...Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare and is about the tragic downfall of a Scottish lord who committed multiple murders. Macbeth, the protagonist of the play, killed numerous people to get what he wanted; however some of the murders were unavoidable. Although some of the murders were unavoidable, Macbeth is still guilty for the wrongful murders of Banquo and the Macduff family. He killed his fellow countrymen for power, which is unacceptable in any circumstances, but in Duncan’s case Macbeth was pressured by others to commit the deed. Macbeth is personally responsible for the death of Banquo, but he is not responsible for Duncan’s and the Macduff family’s deaths. To begin with, Macbeth is not responsible for Duncan’s death as Macbeth was pressured to kill him. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, pressured him into killing Duncan. Macbeth is innocent in this murder as he was being emasculated and used by his own wife. The guilt should be on Lady Macbeth as it was her that told Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth. Was the hope drunk/...
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...MacBeth Essay The blame for Duncan’s death can be shared upon a variety of characters, although there may be a sole recipient for the majority of fault to fall upon. The three main character’s responsible for the demise of the former king include; MacBeth, Lady MacBeth and the Three Witches. Despite the fact that the Three Witches provoked this implement of the plan in MacBeth’s head, all three characters listed previously are all held responsible for the cause of Duncan’s death. The Three Witches are responsible for the original idea of taking the throne, although it is MacBeth’s ambition that overwhelms him and eventually, Lady MacBeth. When MacBeth initially meets the Three Witches’ after the battle in the scenes following the Witches’ first appearance. The sisters’ initially hail him as Thane of Glamis, and then proceed to hail him for being the Thane of Cawdor and for being King of Scotland. These prophecies implement and open his mind as to being King even though that the audience receives no indication as to what he is thinking. Initially, MacBeth is quite skeptical but then doubt turns to belief after being announced Thane of Cawdor. The Three Witches may have initiated the thought of becoming King, but it is ultimately Macbeth’s own ambition that takes it to the next level. Lady MacBeth is portrayed as a catalyst in the act of regicide for which MacBeth commits. Lady MacBeth is instantaneously overwhelmed by the idea of becoming queen, and thus shows her as ambitious...
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...that in turn poses a threat to Macbeth and soon, his kingship. Because the witches’ prophecy about Macbeth becoming king came true, he questions whether they were going to be right about Banquo and his legacy. Although, Macbeth in this scene is too worried, he does not realize that he was the one who fundamentally caused the series of events to occur after killing King Duncan. Banquo might decide to keep the information he learned from the witches to himself because if he spoke up people might think that he was a part of Kind Duncan’s murder, because they may believe that he did this just to become king. Also, he probably does not want to sabotage his chances of his sons becoming kings if someone else finds out. 2. Macbeth might be curious about where Banquo is going because he wants to keep an eye on Banquo for two reasons. One reason being that he wants to kill him so that his sons are not the reason that he loses his thrown. He uses this as a safety mechanism and later on in the act we find out that Macbeth hires three murders to kill Banquo in order to carry out his plan of staying king. He also wants to keep an eye on Banquo so that way he does not find out that he was the one who killed King Duncan for the thrown. Banquo may have already been suspicious of the murder because he was with Macbeth and heard the witches’ prophecies. 3. The “bloody cousins” as referred to Macbeth in line 29 are Duncan’s sons. They are the ones that the blame was placed on and they are suspected...
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...The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare displays ambition, fate, deception and treachery. Fate is a supernatural force that controls the actions and choices of others. In Macbeth fate plays an important role in the lives of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. Macbeth’s fate is unavoidable and unchangeable. Macbeth’s fate is sealed as soon as he meets the witches’. Macbeth’s fate is tragic. Macbeth and Banquo are together...
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...Macbeth: A Tragic Hero? William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, attains a protagonist that evidently portrays himself as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character that is not completely good or evil and has a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero because he starts off as a noble man until his own actions, also influenced by others, bring him to his own death. The events that help take Macbeth to his end are the prophecies told to him by the three witches, Lady Macbeth's pressure that drives him into committing horrible actions, and his own ambition that takes over him and leaves him as nothing but a power and money hungry character. Macbeth starts off with Macbeth and Banquo being praised after battling bravely in a war against the Irish Invaders. “At the beginning of the play, he seems the epitome of a loyal subject, valiantly fighting the rebel forces to protect the king and preserve his power.” (Elaine Pilkington 1) King Duncan believed that Macbeth was tremendously heroic in the battle and decided to name him the new thane of Cawdor after executing the old one because of his betrayal. However, before hearing from the King, Macbeth and Banquo were on their way to the King's court when they were suddenly accompanied by three witches.The witches greet Macbeth as the thane of Glamis, which was his original and only title, and as the thane of Cawdor, which Macbeth was not yet informed of. The witches also tell Macbeth...
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...Lady Macbeth is seen as one of the most powerful, frightening, and ambitious female character, out of all of Shakespeare’s plays. Lady Macbeth is first seen when she had received a letter from her husband, Macbeth, as the letter states what promises the witches had made him and his promotion to Thane of Cawdor. After reading the letter, Lady Macbeth, sees this as her chance to make Macbeth, King of Scotland, by murdering King Duncan. Lady Macbeth begins to plot Duncan’s murder, during this time we see Lady Macbeth being more ruthless, more power-hungry, and more ambitious than her husband, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth can be seen more powerful than her husband as she proposes qualities, which lack with Macbeth such as power, masculinity, ambition...
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...Macbeth envies Malcolm for being the one who was chosen to be Prince. Macbeth would have killed Malcolm if he didn’t ran off. Macbeth killed Duncan for choosing Malcolm and not him. One of the prophecies tell Macbeth “ Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife / Dissmiss me. Enough” (4.1.81-82). This lead Macbeth to kill all of the Macduffs except Macduff who went to England to get Malcolm. In Macbeth, Shakesphere, uses envy to cause death and murder. Envy was the cause of death and murder in Macbeth. Envy can lead you to have your desires by making you into a person who is capable to have what they want, it can lead you to get what you want in a clean way. And it can also lead you to do bad choices without even...
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...stupid commoner, would it not be clear to the mind that she was never controlling me rather giving thy advice. Even if it were not to be the clearest idea, I king Macbeth will have taken all the credit soon becoming the greatest ruler to ever rule Scotland, yes at first I was a little bit nervous but after “I got the carpet bloody” it was not hard to go back. Lady Macbeth is loyal and very smart, when it comes to devious plans; that's exactly why we were meant to be, god has put us here to rule all of Scotland. Last I recall after the death of Duncan, Lady Macbeth gave me great advice “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t” (1.5.3). So don’t ask me such ridiculous questions, or you and Duncan will visit each other very soon. 2) What would you do differently to make sure you stayed King thus creating a positive outcome? Peasant, you clearly must be blind to the fact that thee King Macbeth killed almost every important figure in a matter of weeks. Oh but enough speak of my cleverness, talent and ability to take power; let’s talk about how I could have remained King longer. One thing that could have gone different was kill Macduff instantly as well as Malcolm. As well kill Fleance, because I’d rather my children have power than anyone else. But one thing I would do is have King Duncan’s death come much easier because at first my thoughts were, “I'll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done, look on't again I dare not."(2.2.3) But other than that...
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...Macbeth at the start of the play At the start of the play, Macbeth is a good man who knows his place. He is a loyal servant of the King. God appoints the King to rule. If the King rules well, then his subjects will love him and he will reward their love with gratitude and generosity. This is the ideal state of affairs at the start of Macbeth, though just before it, there has been a rebellion, and the play opens with an account of the defeat of the rebels. Although God appoints the ruler, it is possible for a gross disturbance of the natural order of things to happen. And this may allow a rebel (usurper) to overthrow the rightful monarch. In Macbeth, this is what happens when the witches dabble in the affairs of men. But Hecate, who must obey the higher powers of the universe, shows the witches that order must be restored, and Macbeth removed from power. Macbeth is very loyal to begin with, so his treachery against Duncan is especially shocking. It is only believable (plausible) because of the way the witches arouse powerful ambition in him. But though they suggest things to him, the witches do not force Macbeth to kill Duncan. His evil action is freely chosen and (as we say today) premeditated. In fact Macbeth sees very good arguments against Duncan's murder but is stung into firmness by his wife's scorn. She says that if she had made a promise like her husband's, she could even have dashed out the brains of her own child. (Perhaps, though, this is bravado - later she admits...
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...Lady Macbeth Essay Shakespeare’s play Macbeth was written in the early 17th century and chronicles the lives of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as Thane of Crawdor and lady of Crawdor, and later on as King and Queen of Scotland respectively. Lady Macbeth is known as one of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters due to her ambition, strength and ruthlessness. Lady Macbeth can be seen as the dominant half in the relationship between Macbeth and his lady, often convincing, persuading and willing Macbeth to do her bidding. Lady Macbeth can even be seen as a tragic heroine, a term made famous by Shakespeare’s numerous tragedies. However, just like all tragic heroes, Lady Macbeth’s hamartia or tragic flaw would lead to her demise. In exploring the character that is Lady Macbeth, we can see many flaws in her character such as greed, ambition, dishonestly and manipulative to name a few. A tragic flaw, as defined by Merriem-Webster dictionary, is a flaw in character that brings about the downfall of a hero in a tragedy. Lady Macbeth’s greed for power coupled with her moral righteousness led to her demise. This is evident after first, persuading Macbeth to kill the king in order for her to become Queen, second, planning Kind Duncan’s death to the minute detail, and third, being flooded with guilt and blame afterwards leading to her suicide. After Macbeth’s confrontation with the three witches who said that Macbeth will be named Thane of Crawdor and eventually become King of Scotland,...
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...William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, takes place in 11th century Scotland, and has its own portrayal of that society. Although it may not be entirely accurate, the society that Shakespeare develops has distinctive gender roles and societal expectations for each gender. In this society lives Macbeth, a military nobleman trusted by the king who eventually becomes king himself, but through a murder encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth. His reign is tainted with inhumane acts such as murdering the family of his former friends, and hiring assassins to kill one of his friends. At the conclusion of the play, Lady Macbeth dies from unknown causes, Macbeth is murdered by Macduff, another nobleman, and Scotland rejoices because Macbeth’s reign of terror...
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...confront Macbeth. We hear about Macbeth before we meet him. It is reported that he kills the traitorous Macdonwald by cutting him open from his belly button to his throat, because he betrayed Scotland. The king hears of Macbeth’s victory and decides to give him the title of thane of Cawdor. - Scene 3 + 4 The witches meet Macbeth and Banquo on a heath and give them a prediction of the future. They predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Glamis (his current title at the time of meeting with the witches), Thane of Cawdor, and eventually King. For Banquo, the witches say he will be lesser and greater than Macbeth, not as fortunate, but happier, and his sons will be king. Macbeth inquires more, but the witches dismiss him. Macbeth can’t believe that it comes true when he becomes Thane of Cawdor, and wants to become King but Malcolm, the prince of Cumberland, stands in his way. - Scene 5, 6 + 7 Macbeth sends a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, and after she reads it, she fears that his nature “is too full of the milk of human kindness.” She believes that Macbeth will not take the actions necessary to become King without her help. She plans on killing Duncan that very night and tells Macbeth to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”. When Macbeth becomes reluctant, Lady Macbeth persuades him by questioning his manhood, saying that she would go to extents such as bashing her own child’s brains out if it meant Macbeth would become king. She tells Macbeth that he...
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...Macbeth is great play written by William Shakespeare, mostly known for its violence. The story starts with a hero of scotland, named Macbeth, whom changes gradually throughout the play. The thought of being able to have so much power caused him to make some menacing decisions that caused only chaos and regret. Towards the end his whole ambition for becoming king all fall short and instead he becomes an oppressor or tyrant. In William Shakespeare`s play, ambition has brought the death of many from Macbeth. “our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, be more, and do more”.In the play, Shakespeare uses the concept of ambition to show how it affects Macbeth and his wife who thrive to reach the throne and will go through any means necessary to achieve that goal. Ambition starts when Macbeth meets three witches, who tell him his destiny as king. He then becomes obsessed with the idea of having all that power and fame. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth turn away from being honorable people to turning into murderous tyrants. He is so preoccupied with becoming king he favors power over anything, such as honor, respect, and other things knights favor, so in effect there have been countless murders and the merciless killing of innocent bystanders and witnesses. His ambition, in my opinion, is to blame for duncan's murder. Macbeth even accuses duncans kids of killing their father. The desire for power fogs macbeth's mind...
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...planning to go see Macbeth - The captain (injured and part of the fight) explains to the king (Duncan) how the fight went down Macbeth and Banquo fought and beat Macdowald He then had to fight against the Norwegian since the Thane of Cawdor (Nobility) betrayed them Macbeth = Tough&Brave - King Duncan demands that the current Thane of Cawdor be killed and that Macbeth becomes the new one - Witches are bonding then meet up with Macbeth (In thunder) and tell him he’ll be thane of Cawdor, and then King. - They also tell Banquo he won’t be king but his kids will - Description of the witches (Page 12 or 2) - Ross and Angus step in once the witches leave and tell Macbeth he’s the new thane of Cawdor like the witches predicted - Macbeth and Banquo side talk about believing the witches theory. Banquo warns Macbeth that the witches are bad news and to fulfill their theory he’s going to be led through evil - Macbeth is considering killing Duncan (the evil Banquo is talking about.) - Macbeth thinks he might actually hot have to do anything to fulfill his destiny (He’s experiencing doubt. He so far knows better) - Duncan wants to know if The thane of Cawdor is dead yet - Malcom says his bodies not arrived but that he died with deep regret. Duncan doesn’t care (27) - Duncan thanks Macbeth and tells him that his son is prince of Cumberland - Macbeth thinks the son is going to be in the way of him becoming king, making him reconsider committing murder - Macbeth writes a letter...
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...Macbeth Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered as one of his most powerful and darkest tragedies. The play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects when evil is chosen as a way to fulfill the ambition for power. The tragedy of Macbeth tells a story about two Scottish generals, Macbeth and Banqou, who are met by three witches after a victorious battle against an army of rebels. Macbeth receives a prophecy from these foretellers that one day he will be king of Scotland and Banqou the father of many kings. Macbeth is powerfully influenced by their words, and the encouragement given by his wife’s actions, he is persuaded to murder King Duncan and take the throne for himself. Macbeth is now the most powerful man in the kingdom, but he feels his position insecure, and suspects those around him. This leads him to the murder of Banqou, whose ghost haunts him. He is then tormented with guilt and paranoia, and soon he becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders in order to protect himself from suspicion and enmity. During Macbeth’s and the witches’ second encounter, the witches warn him against the nobleman Macduff, but nevertheless persuade him to go on by telling him that “none of woman born” can defeat him. Macduff has meanwhile gone to England to help in collecting an army to attack Macbeth, and in his absence, his family is murdered by order of Macbeth. In the meantime Lady Macbeth, who was so ambitious...
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