how far areLear and Macbeth tragic protagonists? Example intro Normally, the common hero would be a character embodying megalopsychia. However, both Lear and Macbeth are conventionally tragic figures, even displaying anti-heroic qualities. Aristotle’s “Poetics” suggests that a tragic protagonist has greatness which is readily evident in the play. The Victorian critic A.C. Bradley picks up Aristotle’s notion to contend and mentions that although the protagonist is a person of greatness, they are not perfect and contain a tragic flaw which can lead to his downfall. Unlike most tragic protagonists, Lear’s fall occurs early in the play when he decides to express his “darker purpose” to Gloucester by dividing the kingdom between his three daughters. Firstly, this rash decision implies Lear’s downfall and prepares the audience for what is to come. Secondly, this would have alarmed a Jacobean audience who would remember how the question of succession had loomed large during the reign of Elizabeth 1. However, Lear does not show many noble attributes before his fall when he loses his temper at Cordelia and he tells her he will, “disclaim all my paternal care,” because she refuses to flatter him with praises and love. This is different to Macbeth who is seen as “brave” and “noble” in the early stages of the play due to killing the rebel, Macdonwald, and fighting off an attack from the Norwegians. Example 2 1. Throughout literary history, there...
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...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...
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