...As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the only characters that are aware of the Monarch’s murder, the audience is indorsed in this knowledge. This engrosses an element of suspense upon the audience, which leads to a more intimate link between the audience and the narrative. The above passage is the epitome of the horrors that circulate the death of King Duncan. The tone is set with the utterance ‘from this instant there’s nothing serious in mortality’, hence the wine of life is drawn, that is; the blood of the corpse that lay is void of zest and meaning – ‘grace is dead’. This very moment is paramount in Shakespeare’s dialogue: it represents the moment at which the psyche of Macbeth is at its most vulnerable; within moments of fulfilling his deed to murder the king, his attitude is confused – ironically,...
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...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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...To what extent is Macbeth responsible for his own downfall? Macbeth is a universal text and is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, when we talk about Macbeth’s downfall it is both the downfall of the single state of man and the downfall of his wider social relations, these being Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff’s family and ultimately Scotland. Aristotle says that ‘tragedy is the imitation of an action’ he is talking about an action or a motive that governs the protagonist’s life. A tragedy is commonly known as a story or play that ends with a negative or unfortunate outcome that was essentially unavoidable, usually caused by a flaw in the central character’s personality. Although it is established that Macbeth is a tragedy, there are differences in audience response to tragedy. The audience of Elizabethan times saw tragedy as the destruction of the Great Chain of Being and the danger to the order and stability of the state. The Great Chain of being is conception of the hierachical order of the universe; Elizabethan audiences believed that a bond linked all things in the universe. They saw Macbeth as a tragedy because the rightful ruler of Scotland was killed which lead to Scotland being lead by an evil King. Contemporary audiences see Macbeth as a tragedy because of the psychological destruction of a man, and the crises caused by this man. Macbeth shows the journey of a tragic hero, Macbeth has the traits of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle: nobility, hamartia...
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...forced to become. This also shows us that she is a disturbed character since she is unclear about her own feelings but she feels them very violently. This is similar in the novel ‘Great Expectations’ by Dickens which also presents the character of Miss Havisham as disturbed by describing her dress as ‘faded and yellow’. This use of colour tells us that just like her wedding dress, Miss Havisham has become old. Dickens uses his narrator to show how he sees Havisham in his eyes. He describes her as a ‘skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress’ which shows how long she has stayed in her wedding dress. Both Salome and Lady Macbeth use enjambment to show the continuation of their thoughts. In Salome she says: “I knew I’d feel better For tea, dry toast, no butter,” Which implies that she is erratic and isn’t able to structure her thoughts. In Lady Macbeth’s Soliloquy, she says: “Or art thou but A dagger of the mind,” which suggests that she excited about killing...
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...between Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. 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...
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...chose legends and events in Scottish history to dramatise Macbeth, which he uses from the "Holinshed's chronicles around 1050 AD", that he alters and manipulates these freely to portray Macbeth's loyalty and then his destruction...
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...King James believed himself to be a descendent of Banquo, therefore he was written to be a noble, wise and regal man whose good qualities tended to make some of the other characters, particularly Macbeth, envy him. King James 1 considered himself to be an expert on witchcraft, he wrote a book which stated that witches made a pact with the devil, so including the evil ways of the witches and showing them to be dark creatures that turn good loyal men into murderers would have pleased the King as that is how he viewed them himself. If you continue to look into Macbeth’s character, he starts to spiral out of control very quickly. He starts to fear betrayal, which is extremely ironic considering the amount he has already betrayed his king and his country. “But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo, stick deep; and in his royalty of nature.” Macbeth is worrying whether he can trust Banquo because of him witnessing Macbeth’s conversation with the witches; this is the point where Macbeth decides that it would be easier to kill...
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...lust for power ultimately leads to their downfall. To begin, Macbeth’s thirst for power commences upon hearing the Witches’ prophecy. The Third Witch proclaims, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51). Macbeth and his companion, Banquo, find this prophecy of being king absurd to the point of being funny. Yet Macbeth secretly...
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...be a 'brave' 'warlord' as he shows the gory battle scene in which Macbeth "unseam'd him from the nave to th'chaps" which is what a captain says of him. Macbeth's bravery is perceived using animal imagery, "as sparrows, eagles, or the hare, the lion" at the start of the play as he has won victory for Scotland. King Duncan, the king of Scotland, rewards Macbeth for his courage by giving him the title 'Thane of Cawdor’; but what is ironic about this is that the title first belonged to one who was "a most disloyal traitor". However even though Macbeth is perceived that way that is later changed as he is a noble hero who's fatal flaw - his vaulting ambition - brings about his downfall. -LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE INTO NEEDS TO BE COPIED IN- * FIRST BANQUET SCENE NEEDS TO BE COPIED IN – Act 2, Scene 2 – Polanski begins this scene with dog’s barking whilst howls hoot throughout to set the tone and has Lady Macbeth’s face half in light, half in dark representing her dual personality. Shakespeare doesn’t show the actual murder scene because the build-up was tense enough so he felt there wasn’t a need to but also because Elizabethan theatres had no curtains so staging would have been difficult. In the Polanski adaptation, as Macbeth makes his way towards the chambers he is greeted by hallucinations which signals yet another soliloquy “Is this a dagger which I see before me”,...
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...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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...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 not restrain himself. Lady Macbeth suddenly faints, and both...
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...Audrey J. Johnson Shakespeare Prof. Clair Berger William Shakespeare, Timeless Psychologist William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is considered the premiere playwright of the English language. His works have survived the passage of time, been studied by both young students and academic scholars, and produced many phrases still used in modern times. Shakespeare’s impact on English is so prolific, in fact, that many people quote lines without being aware they are using expressions coined by England’s favorite bard. Shakespeare wrote histories based on the British monarchs, light comedies with romantic plots and happy endings, and heavy tragedies with dark plots that ended abruptly and unhappily. The true genius of William Shakespeare, however, is in wordplay and his ability to comprehend the human condition. His works discuss such universal themes as love, ambition, jealousy, anger, despair, grief, and death – emotions common to people in all generations and still relevant today. Love is the first and strongest of human emotions. It is the glue that holds human family and relationship together; it’s the ultimate emotion. Sometimes, however, those who are perfect for one another are unable to see the compatibility of their own union. Well-matched characters Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing need a nudge in the right direction. Beatrice is sharp-tongued and has no intention of marrying because a prior relationship with rapier-witted Benedick has left her...
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...An example of dramatic irony exists in Act 1, scene 4 when King Duncan said, “O worthiest cousin, The sin of my ingratitude even now was heavy on me. Thou art so far before That swiftest wing of recompense is slow To overtake thee”(Shakespeare.1.4.33). This soliloquy gives the reader the understanding that Duncan has complete trust in Macbeth. This is a form of dramatic irony because during the time that Duncan said this, the audience already knew that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have planned to kill him. The idea of Macbeth killing Duncan for the purpose of becoming king proves that negative ambition will create chaos. The second reason of how negative ambition creates chaos within Macbeth is the idea of situational irony. Situational irony is an event that occurs which directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the readers or the audience. An example of situational irony within the play was when Macbeth killed Duncan because he believes he will enjoy the power and wealth of being king, yet he finds he cannot enjoy being king at all. After killing Duncan the expectation was to enjoy the...
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...probably commands the loyalty of the army, which would be a powerful tool if he were ever disagreeing with the king. The king is trying to avoid a situation like that by hinting that he is going to do more things for him, so that Macbeth will wait and see what he does before taking matters into his own hands. Duncan also think that Macbeth loves him and would only do something like that as a last resort, showing his naivety again of Macbeth’s character, and specially him underestimation of lady Macbeth. In a soliloquy, Macbeth begins to think about the practicalities, showing his real intent to go through with it. “If it were done, when it’s done, then here well if it were done quickly.” Here Macbeth admits that he does want to kill Duncan, but also realises that he must take his chances while he can to avoid getting caught, or him missing his opportunity and never getting the chance to become king. He says this, so that the audience know what he is going to do it that night, so it builds the suspense. He still uses the word “if” indicating that Lady Macbeth has persuaded him to do it. Lady Macbeth was confident that she could persuade him earlier in scene 6, and now the audience would see that it has worked, and it would reinforce their view of how devious, and manipulative she is. Additionally, Curley’s wife is seen only as a possession of Curley, rather like a trophy wife. The fact that Steinbeck writers the characters as never once...
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...From being informed of the prophecies in Act 1 Scene 3 it takes him just 6 scenes to commit the regicide of King Duncan, although a massive factor the witches weren’t the only reason Macbeth was convinced to go ahead with the murder, after being convinced by Lady Macbeth he says ‘‘I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other’ which shows that Macbeth has a drive to become king. This quote highlights that Macbeth, although he has a yearning to become King, still knows the difference between right and wrong as he refers to a spur (which was used to control a horse) pricking to the sides of his intent meaning that his moral conscience was challenging his integrity. The fact that this passage is a soliloquy adds to the reliability of the quote as it is certain that the words spoken by Macbeth are his own thoughts. By Shakespeare using the word ‘vaulting’ we see that his desire to become king is extreme, this scene is used to create a further dislike for the character of Macbeth because committing regicide would’ve been seen a...
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