...Macbeth Analysis Brian Williams English 125 Melissa Edison April 22, 2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth Character Analysis Macbeth: At the start of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, Macbeth the main character is the "bravest" soldier and the honorable Thane of Glamis. His rank and nobility are of great value, and he seems to be fit for his status. But his encounter with the witches awakens in him a deep impatient ambition. Immediately after the first prophecy of being Thane of Cawdor becomes true the "horrid image" of the murder of King Duncan in order to become king himself crosses his mind. He is not totally cold and solely ambitious as shown by his terror of the murder image, which thoroughly defies his loyalty. There is love in Macbeth as shown by his letter to Lady Macbeth in which he calls her his "dearest partner of greatness." Macbeth is already thinking about being king but he is undecided about whether it is better to succumb to the temptation presented by the witches or to wait for Fate to crown him. Banquo warns him that at times evil forces "tell us truths . . . to betray's in deepest consequence." Even though he does not state it out loud, Macbeth does care about morality and religion, as demonstrated in his soliloquy (act 1 scene 4 line 12-28) where he lists the three reasons why he should not kill Duncan: he is "his kinsman," "his subject" and "his host." Macbeth adds that "Duncan hath born his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels." Lady Macbeth knows her husband and feels that he is "too full o'...
Words: 1287 - Pages: 6
...the beginning of the play macbeth seemed normal without any signs of a mental unstability. But throughout play, Macbeth started to hallucinate and things turned for the worst with ultimately influenced the outcomes of events in the play. Many actions by Macbeth lead him to his ultimate declining mental state. The play starts out with Macbeth and Banquo meeting three witches. The three witches plays a huge role in this play because without the witches prophecies,...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...the beginning of the play Macbeth is the "bravest" soldier and the honorable Thane of Glamis. His rank and nobility are of great value, and he seems to be fit for his status. But his encounter with the witches awakens in him a deep impatient ambition. Immediately after the first prophecy of being Thane of Cawdor becomes true the "horrid image" of the murder of King Duncan in order to become king himself crosses his mind. He is not totally cold and solely ambitious as shown by his terror of the murder image, which thoroughly defies his loyalty. There is love in Macbeth as shown by his letter to Lady Macbeth in which he calls her his "dearest partner of greatness." Macbeth is already thinking about being king but he is undecided about whether it is better to succumb to the temptation presented by the witches or to wait for Fate to crown him. Banquo warns him that at times evil forces "tell us truths . . . to betray's in deepest consequence." Even though he does not state it out loud, Macbeth does care about morality and religion, as demonstrated in his soliloquy (I, IV, 12-28) where he lists the three reasons why he should not kill Duncan: he is "his kinsman," "his subject" and "his host." Macbeth adds that "Duncan hath born his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels." Lady Macbeth knows her husband and feels that he is "too full o' th' milk of human kindness." To counter this she accuses Macbeth of being a coward if he...
Words: 1629 - Pages: 7
...presumptuous tone in Macbeth’s dialogue through diction in order to portray how Macbeth had put on airs due to his skewed perspectives. His arrogance is rooted deep early on in his talk of “duties” (I.iv.24) when addressing a king, who ranks higher in status, yet he finds it in him to remind the “highness” of his “part” without fear of going out of line (I.iv.23). A king is of God’s choosing, yet the word choice of “duties” is used when talking about the king and is used again when talking about himself within the same line, who is below him as a thane (I.iv.24). It suggests that Macbeth does not take into account of the king’s ties to heaven, and sees him only as a man that has obligations as well as the next man,...
Words: 798 - Pages: 4
...This article is a general summary with a miniscule emphasis on the characters that reside in Macbeth. Amanda covers the main intentions of each character from the dark and impulsive actions of Macbeth ending towards the wickedness of the witches. This article is generally captivating of the mentalities of the differing characters and how each one relates to one another. This article is just a general summary on the basis of the main characters but goes into a shallow-deep intricate detail covering morbidity and uses of colorful wording. The article itself was obviously intended for those looking to read Macbeth or those who have yet to read it as it is more of an alongside critique. Mallibard, Amanda “Biblical Imagery in Macbeth” 20 Nov. 2001...
Words: 253 - Pages: 2
...Because we first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captain’s account of his battlefield valor, our initial impression is of a brave and capable warrior. This perspective is complicated, however, once we see Macbeth interact with the three witches. We realize that his physical courage is joined by a consuming ambition and a tendency to self-doubt—the prediction that he will be king brings him joy, but it also creates inner turmoil. These three attributes—bravery, ambition, and self-doubt—struggle for mastery of Macbeth throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. We may classify Macbeth as irrevocably evil, but his weak character separates him from Shakespeare’s great villains—Iago in Othello, Richard III in Richard III, Edmund in King Lear—who are all strong enough to conquer guilt and self-doubt. Macbeth, great warrior though he is, is ill equipped for the psychic consequences of crime. Before he kills Duncan, Macbeth is plagued by worry and almost aborts the crime. It takes Lady Macbeth’s steely sense of purpose to push him into the deed. After the murder, however, her powerful personality begins to disintegrate, leaving Macbeth increasingly alone. He fluctuates between fits of fevered action, in which he plots a series of murders to secure his throne, and moments of terrible guilt (as when Banquo’s ghost appears) and absolute pessimism (after his wife’s death, when he seems...
Words: 443 - Pages: 2
...Humans often wear disguises to hide their flaws. Shakespeare uses literary devices in his works to convey this statement. Shakespeare’s Macbeth has three quotes used to emphasize the idea, with the first being from the opening scene. Shakespeare uses the chiastic sentence “[f]air is foul, foul is fair” as one way to state his message. Sometimes one’s appearance does not reflect their personality. A beautiful person may have a rotten personality while an unattractive person may have a great one. One cannot judge someone purely by looks as people may be different internally. Secondly, the quote can allude to a decision being made when the right decision is the opposite of what one wants, which makes the decision foul. Secondly, through the...
Words: 257 - Pages: 2
...the passing of King Duncan: Lady Macbeth, the witches and obviously, Macbeth himself. Right off the bat, I believe that Lady Macbeth was tremendously to fault. We see that both husband and wife are very determined and plan to accomplish a great deal. Macbeth and Lady macbeth are very close to one another and they trust each other. He educates her straight away of his gathering with the witches through a letter in which he likewise calls her his 'dearest partner of greatness'. This demonstrates to us that they are close and are accomplices or associates in all things. When Lady Macbeth peruses the letter, she starts imagining and makes arrangements to accomplish...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...Even though Lady Macbeth seems very put together and strong, she seems to possess symptoms of the diseases Schizophrenia, Depression and Anxiety Disorder- Obsessive Compulsive because she can be very disturbing, obsessive and restless, it can make her seem irrational and difficult to talk to and she also shows symptoms of delusions, disorganization and having hallucinations. First, Lady Macbeth is very strong, bold, and fearful woman. She portrays the disease Schizophrenia very well because in the play she does have a suicidal thought which is actually how she ended up killing herself and being found in Act 5 (Shakespeare 214-289). Other symptoms that come along with Schizophrenia are delusions, hallucinations and disorganized thinking. She can talk in long speeches and not even think about what she is saying. She can go on and rant about killing and having power without realizing her actions or how far they can go. Also, she hears things like she would think someone is in the house or that she can hear voices. Most of the time that isn’t even the case, it could be due to the disease. Delusional was what she was, once they finally got power she couldn’t even enjoy it because apparantely she got sick and started sleep walking and doing suspicious things. Such as, saying...
Words: 908 - Pages: 4
...where all the questions are answered and loose ends are tied, providing a clear ending. ACT in the play ACT 1 First 2 scenes Rising action: ACT 2, 3rd scene - Act 3, 3rd scene Climax: ACT 3, 3rd scene Falling Action: ACT 3, 4th scene Resolution: ACT 3 Last scenes ! ! ! ! ! ! Event ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Text support MACBETH. Your children shall be kings. BANQUO. You shall be king. MACBETH. And Thane of Cawdor too; went it not so? Ring the alarum bell:—murder and treason! Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake! Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit, And look on death itself! up, up, and see The great doom's image! Malcolm! Banquo! As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites To countenance this horror! royal master's murder'd! MACBETH. Thou canst not say I did it: never shake Thy gory locks at me. Why is it important to the story? I think that this is one of the most important scenes in the story because this i where Macbeth gets that idea that he could be king. That idea gives the plot of the story. ACT 1, scene 3 When Macbeth meets the weird sisters, and they tell him their prophecy. Act 2 When they find the body of King Duncan, and wake the village. This is the Rising action of the play, the king is dead and they had to try and find who killed him. The...
Words: 406 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...After the hurly-burly was done and over, Lady Macbeth was the real tyrant. Behind her poised cover she was revealed to be a malicious, power hungry woman. Almost immediately after she received the news of Macbeth’s future, she begs the unworldly spirits to let her have the willpower to carry out the deeds she had in mind. She manipulates Macbeth into his demise so she could become a queen. Despite the fact she is barely consulted throughout the play, Lady Macbeth is what drove the plot into action. When we first see Lady Macbeth, she is plotting the murder of King Duncan. While reading the letter from her husband she remains in awe of every possibility that could come about if the prophecy was fulfilled. If she was to be even greater than she was, she knows she has to spill blood to get her there. Upon seeing Macbeth, she states in a vindictive tone, “The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan.” (I.v). As soon as she gets a glimpse of power she immediately wants Duncan slain. Disregarding all doubts, even her own, she begins to plot out when and how her rise to power will come about....
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...marginal costs. I also learned that the only way a decision will be made is if the benefits outweigh the costs. The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, and the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding have many things in common, especially the use of how fear does not actually force certain decisions to be made. Although many people will contend that the beast and the witches in Lord of the Flies and Macbeth caused the irrational decisions to be made, in reality it was Macbeth and the children on the island that made their...
Words: 806 - Pages: 4
...Upon being introduced to Macbeth, he is portrayed as a war hero turned evil by his ambitious desires and greed. His wife Lady Macbeth is described as a power-hungry woman whose evil thoughts and cruel desires have earned her the reputation of a woman too masculine to fit the description of the fragile, gentle beings that women in those times were thought to be. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth is seemingly blamed for corrupting her once honorable husband. It has been argued that Lady Macbeth convincing her husband to commit murders for power is the sole root of all of their problems. Alternatively, some might believe that Macbeth already had the desire for power, and that Lady Macbeth simply gave him the last bit of motivation he needed. I’d like to propose a different perspective, that neither Macbeth nor his lady are evil or ill-natured, but suffering from a crippling mental illness...
Words: 891 - Pages: 4
