...first speech indicate about his attitude to the witches? Macbeth’s first speech shows that he trusts the witches. 3. Note the conjuration in lines 50-61. What is Macbeth demanding? Macbeth is demanding that the witches obey his orders. 4. Who else does Macbeth demand to see? Macbeth demands to see more about his future. 5. What warning does the first apparition offer? The warning the first apparition offers is to look out for Macduff. 6. What form does the first apparition take? The form of the first apparition is a helmeted head. 7. What do you think...
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...Acton once said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Macbeth by William Shakespeare is the tragic story about the kind of destruction ambition and the struggle for power can cause. Even the noblest of people are corrupted by the idea of power and will do anything to achieve it. Symbolism, irony, foil, theme, and imagery are some of the literary elements and techniques Shakespeare uses to portray Macbeth, the protagonist, as a greedy tyrant willing to sacrifice all others to accomplish his goals. Shakespeare not only represents Macbeth as the protagonist, but also as an antagonist to himself and others in the play. The author characterizes Macbeth at first as an honorable man willing to fight for the freedom of his kingdom. Shakespeare foreshadows to the reader a developing change within Macbeth’s character after his encounter with the Weird Sisters. His convene with the witches arouses in Macbeth the idea of becoming king. The motivation for Macbeth to become king spurs from the prophecies told by the witches in the beginning acts of the play, which were evidently coming true as he gained the title “Thane of Cawdor” as the prophecy stated. Below the surface Macbeth is a melting pot of emotions, which engaged his character in the idea of becoming a supreme ruler undoubtedly causing him to commit shameless acts. The character of Macbeth is usually described as being flawed by ambition, but this interpretation is not...
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...Being Macbeth ENG 125 Instructor: Sahag Gureghian 03/11/2014 Being MacBeth Talk about a difficult read! Macbeth is definitely a difficult read, but it is also a very good read. There is something about the way it is written that has you raising your eyebrow and widening your eyes, as well as, questioning what was just read. Shakespeare used many elements when writing Macbeth. He was able to express each and every idea vividly using the elements. The three elements that I chose to discuss in this essay are foreshadowing, symbolism, and language. The first element that I would like to discuss is foreshadowing. A lot of foreshadowing took place in Macbeth. Clugston defines foreshadowing as “a technique a writer uses to hint or suggest what the outcome of an important conflict or situation in a narrative will be” (2010). Sometimes when foreshadowing is used in Macbeth it is very unclear of what the outcome will be. When you read a certain part and think one thing, Shakespeare uses foreshadowing and the reader is left asking questions and wondering what will happen, and why. In Act 1 Scene 1, the three witches are talking about Macbeth. They are discussing Macbeth’s future during thunder and lightning. I believe that not only does the witches conversation lead the reader to believe that something will happen, but the thunder and lightning also play an important role in what is to come for Macbeth. In scene 3, the witches appear again. This time they are not alone....
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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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...The downfall of Macbeth is most often attributed to either his own ambitions run amok or the influence of his wife's Machiavellian manipulations. The husband and wife work in tandem to bring about the prophecies of the Weird Sisters, and it is Macbeth's hand that does the greater evil deed against Duncan and the only evil against Banqo and MacDuff's family members; in essence the rise of the Macbeths to power is one of shared responsibility. Their downfall is played out on the same road as they travel in opposite directions to and from being responsible for their own fate. The belief in the occult is an element of the play that drives its tragedy; an element that may be lost on modern audiences looking to find motivation for Macbeth's murderous deeds. The belief in prophecy is particularly important in gaining a foothold on understanding the downfall of Macbeth and his Lady. When Macbeth first comes upon the Weird Sister and they roll out the prophecies for both Macbeth and Banquo, and by extension Duncan and his family, more is going on than just a foretelling of the future. The prophecies instill in Macbeth the realization of his dreams, of course, but they also portend that the darkest fears of Macbeth will be realized alongside his dreams. Without Macbeth's unquestioned belief in the occult and acceptance that the Weird Sisters have the power of prophecy, there would be neither a rise nor a fall. If the rise of Macbeth to king can be said to be a combination of belief in...
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...November 2015 Lady Macbeth Character Profile Lady Macbeth has character traits that make her into the cunning, clever and deceptive character that she is. Her traits are often an antithesis to those of her spouse, Macbeth. First off, she is a character that lacks all humanity, as she has no qualms about planning and carrying out murders and evil actions, nor does she care about the people it will affect. An example is when the murder of King Duncan is being plotted, she has no doubt about whether it should happen. This is in sharp contrast to her husband, Macbeth, who is indecisive regarding the matter. Next in order, she is incredibly deceptive, frequently acting as a good, moral person in front of other characters, tricking them into thinking she is their friend or ally. However in reality, she has other, more sinister plans. This harkens back to the witches saying “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” This phrase establishes the theme of reality vs. appearance within the story of Macbeth. For example, when King Duncan arrives at the castle for dinner, Lady Macbeth escorts the monarch in, holding his hand. When doing this, the king thinks that Lady Macbeth is loyal, even though she has plans to murder him later that night, a traitorous act. Thirdly, she is very manipulative, she taunts and torments people into doing things that she wants to be done. For example, when Macbeth has moments of indecision about whether he should murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s masculinity...
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...Macbeth Literary Essay Submitted By: Zachary McGregor May 1st, 2012 I believe that Macbeth is fully responsible for his own destiny because whether or not it was fated, he still chose to do everything he did. We obviously know that Macbeth made some pretty bad decisions over the course of the play. He should be held responsible and forced to pay the consequences of his actions for the following reasons. We know that Macbeth still had the choice of whether or not to murder Duncan, although he was encouraged by the witches’ prophesies and Lady Macbeth he didn’t really have to go through with the murder. We also know that the crimes Macbeth commits are becoming increasingly sinister and evil, as he continues to do these terrible deeds it becomes easier and easier for him to commit them. Finally, Macbeth acknowledges his guilt for the crimes he commits and is therefore fully responsible for his actions. It seems that the witches’ predictions insinuate Macbeth’s desire to become king, however, no one actually forces him to kill Duncan. Even though Macbeth’s decision was most certainly influenced by the witches’ prophesies and Lady Macbeth, he still made the final choice regarding the murder of Duncan which is wrong. Macbeth’s ambition causes him to question his loyalty to the king after hearing the witches’ prophesies. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my shingle state of man that...
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...In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is given his fortunes by three witches. However, he and his wife become obsessed with fulfilling the prophecies out of greed, and begin committing murderous crimes to achieve it. His wife, torn with guilt, commits suicide and Macbeth, filled with false confidence, is beheaded. Feminism creates the persuasion for Macbeth to go through with his deceptive plans where he inevitably meets his fate. How did the role of patriarchal society play in female oppression in Macbeth's time period? Because of the patriarchal society assumption of female insignificance, it sets up undermining capabilities to create a unknown dominance in women. As a result of the time, patriarchal culture presumes weakness unto women, creating an unforeseen influence Lady Macbeth. “Patriarchy defines Lady Macbeth’s intelligence as a flaw and as an indicator that she is unnatural and “unfulfilled” as a woman”(Davis, www.studentpulse.com). For that reason, society creates Lady Macbeth to fall into a negligible classification which ultimately questions Macbeth’s capability. This forces him to later undergo the atrocities. For instance, as a result of Macbeth’s masculinity being inferior to Lady Macbeth, in all it creates Macbeth to believe he is a coward which pushes him further into committing the murderous acts where ironically gives ironically gives Lady Macbeth influential power. “‘We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail...
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...Macbeth’s Scene from Macbeth |Academic Criticism: Art Provide the Title of Your Selection|Academic Criticism: Theater Michael Lynch’s Stage Adaptation | Step 1: Observe|Lady Macbeth was being haunted in her dreams because of what she did. Characterizations were also revealed because it showed Lady Macbeth was not all bad and had thought about what she did.. | Lady Macbeth is wearing a white dress that shows some innocence but her hair is black to show that shehas some darkness in her. The people that are in the corner want to listen to what she was saying while she was sleep walking | The doctor and lady Macbeth are in this scene. There is another woman that is wearing old clothing. The doctor is a woman in this stage adaptation but is described as a male in Shakespeare’s writing. Again, Lady Macbeth is wearing a white dress and has black hair implying her guilt ridden conscience. | Step 2: Question| Why was it chosen for LadyMacbeth’s character to experience such guilt when she was such a cold hearted character in the beginning? How did this contribute to the outcome of the play? | Why was Lady Macbeth in all white? Why was the doctor remaining in the corner instead of helping Lady Macbeth back to her bed? | Why in this adaptation did Lynch have the doctor as a woman and not as a male like the play had portrayed? | Step 3: Analyze| Lady Macbeth starts to feel guilty because it shows the darkness that is slowly goingto start taking over Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s relationship...
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...Holsclaw English IV James Byrd November, 10, 2013 The Witch Trio’s Infamous Chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” and its Relevance to Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth One of the most important lines in the drama The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare originates from one of the last lines in Act I, Scene I. The three witches speak the simple line “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (I: i, 10) shortly before they disperse. This quotation becomes a prophecy as well as an underlying warning foreshadowing the rest of the drama. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (I: i, 10) can be interpreted as saying good is bad and bad is good. The quotation leads the reader to question their standpoint on the good and bad depicted in the drama. This quotation is a major line in the drama because it implies that some of the characters are not who they claim to be. This quotation affects the Witches because although they speak of the future, they do not seem to affect its course. In Macbeth's case, the prophecies serve only to suggest the future, not to affect it. They do not predict that he will commit murder to become king but simply that he will become king. For example, they hail Macbeth as king by saying, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" (I: iii, 50). So furthermore, even if the witches did not exist, Macbeth would still have taken the throne due to fate. When the line comes from the witches, the reader assumes at first that they are speaking plainly. That the line means...
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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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...There are a myriad of ways that the females of the play Macbeth cause various conflicts to occur throughout the plot. It is seen throughout the entire play the conflicts which tear apart friends and the country while the plot continues to develop and the theme of murder shrouds the play. The first conflict that takes place when the witches’ prophesize to Macbeth that he would be not only the Thane of Cowdor but king of Scotland. This triggers an inner conflict within Macbeth. He begins to wonder if he has to commit a heinous crime or if it the title will come with time. It becomes clear to Macbeth that he has to do something insidious when king Duncan announces the successor to the throne, Malcolm. Before hand Macbeth had written a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, stating his new title and what the witches had prophesized. The Lady knew her husband well enough that although he knew what was to past he would never do the things that needed to be done to obtain the throne. She becomes the strength behind Macbeth. That night king Duncan is welcomed into Macbeth’s castle. The inner conflict continues as Macbeth begins to think of all the reasons not to murder the king who had awarded him for his bravery. Then walks in Lady Macbeth who mocks him and questions his manhood. From here on out it becomes character vs. character. Fueled by his wife’s mockery he eagerly accepts when Lady Macbeth proposes a plan to execute the king. Driven by his wife and the hallucinations plaguing him...
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...Macbeth is a man of contemplation and reaction. When the witches tell him the prophecy, he does not believe that he has to do anything to see it come true. Lady Macbeth is a very driven, conniving person who comes to the conclusion that King Duncan must be killed so Macbeth can take the throne. Lady Macbeth is also manipulative and far more intelligent than her husband. She is not so superstitious and guilt-ridden. She like to work to achieve her dreams rather than leave them up to Fate. In the play Macbeth, there are four major behaviors that explain the reactions and demeanour of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are ambition, strength, insanity and guilt. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience those behaviors during the play. However, the behaviors change differently. Macbeth starts out cowardly and weak but then ends out stonger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth, however starts strong and ambitions but becomes reserved and soft. Lady Macbeth is the one in control first. She plans the murder of King Duncan. She questions Macbeth's courage when he gives gives her reasons to not kill the King. She forces him to commit the murderer,which turns him into a murderer. Then after killing Duncan, he shows guilt for his crime, which makes Lady Macbeth take control again. She takes the bloody daggers from him and places them by the drunk guards, to set them up. From this point on, Macbeth slowly takes control of his own actions. He plans out the murder of Banquo and attempts...
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...reality is the fact that it is the main cause of corruption in the world and is often taken advantage of. In William Shakespeare’s work entitled Macbeth, the lust for and corruption by power is clearly portrayed specifically through Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Firstly, the play commences with King Duncan and Macduff socializing about ‘the good and hardy soldier’ Macbeth, who at that point in time is brave and gallant warrior who exhibits loyalty and devotion towards his King. Macbeth and Banquo cross paths with the witches who proceed to prophesize Macbeth’s future, labelling him as the future King of Scotland. This immediately grabs Macbeth’s attention and is the driving force behind the alteration of his mind and wellbeing and he ponders what needs to be done to fulfill such a prophecy to become of a high power. Secondly, it is clear that Macbeth deals with the concept of power within his personal relationship with his wife. Lady Macbeth can be viewed as a sinister figure in the sense that she subdues her feminine qualities to express her dark emotions. The more infatuated Macbeth is with his wife, the stronger her power is “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. . .” (1.5, 40-43) Her power is exercised through the manipulation of Macbeth – she formulates the plan for her husband to murder Duncan as a result of her greedy desire to become...
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...The Prison of Marriage Each morning that we wake up, life presents us with many choices. Some people are conscious of these choices, others are not. Whether one is a college student in search of a major or the man in line at a deli, the opportunity for decision seems solely one’s own. However, the surrounding factors of that person’s life will inevitably affect the decision at hand. Often, without knowing it, we are placed in a role that life, in general, expects us to fulfill. Once we find ourselves in a role, it is difficult to displace ourselves from it, and as a result, we rely on this role to aid us in our decisions. Professor of psychology Philip K. Zimbardo finds that people are obedient in accepting roles assigned by others. Zimbardo’s “Stanford Prison Experiment” discusses male college students placed in a prison experiment and assigned the role of either “prisoner” of “guard.” Zimbardo claims to have “sought to understand more about the process by which people called ‘prisoners’ lose their liberty, civil rights, independence and privacy, while those called ‘guards’ gain social power by accepting the responsibility for controlling and managing the lives of their dependent charges” (365). Zimbardo concludes that the roles of guard and prisoner can be seen in many realms of life. Zimbardo suggests that sexism, racism, and shyness are, for many people, prisons of the mind. Furthermore, Zimbardo feels that marriage can be described as a prison: The physical institution...
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