...called Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a perfect example on how numerous people are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall including himself. Lady Macbeth is ultimately responsible for Macbeth’s downfall because she is manipulative and overly ambitious. First of all, Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in Macbeth’s rise and downfall as a king from being manipulative and conceiving. For example, “Looks like th’ innocent flower/but be the serpent under’t” (1.6.76-77)....
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...Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. The theme is about how one’s ambition can lead to their fall if they let it get out of hand. Lady Macbeth is one of the most aggressive and ambitious characters of Shakespeare’s plays. Much of the fame of Macbeth should be credited to her because it was her ruthless and almost man-like nature that set her apart from other women in Shakespeare’s plays. She is a round and dynamic character in this play because she changes and develops as the story’s proceedings unfold and conflicts emerge. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth gradually changes from being driven nearly entirely by ambition, to being manipulative of her husband to get her ways, and finally to becoming the complete opposite of her once strong-willed self. Lady Macbeth is seen as a woman of ambition in the beginning of Macbeth. Upon her discovery of Macbeth’s prophecies to become king, she immediately started to think about how to fulfill them. As her ambitious and cold nature overcame her conscience, she mapped out the murder of King Duncan with Macbeth. She came off as being very strong in the opening of the play. Shakespeare’s indirect characterization of her makes her unique from other female characters in his works, which is what sets Macbeth apart from the rest. Lady Macbeth has just as much ambition driving her as Macbeth has, if not more. Lynn M. Zott writes that Lady Macbeth’s ambition may be more aimed towards Macbeth’s successes and not solely hers...
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...Macbeth analysis “Macbeth” is a tragedy and was written by William Shakespeare. It was originally written as a play; believed to have been written between 1599 and 1606. Macbeth is the easiest of all of Shakespeare’s plays to follow because the play only has one plot and is constructed in a way that almost everything that happens, refers to the main story. The play takes place mostly in a castle in medieval Scotland. In the tragedy we follow King Duncan’s army-general, Macbeth’s rise to power and his downfall after this, and the wife, Lady Macbeth, when she taunts him to do the things she wants him to do in order to kill King Duncan. But how much guilt can one take before going insane? When will one be too crazy for their subjects to obey? And how does acting against your morals affect one in the long run? The most important characters in the play are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth but the three witches, “The Weird Sisters”, plays a big part too. Macbeth is the main character. The first impression we get of him is, that he is a brave and capable warrior. We get this impression because of the first place in the play, that we meet Macbeth is in the captain’s account of the battlefield. However, this impression changes when he meets the 3 witches, and they tell him, that he is to be king. At this point, we realise that he is a lot more than just brave. His courage is combined with his ambition and tendency to doubt himself. When he is told, that he is to kill the king, he experiences...
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...Charlotte Higgs LVs Macbeth Essay Plan For my introduction I’m going to say how I’m going to show the character of Macbeth and explain why many people have mixed feelings about him. I am then going to discuss how I’m going to lay out the essay by exploring the different aspects to him, such as being brave, ambitious and loving. I will then say that I will conclude the essay by explaining the mixed feelings about him. Brave * For the first paragraph I will mostly be discussing the conversation between the captain and Duncan in Act 1 Scene 2. * I will point out important phrases to show that he is brave and why. * I will also mention about how other characters think of him at the beginning of the play and that overall it is very positive which makes the audience think positively towards him. * I will also discuss at this point his attitudes towards the witches and mention that most people would be scared of them and not intrigued by them. (Act 1 scene 3) * I will also point out clear lines that show his attitude towards them. * I then plan to link this to Macbeth being ambitious. Ambitious * I will then continue the witch scene and point out key lines that show Macbeth’s ambitious side. * I believe at this point it is important to show the contrast of character between Macbeth and Banquo, about how Banquo is very sceptical but Macbeth is entranced by a good offer and is completely spell bound by what the witches have said to him and of his...
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...Body by Shakespeare’s Volumnia and Lady Macbeth In both Coriolanus and Macbeth, powerful women exploit their power over important male figures through their manipulation of gender roles and performance. In “Identity-Formation and the Breastfeeding Mother in Renaissance Generative Discourses and Shakespeare’s Coriolanus,” Victoria Sparey compares the symbolic relevance of breast milk and blood in Shakespearean literature to explain the immense power Volumnia holds over her son Coriolanus. Ralph Berry argues the sexual motivation behind Volumnia’s control in his article “Sexual Imagery in Coriolanus.” Berry states that “from Volumnia, we derive a strong impression of the interlinked impulses of sex and power” (316). Lady Macbeth’s character and influence over her husband is explored thoroughly in William T. Liston’s "Male and Female Created He Them": Sex and Gender in "Macbeth." Liston outlines the ways Lady Macbeth manipulates both her husband’s masculinity and her own femininity to achieve her personal ambitions. Although Sparey and Berry examine the motives and character of Volumnia and Liston recounts the ambitious incentives of Lady Macbeth, this paper will focus on the performance of gender and how it is used to manipulate the masculine body, the feminine body, and to overcome the societal boundaries set out for individuals at the time of Shakespeare’s writing. Using Judith Butlers concept of gender performativity, Volumnia and Lady Macbeth break their roles as the proper...
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...The play Macbeth is well known for its use of imagery. Imagery is used for a number of reasons such as to show certain visions to the audience and to give life to the play. Lady Macbeth has a major use of imagery; her description is all imagery and progresses as the play goes on. Macbeth also has many themes, some of these are the corruption of power, and how superstition affects human behavior and how things are not quite what they seem. Macbeth is a Scottish general, ambitious enough to commit regicide to become King. While Lady Macbeth, his wife is also extremely ambitious but later regretful of the evil she brought upon herself and the relationship of the two. It is this evil that creates the mythological and religious illusions of the...
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...The Fall of Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is seen as a calculating factor in Macbeth’s life. She is able to manipulate his action, which in turn affects the events in the drama. However, midway through the play, she loses control of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth played as the leader throughout the play. Lady Macbeth was the catalyst that lead Macbeth to do things he couldn’t of done on his own. Macbeth was highly ambitious, but Lady Macbeth was even more so. Without Lady Macbeth, the tragic downfall of Macbeth wouldn’t of happened. To begin, Lady Macbeth uses Macbeth as the stepping stool to the throne. Lady Macbeth wants the power, and she knows Macbeth would do anything for her because he loves her. Lady Macbeth makes it clear that she is the...
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...Introduction Shakespeare’s Macbeth is set within a society in which the notion of loyalty to one’s superiors is absolute and honour to one’s word. The story of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth follow major themes throughout the text. Macbeth follows the main theme of the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints this is also reinforced by its powerful expression in the plays two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. A second theme that the story of Macbeth follows is the relationship between Cruelty and Masculinity. Characters within Macbeth frequently dwell on issues of gender. This is reinforced with Lady Macbeth constantly manipulating her husband and questioning his manhood, wishing herself to be “Unsexed”. Continuing...
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...Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth has a powerful presence in the play, especially in the first two acts. There are many reasons why Lady Macbeth is a disturbed character in the play. We first see her disturbing personality in act 1 scene 5. For most of the scene she is alone in a room, reading a letter and saying she doesn’t think Macbeth is strong carry out the sinister plot to kill Duncan. Her fifth act sleepwalking scene is a turning point in the play and this shows how mad and depressed she has become. She is extremely disturbed and mad as she uses her cunning ways to get what she wants from Macbeth and the things that she wants are disturbing and violent. Early in the play she said that if she had a child and Macbeth asked her to kill the child, then she would to show how much she loved him. This shows the sign of a truly disturbed person as a woman killing her own child is abnormal. Following the murder of King Duncan, her role in the plot diminishes. She becomes an uninvolved spectator to Macbeth's plotting, and a nervous hostess at a banquet dominated by her husband's hallucinations. Later on in the play Macbeth orders for a child to be killed so her disturbance has passed onto him. Through Lady Macbeth's interactions and statements the reader gains tremendous insight into her true character. As the play progresses, we see her change from a foreboding individual whom is deeply ambitious and manipulative to a regretful and remorseful person. Because her emotions and actions...
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...battles in Macbeth; it features the murder of men, women and children; suicide and beheading Macbeth shows that once one violent act is done, it only leads to another, and this does not stop. This means, violence usually does not fix anything. In Macbeth, as soon as his ambition took over and he became a serial murderer, it didn't turn out well in the end - Macduff killed Macbeth. This is similar to many problems of society today, especially in teenage boys. Many people believe physical violence is the only way to fix their problems, which actually, it will most likely only cause a bigger one. Fights can never end up good - someone will always come out of it second best, and the other may even be caught out by the police or teachers! This leads to my next point, masculinity. "Dispute it like a man I shall do so, but I must also feel it as a man, I cannot but remember such things that were most precious to me." This is a quote from Macbeth (IV.3.26) where Macduff is ready to prove he is the more 'manly' one of both him and Macbeth. Even Lady Macbeth is willing to become more masculine so Macbeth can become king, shown in the quote under Ambition. Like Macbeth, Macduff and Lady Macbeth, people nowadays still 'need' to prove their masculinity by violence, especially teenage boys, and that is why the theme of violence is so relevant in today's society. Ambition and Power Ambition is the most obvious theme seen in Macbeth. We see ambition run amok in both Macbeth and...
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...his demise.(Tragic Hero as Defined by Aristotle). Macbeth had many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws. Macbeth's degeneration was caused by the prophecy of the witches, lady Macbeth's influence, and his own long time desire to be king. Macbeth's tragic flaws were his ambition and the way he was easily manipulated. The prophecies of the witches bring out Macbeth's ambitious nature. Macbeth was first established as being of great stature, the captain says “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-/Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel”( I.ii. lines16-17). However, after hearing of the prophecy his honorable nature fades. The witches prophecies give Macbeth a sense of security and confidence but prove to be harmful for Macbeth and his interpretation of the truths. In the article “Shakespeare's Macbeth” by Mitchell Kalpakgian she states, “the witches on the heath foretell what Macbeth will gain but never disclose what he will lose or the price he will pay for acting on the insinuations of the witches who only speak half truths.”(Kalpakgian, 2013). Although it is true that Macbeth will become king it is never explained how he will obtain kingship and what kind of life he will lead as King. The witches plant the seed of murdering Duncan in Macbeth's head, but if it were only the witches prophecies that influenced him he would have not committed the murder. Lady Macbeth influences and manipulates Macbeth. She is the driving force that encourages him to...
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...Themes of Macbeth (The Significance of Macbeth 4:2) Imagine you’re at a party, your first party when you’re offered a drink. You don’t want to refuse because everyone else is doing it; so you take it. You sip it here and there from time to time, to fit in with the crowd. There’s a knock on the door, and everyone jolts and sprints in their own directions, dodging tables chairs, running out the back doors, and hiding in closets. You still standing there like your feet are concreted to the ground, looked puzzled. The police barge in, take you and few others down to the police station and warrant you with an MIP. The days following at school, you’re the talk of the school and everyone knows your story. This was a significant incident in your life....
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...which. Shakespeare didn’t write “heroes” and “villains.” He wrote real people with real flaws, who were all equally capable of committing good and evil. One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death...
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...attempt to gaining trust from someone you love. In Shakespeare's play, "Macbeth" , Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth felt that he deserved the kingship. Although Macbeth seems to murder Duncan partly because of his loyalty, he primarily murders him because of his ambitious belief. At a glance, Macbeth murders Duncan because of his dedication and loyalty to Lady Macbeth, his wife. Lady would taunt Macbeth about how weak he is as a man. She felt as if he wasn't man enough to do the job of killing King Duncan. While Lady Macbeth enters after having an argument with Macbeth, she then says, "My hands are as red as yours, but I would be ashamed if my heart was as pale and weak" ( II.II.61-62). She would make it seem as if Macbeth was a coward. So to prove his loyalty and love to her, Macbeth goes ahead and do what he could have done to please lady Macbeth. In this way, she would gain his trust. However, Macbeth primarily murders Duncan because of his ambition and also because of the witches' prophecy that claimed he would be king. The three witches' chanted to Macbeth saying, "All hail, Macbeth, the future king!" (I.III.88). With what was being prophesied by the witches, Macbeth is now encouraged more than ever and feels that he should definitely hold the kingship. This prophecy was the first major influence that led to his actions. It was then when Banquo said " You will be the king" ( I.III.88) , when Macbeth realized that he really had the potential to do what it takes to get...
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...ENGLISH ESSAY: MACBETH “Macbeth shows us a world blackened by selish desires.” In life, we are often oblivious and undermine the power of evil as we aren’t directly exposed to the dangers and destructive consequences at first. We are presented with this same idea in the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth’s progression and transformation throughout the play demonstrates and a world blackened by selfish desires. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is shown to be a friendly, honest and loyal person. But later, manipulation and deception as well as lust and greed mould Macbeth in to an aggressive, ambitious and possessed man. Finally, through his transformations we are able to identify a world blackened by selfish desires. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is shown to be a friendly, honest and loyal character. Shakespeare demonstrates Macbeth's loyalty to his king and to Scotland as the Captain recalls, "brave Macbeth killed [Macdonald]." Macbeth is well respected by his peers and maintains good relationships with them and is willing and committed to acting to protect Scotland. Furthermore, we are introduced to Macbeth by Malcom in act one scene two as a “good and hardy soldier” further highlighting his brave and courageous nature. On a different level, Macbeth shows he is a loving and respectful character in his attitude and approach towards his wife as he calls her his “dearest partner of greatness.” Additionally, we are able to measure the strength of the...
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