...Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the light of the relationship between gender and power. Defend your answer. In Macbeth a very important theme is that of morality. This means the difference between good and bad. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as being the “bravest” soldier and for being an honorable thane. We see Macbeth as being a man with morals who fights for good reasons and in honor of the king of Scotland. However as the play implies, who is “fair is foul and foul is fair,” (Act 1, Scene 1) meaning that appearance can be differing from reality. Gender and power are two topics that are shown in detail in the drama of Macbeth. With regards to gender, throughout the play we encounter how man has to have no morals at all and how man should have no remorse on the actions they do. In fact Lady Macbeth tries to be unsexed from a woman to be as strong as men: “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; Stop up the access and passage to remorse” (Act 1 Scene 5). Even though Macbeth never says it out loud, Macbeth in the beginning did care about his morality and about doing right and not wrong. In fact he wasn’t sure about killing Duncan but when Lady Macbeth questioned his manhood, he decided to be a man. However we then see that after Duncan’s murder the guilt kills his sleep and thus he realized in doing wrong. But throughout the play, Macbeth is deceived...
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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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...Macbeth Journal Entry # 9 Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in at the end of the unit. “Dispute it like a man.” “I shall do so; / but I must also feel it as a man…” “Let grief / convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it.” 1. Write these quotes at the top of your entry and identify the speakers. 2. Respond to the three quotes above. Use the questions below as guides, but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8. Remember, as always, journals are informal, so content is much more important than grammar. a. Do you blame Macduff for abandoning his family? Why or why not? b. Compare this opinion of “manhood” to Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s view from earlier in the play. Which is more familiar? Explain any connections you see between your view of manhood and the two from the play. c. How is the theme of revenge portrayed through the play? Positively? Negatively? Necessary? Unnecessary? When is revenge warranted? How is a “man” supposed to handle his grief? Do the two speakers agree? d. Who is the “bigger man” Macduff, who wants to stand and fight, but weeps for the loss of his family, or Macbeth who, despite initial misgivings, is guided by his ambition for money and power despite the consequences? Macbeth Journal Entry # 9 Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in at the end of the unit. “Dispute it like a man.” “I shall do so; / but I must also feel it as a man…” “Let grief...
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...Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s. When the play was written is relevant because it is during a time of transition in England. The play focuses on the “hero” Macbeth and his quest for power. Macbeth is helping win the war for King Duncan. Three witches appear and tell Macbeth that he will become King of Scotland, and that Banquo’s descendants shall be kings. The duo is suspicious of the witches until the previous Thane of Cawdor is found to be a traitor, therefore, Duncan places Macbeth in his place. While the King sleeps, Macbeth murders King Duncan and frames the guards. Macbeth, fearing his descendants will lose the throne, sends assassins to kill Banquo and his son. The assassins kill Banquo, but his son, Fleance, escapes. The witches tell Macbeth that no natural born man...
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...“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton). Throughout history, it is prevalent that the more power one desires, the more corrupt they become. This is due to the fact that the wish to attain power eventually overtakes one’s ability to have a clear conscience. Corrupt rulers will do whatever it takes to remain in control. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, utilizes psychoanalysis to portray how the Macbeths’ 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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...Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s untamed morals cause destruction while their ambitions go unchecked. Macbeth is normally not inclined to commit evil deeds however Lady Macbeth is ambitious. Macbeth wants power however he is “too full o’the milk of human kindness” (act 1, scene 5, line 18) and needs help from Lady Macbeth in order for him to gain absolute power. Macbeth deeply desires power. The need for power motivates Macbeth to commit these evil deeds. However another obstacle is in Macbeth’s path to greatest power when King Duncan names his son Malcolm after “the Prince of Cumberland.” (Act 1, scene 4, line 39). King Duncan names his son the heir expectant to the throne which worries Macbeth. In addition to seeing Malcolm and King Duncan to a...
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...Animal Farm Comparative Essay Rebellion, gluttony, and manipulation are all common themes when it comes to the struggle for power. Animal farm by George Orwell, a book which all of these take place is remarkably similar to the Crucible by Arthur Miller and Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Animal farm, The Crucible, and Macbeth are all written similarly and revolve around the same themes, such that many characters in Animal Farm and Macbeth portray similar characteristics. Animal Farm and The Crucible share common themes and conflicts. In all three books the structure of peoples values change drastically for a turn for the worst. These novels and play all follow popular foundations of literature which revolve around inner evil, the addiction to power, and the loss and regaining of self-identity. Animal farm and Macbeth’s antagonists, Napoleon and Macbeth portray similar characteristics. Napoleon and Macbeth both share important roles in their respective books in that they directly influence and change the fate of many. The two power hungry tyrants go to an extreme to achieve their goals but in two very different ways. Napoleon a more cunning character abuses his superior intellect to deceive the other ignorant farm animals in order to gain power. Through Machiavellian methods he slowly begins to take over the farm by convincing the animals to be more reliant on him, ultimately making his self-proclamation of leader a reality “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon...
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...In Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 1606, the text portrays power to be all consuming. This is shown through the themes of freewill vs fate, violence and tyranny and the supernatural vs natural. Macbeth follows Macbeth, who at the beginning is the protagonist, until power consumes his mind, leading him to do evil deeds and turning into the antagonist. The supernatural play a big part in Macbeth since they are the reason in motivating Macbeth’s desire for power. When Macbeth falls upon the witches, they say, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor,” (1.3.50) prophesising his fate as king. This is just the beginning of his desire for power since all the series of events that occur after this are due to his need to seize power....
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...Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero by Aristotle’s standards, in that all five of the established tragic traits are applicable to Macbeth’s character (a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis). The narrative of Macbeth follows the timeless trajectory of a tragedy; Macbeth comes from a place of serendipity, and over the course of events, finds himself plummeting into defeat as a character. Through critical analysis of Macbeth’s core traits compared to the core traits of a tragedy, it becomes apparent Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his tragedy and his downfall as an individual, because it was his own hubris which drove him to bring about the prophecy he heard. To acknowledge this fully, one must first simply observe both the actions of Macbeth and the core elements crucial to a tragic hero, as according to Aristotle for the sake of consistency in a historical theme of narrative. Aristotle’s traits of a tragic hero are as follows: a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis. To begin with, the first element of a tragedy we are faced with in Macbeth is of being of a noble...
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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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...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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...Name Institution Professor Date Macbeth: Character and Synopsis Review At the start of the Shakespearean play “Macbeth” the character Macbeth; also, the protagonist features a dichotomy in strength and weakness. This is though conformity that several characters in the play are emotionally unstable and tortured. Macbeth, like other characters, has his mind pulled in to conflicting directions consequential to compelling desires, obligations, ambitions, and desires. Three attributes that cause a strain in Macbeths life are ambition, self-doubt, and bravely. Shakespeare uses Macbeth in showing how personal ambitions and guilt terribly affect people who lack a strong personality. The aforementioned three attributes illustrate the struggle for mastery of Macbeth through the play. We first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captain’s description of his battle boldness hence get an impression that he is a capable brave warrior. His nobility and rank are valuable aspects that make him seem fit for his status. However, his encounter with three witches provokes a deep impatient ambition. Soon after the first prophecy on being Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth gets a nasty image of the murder of King Duncan in his mind. This would open a room for him to assume the throne (Bloom 8). Macbeth is though not solely and ambitious as seen in his fright of the murder image that thoroughly defiles his loyalty. Macbeth is portrayed as deeply thinking about being the king. He is though undecided whether...
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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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...John Steinbeck once said, “Power does not corrupt, Fear corrupts… Perhaps the fear of loss of power.” What this quote means is that having power isn’t what turns you evil, the thought of your power being stripped from you is what makes people turn evil and cold. I agree with this quote a hundred percent because it has happened a whole bunch of times in history and of course the imagination of authors otherwise known as novels. Ranging from Macbeth to Zeus or present life, there has always been corruption wherever there has been the fear of power being stripped. No matter what type of power you hold, it will most likely turn you corrupt when competition starts to kick in. Macbeth was a general who was approached by a trio of witches that predicted he would be the king of Scotland. After being told this, the thought of him being in possession of great power consumed him and caused him to pursue the power that the witches predicted he would have. The only way he believed he could pursue power was to kill the competition, in other words, the leading men to the throne. Macbeth was afraid of dying before he became king so his only option was to kill everyone else who came before and after him so he can hold the spot of the king for a large amount of time. After assassinating King Duncan, he was...
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...Shakespeare’s Macbeth, symbolizes a common theme found in English literature: the effect of the supernatural. The supernatural is constantly exploited by authors to develop their plot. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the supernatural is something “belonging to a realm or system that transcends nature, as that of divine, magical, or ghostly being.” As well as William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys utilize the supernatural in their books Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea, respectively, to affect the amount of power each character has the ability to attain. No matter the gain or loss of power, the supernatural...
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