...students of Sydney university. I will be lecturing the play Macbeth to you by way of a play as a psychological thriller. Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be depicted as a psychological thriller, through his monotonous use of the themes of death, unbridled ambition and supernatural power. The late Alfred Hitchcock who was an English film director and producer, commonly referred to as “The Master of Suspense”, enjoyed pursuing the themes of murder and psychology. We can all relate to Alfred through the studied play Macbeth and the themes articulated. Right? The motif of death is significant in the play Macbeth and is evident through the excessive portrayal of Lady Macbeth and the significance of her ‘washing her hands’ in a sea of blood symbolizing the themes, fate and unbridled ambition. An example of Macbeth’s ambition is his desire to accomplish anything to anyone and anywhere to proceed as the great king of Scotland. An example of Lady Macbeth with increasing proof of unbridled ambition is, “I have given suck and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me.” It is noticeable that there is quite a bit of violent imagery here and it gives us an image of this innocent baby with its brains out, which is the complete opposite of a baby being milked by its mother, which is often seen in reality....
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...and contrasting between two characters of two unique novels cannot be more profoundly illustrated than comparing that of the character of Lady Macbeth authored by William Shakespeare within the book Macbeth to that character of Abigail authored by Arthur Miller within the book the Crucible. .......... The act of manipulation overwhelms the mindset of Lady Macbeth and Abigail. Although, how they choose to react to such a feeling is where individuality from one another occurs. The concept of Macbeth revolves around Lady Macbeth corrupting her husband’s mental stability and convincing him to commit a murder. She does so by questioning his manhood and referring to him as a coward. “[He] is too full o’ the milk of human kindness” (I.ii.16). Lady Macbeth is worried that he is not strong enough to perform such a task, so she manipulates him by telling Macbeth how far she will go if it is necessary. “While [the baby] was smiling in my face, / have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums/ and dash’d the brains out” (I.VII.56-58). With such ideas of murdering someone and manipulating someone else, only for self gain, does not come without the feeling of remorse. “What need we fear who/ knows it, when none can call our power to account? / yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (V.i.36-39). The manipulation of Lady Macbeth’s husband leaves her feeling guilty to a point where it leads her to her own demise. Abigail also manipulates others for her own personal...
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...Annotated Bibliographies In Macbeth, the author William Shakespeare uses the relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to present the idea that evil can separate and destroy even the strongest and most affectionate of relationships. Munro, Robert. “Lady Macbeth: A Psychological sketch.” The Journal of Speculative Philosophy. 21. 1 (1887): 30-36. JSTOR. Web. 5 Oct. 2014. Lady Macbeth first appears ‘fair, feminine, perhaps, even fragile,’ Munro quotes in his journal which is about the psychological factors behind Lady Macbeth. Munro first states how much Macbeth loves Lady Macbeth and quotes that Macbeth writes in a letter to her, calling her, ‘[his] dearest partner of greatness.’ After the encounter with the witches, Macbeth knows that...
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...Explore the way disturbed characters are presented in the text you have studied Shakespeare and Browning both effectively portray disturbed characters in their text to explore greater social issues. Shakespeare explores the issues of regicide in order to inform the reader about the consequences of treason. Shakespeare explores the inequality of woman rights by using the character Lady Macbeth and how she treats Macbeth. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a manipulative, deceptive woman by Lady Macbeth leading Macbeth into self-indulgence. Shakespeare enforces the importance of 'divine rights of kings' and stresses the kings rights. By Macbeth killing king Duncan, he has committed regicide which is a sin. This goes against the divine rights of kings as Macbeth becomes king after he kills king Duncan and linking to the 'divine rights of kings' her has committed a sin. Also Shakespeare explores the outcome of manipulation and mental control by including the three witches. These three witches filled Macbeth's head with negativity and depravity. This results into Macbeth becoming very disturbed and traumatized. Moreover Browning explores the issues within the Victorian society in order to inform the reader about the different ways of life for others and the thoughts of others. Browning shows the difference in men and woman during the Victorian era and how Porphyria was very light hearted towards the way women were in that time. Porphyria had the image of a mistress other than...
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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 begins to re-establish his role as the stereotypical male throughout Act 3 scene 2. During this scene he is clearly taking overall control of the situation and ordering Lady Macbeth in what he wants her to do during their dinner that night which Banquo would attend. ‘Give Banquo your special attention. Talk to him and look at him in a way that will make him feel important. We’re in a dangerous situation, where we have to flatter him and hide our true feelings.’ This quote shows the role reversal between the beginning of the play in which Lady Macbeth was manipulating her husband and using her power to overrule his word. Although this wasn’t stereotypical during the Jacobean era, Macbeth obeyed her commands which lead him to murdering...
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...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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...Discuss the extent to which Macbeth and Shylock are victims and villains The protagonists of each play, Macbeth and Shylock, both fall victim and succumb to villainous natures, however a difference is apparent between the two in representing these traits. Macbeth more so displays villainous behaviours, whereas Shylock is subjected to ordeals which victimise him. That is not to say that Macbeth does not become victimised, and that Shylock does not contain the capability to carry out acts of a villainous essence, such as going against his faith for power, and losing sense of morality and rationality. Different factors such as race and prejudice are integral to the contextual themes of The Merchant of Venice as anti-Semitic views towards Jews are upheld by the Christians in Venice, placing Shylock in a position of submission and awakening his inner villain, which is the ultimate point of differentiation between the two in terms of being either a villain or a victim. Early in Macbeth it becomes apparent that the witches have corrupted Macbeth, thus falling victim to the supernatural. This causes him to conjure questions, "Why do I yield to that suggestion?", which catalyses a rising action. The word 'suggestion' connotes the idea is being fed to him via a supernatural force, and that it is uncontrollable as he 'yields' to it. "My thought, whose murder is fantastical, shakes my state", emphasises how much Macbeth is against the idea of murder, shining light on how these thoughts...
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...Ambition – A Tragic Flaw Macbeth by William Shakespeare highlights the blinding powers of ambition demonstrated within its characters. Ambition has the potential to prompt a character to build determination and fulfill many achievements. On the other hand, ambition can also become a character’s leading tragic flaw. The main plot of the play displays the various acts Macbeth carries out in order to dismiss the threats between him and the throne. Although he implements the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the intelligence behind his violent actions. Since she is the most influential individual in Macbeth’s life, Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband using belittlement and emotional blackmail in order to achieve her own ambition, to gain...
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...Lady Macbeth is a fascinating character in the famous play written by William Shakespeare entitled Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has a multi faceted personality because one side of her character is contemptible, determined and rude while the other side is extremely fearful and hesitant. One of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, Lady Macbeth is known for manipulating her husband to commit the murder of king Duncan and thereby making her an active participant in the crime. Ambition is one of her most prominent traits; She will do anything to become queen and eventually she does but the thing about Lady Macbeth is that she has a conscience, even though she regards it as a weakness. The regret she feels about convincing her husband kill the king, the representative of God on earth, is eventually her demise. The first appearance of Lady Macbeth is in Act 1 Scene 5. At the beginning of the play she is violent and ambitious. She wants King Duncan dead so she can be the Queen and her husband the king. She craves power and control. Lady Macbeth is extremely controlling and uses any means necessary to eventually achieving her goal of getting her husband to murder the king. She states“, “were you not a man when you broke this enterprise to me”(1,7,47-48). Her ability to manipulate her husband eventually changes his mind and he goes ahead and kills Duncan. Lady Macbeth is willing to lie and compromise her integrity if she can get what she wants. Lady Macbeth questions her husband’s masculinity...
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...that causes suffering" (Popular Quote). People harbour violent thoughts but never act on them, imagine committing acts of revenge, but choose not to behave in a violent way. They may have mean thoughts but choose to act with kindness. This suggests that how we choose to act defines character. Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a dramatic demonstration that proves it is not one's secret thoughts that determine character; it is one's behaviour. If a person submits to their thoughts then they can be destroyed. A person’s actions can have a negative impact ultimately leading to their demise. Macbeth is a character who validates this statement: he has a shallow persona and he is ambitious. However, he has few redeeming qualities to back him up: at the beginning he is portrayed as a heroic man which makes his decline so tragic. Macbeth is also easily manipulated. Macbeth’s character is defined by his negative behaviour which eventually results in his downfall; he acts on his insecurities and his ambition in a violent and ruthless way and chooses to abandon his morals. Many people in life do not have the ability to look beneath the surface of a situation: they have a shallow mindset which affects their ability to see the bigger picture. The character Macbeth is one of these people; he rarely considers the “bigger picture” when dealing with a complicated situation. When the witches reveal, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (I, i, 70), Macbeth is threatened by the prospect of...
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...for the play “Macbeth”, in which Shakespeare spins a web of lies, deceit and treachery as the tragic hero, Macbeth, spurred on by vaulting ambition, overleaps, ultimately leading to his death. Throughout the play, recurrent imageries of clothing, blood and butchery as well as light and darkness are employed, propelling the play to its tragic end. The imagery of blood and butchery is employed when Macbeth is first introduced in the play, gives off the impression of a brave, courageous warrior, who was loyal to his King, and blood carried positive connotations of “valiancy” and other similar virtues, where “his blade smok’d with bloody execution”. However, it becomes clear that Macbeth has darker, more sinister intentions/wants beneath his warrior exterior: his desire to be King, which can be seen through his subscription to the Witches’ prophecy, foretelling that he will be King, and his frequent discussions with Lady Macbeth as they plot to usurp the throne from King Duncan. Blood then becomes a symbol of treachery, such as when Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits to “make thick my blood” and to carry out the murder with no regrets, and in her plan to frame Duncan’s guards with his murder by “smear[ing] the sleepy grooms with blood”. The meaning of blood further descends into guilt, as we observe Lady Macbeth’s slow descend into madness and her suicide that follows. During one of her sleepwalking incidents prior to her death, Lady Macbeth is seen to be...
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...English Macbeth Essay Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a very dark and powerful tragic play. There are many characters in this play that are two faced, loyal one minute, and deceiving the next. One of the individuals who immensely represents these attributes is Macbeth himself. Macbeth is a warrior who is manipulated by his own wife and the three witches which leads him to become a greedy, ambitious and brave king. Ultimately because of his overconfidence, he dies devastatingly. . Macbeth bumped into three witches after his battle. The three witches tell Macbeth he will become thain of cawdor and glamis, and then king. He then becomes the thain which opened up an opportunity for him to become king. He then writes a letter to his wife in which he wrote to her about everything that was going on and she decides they need to kill the king in order for him to seize the throne. Macbeth kills the king but his wife has to return the daggers to the guards, to frame them for the crime, because Macbeth did not. After all that the King Duncans' sons run away becuase they fear that they were gonna be put to blame. Macbeth then becomes king. Once he became king, he did not want anyone else to have the same power as him or to do the same thing to him, as he did to King Duncan. Also he remembers one of the prophecies of the witch where they told Banquo the his children will be king. So he then orders the murderers to kill his best friend, Banquo and his son, Fleance . Macbeth is then...
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...William Shakespeare and Graham Greene both present characters as being both heroes and villains in the tale of the tragedy of Macbeth and the short novel of The Destructors. Greene portrays ordinary people who have both the capacity of good and evil. Macbeth is different as we have the character of Macbeth who isn’t clear cut as good or evil, throughout the novel his character slowly decays into a villain. In Macbeth, the first time being switched from the shadowy world of witches to the physical world of battle we are presented with the characters of Ross and the Captain. Shakespeare uses these characters as devices to provide us with an insight into the character of Macbeth heroism. The Captain, covered in blood describes Macbeth as being...
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...Name] [Course Number] [Date] A comparison between Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Voltaire’s Candide. Introduction. Macbeth and Candide are some of the greatest literary works in history with strong themes that have echoed throughout history and are reviewed to date. They challenged the moral, political and religious affiliations of the times in which they were written. The proficiency with which the works were delivered while different, proved effective at addressing the issues conceptualized by the authors. While Shakespeare chose to deliver his work in the form of plays, Voltaire chose to deliver his as a novel. Candide and Macbeth depict several themes, some of which are common to them and others which differ. Though Shakespeare is famous for his various plays, Candide is widely regarded as Voltaire’s magnum opus. Thesis statement. While Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Voltaire’s Candide both depict a protagonist who is faced with challenges throughout their journey, Candide exhibits personal growth and willingness to change while Macbeth exhibits no real personal growth. Similarities between themes. Power corrupts. This is a major theme that transcends both literary works. In Macbeth, this theme is very evident when Macbeth is approached by the three witches while with Banquo. Their revelation of the future in which he would be named Thane of Cawdor and consequently the king of Scotland, sparks the ambitious ember in Macbeth. This spark is enflamed by the confirmation by king Duncan of...
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