...sleepiness, and urination. He adds that drink also “provokes and unprovokes” lechery—it inclines one to be lustful but takes away the ability to have sex (2.3.27). Macbeth enters, and Macduff asks him if the king is awake, saying that Duncan asked to see him early that morning. In 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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...MACBETH Written task: Suicide Note My dearest husband and honourable king, As I sit here, overthinking our actions, I write you this letter. I want you to know I feel nothing but love for you and I feel remorse for everything I caused. I have tried to express my feelings for you many times before, but the letters have not been sufficient. Ashamed for my actions I have been wandering the castle, half asleep and half awake. I have been thinking of what to tell you and even more so how to tell you. I feel that the doctor might believe I have gone mad, but I have merely been worrying about our past, present and future. In the past, I was not been able to oversee the consequences of my actions, and I have therefore caused many conflicts. Those conflicts did not only affect you and me, but also people around us. Banquo was once a true friend of yours, a companion in your time of need and at times of war. But all the greed for power drove us to the end, causing us to take his life as well. Before I did not see you as that much of a man but our, and especially my, greet for power drove us to the limit. It changed you not only into a king and into a man, but also into a stronger warrior. Someone that is able to take care of his wife, and his nation. You are my king, my sole king and I hope God can forgive you and me for what we have done to get there. I have pushed you to do the impossible, and I believe our good Lord will forgive us, but for now I am not able to live with myself...
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...MACBETH: ACT I SCENE I The opening scene is important in establishing a mood or atmosphere for the audience. The scene is set in an open space, a place removed from the ordinary business of men and the unusual social rules. The weather is extravagant and hostile. The ‘fog and filthy air’ suggests unusual darkness and healthiness. The conversation of the witches isn't how ordinary men speak; the use of rhymes is a feature of the witches’ speech throughout the play, it intensifies a sense of incantation, of magical charms. ‘When the battles lost and won’ and ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ a paradox is offered. What are opposites for us seem to be interchangeable for the witches. The details of the opening urges our imagination to sense a confusion of the usual human order, a reverse of human values, a world of darkness and foulness, a sinister challenge to ordinary goodness. Noble values of goodness and beauty are reversed in the threatening and confusing atmosphere of ‘fog and filthy air’. They seem to know the outcome of the battle before the battle is over. The opening creates a worrying vacuum in which evil can flourish. SCENE II Shakespeare seems particularly interested in depicting heroic soldiers such as Macbeth whose undoubted valour on the battlefield is tragically no help to them in other kinds of situations. The military alarum is a contrast to the thunder and lightning of the first scene, the play shifts from the wide world of the witches...
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...In Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth, the protagonist, first exhibits the characteristics of greatness. He performs with honor on the battlefield and receives admiration not only from the men who serve under his lead but also from the virtuous king he fights to protect. This Macbeth exudes confidence, virtue, and bravery–opposite of the Macbeth who utters the words of the dagger soliloquy (2.1.63-65). As Macbeth moves on the decision made at the end of the soliloquy, the rapid deterioration of his character can be seen through the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and the Macduff family. First of all, the death of King Duncan hit Macbeth the hardest to me out of all his murders because he was still freaked out about it and didn’t...
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...Abd Elabd Mrs.Johnson-Smith English 3 AP, 2nd Period April 18, 2016 Macbeth Monologue Explication, 1.3.140-55 Macbeth begins this monologue by proclaiming that, thus far, two of the witches’ prophecies are truth - himself being Thane of Glamis and becoming Thane of Cawdor -, and that both lead toward the manifestation of the third prophecy: Macbeth becoming king. Next, comes an aside in which Macbeth thanks Ross and Angus for delivering the King’s message to Macbeth. Macbeth then returns to his original speech and notes that this prophecy cannot be good, but cannot be bad either (an allusion to the “fair is foul and foul is fair” theme of the play). He wonders: how could a prophecy that promises him so much success be evil or bad? At the same time, how could a “good” prophecy conjure so many evil thoughts in his head of murdering King Duncan (implied) and stepping to the throne himself?...
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...Tragedy of Macbeth, ambition is shown Lady Macbeth as she encourages her husband Macbeth to kill Duncan and become king. Macbeth’s ambition to become king would have made him become king. However, it is important to note that his ambition to become king comes directly from the three witches. Macbeth’s ambition was amplified by Lady Macbeth as she strongly encouraged him. Lady Macbeth was written by Shakespeare with bad ambition. This becomes obvious as the book progressively goes on. Lady Macbeth ambition because so strong that she even unsexes herself “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.” (1.5.31-34). Lady Macbeth climaxes when she talks in...
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...In scene five, through a character perspective, Lady Macbeth discovers the prophecies about Macbeth, and she reveals her manipulative plans to accomplish her goal for Macbeth to become king . Thus, she exposes the different sides of her personality. As seen in the line “What thou art promis’d yet do I fear thy nature” where Lady Macbeth notes her husband’s lack of ambition to fulfill the prophecy, Lady Macbeth’s narrative does not follow the traditional iambic pentameter used in the play. This showcases her character as going insane, and this continues throughout the scene. Through a sudden, unreliable voice, Lady Macbeth remembers her social status and displays a different side of her when talking to the attendant. Therefore, she quickly transitions...
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...Macbeth - the Role of the Three Witches The witches in Macbeth reveal human weakness, heighten the tension, and foreshadow things to come, but they do not control Macbeth or anyone else in the play. The only power they have is their ability to reinforce an idea and to cause temptation that was already in his head. Hectate suggests that they do not have the power to make him do the evil and mischief that they desire him to do, nor do they need that power. Macbeth is fully capable of doing all the mischief and evil on his own without the witches. The witches control Macbeth by physical and/or emotional force. Fear and threats, rewards and praise work to control others. These ideas work to different degrees on different people. So much of what is called control depends on the person that is being controlled. For example, Macbeth was easy to control because he thought that the witches had foretold the future but in reality, they brought an idea to the attention of Macbeth. The promise of a throne may send some people to their knees while others will take to their heels. When the witches hold out their promises to Macbeth the only reason they can manipulate him is because they have a knowledge of his ambition and his need for power. In the end this was all they needed to know and to be sure of. They may try to manipulate, but they do not need to control. The character flaws that Macbeth has, will be enough to fill their needs. It is interesting to note that the witches do not...
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...character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are many factors which contribute to the degeneration of Macbeth of which three will be discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth's degeneration are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character degenerates from a noble man to violent individual. The prophecies which were told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed to the degeneration of his character. If it had not been for the witches telling him that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. As a result of the prophecies, this aroused Macbeth's curiosity of how he could be King of Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches prophecies. Shakespeare uses the witches as a remedy for Macbeth's curiosity which corrupts his character. The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his degeneration of character. Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an important...
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...One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death ("foul"). Furthermore, Lady Macbeth's orchestration of the murder exemplifies the twisted atmosphere in Inverness. Both a woman and a host, she should be the model of grace and femininity. She is described, however, as a "fiendlike queen" (Act...
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...Lady Macbeth found via Google - not my own work In typical Shakespearean tragedies, female main characters aren't always treated brilliantly. In Hamlet, Ophelia goes down the "I shall obey, my lord" route. In Othello, Desdemona goes down the "To you I am bound" route. Yet in Macbeth, this isn't quite the case. The most important female figure is Lady Macbeth, a cunning and manipulative woman who is associated with the supernatural. Instantly it can be argued that Lady Macbeth fits in with the later idea of certain Gothic women being 'sinister predators', or 'femme fatales'. | Dame Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth | Lady Macbeth has been the subject of much debate for hundreds of years. Her role in the play is incredibly important and she is the subject of various interpretations. Her first appearance in the play is in act one, scene five. She opens by reading Macbeth's letter; instantly this seems to present her as a typical Shakespearean woman (when I say typical, I mean typical in terms of main female characters in tragedies being passive), since her first words are that of her husband's, as though she is bound to him. Then she stops reading the letter, and we start to realise that she isn't at all typical. She instantly states that Macbeth will be "what thou art promised", which shows a determination and strength of will that we may not have been expecting. She goes on to criticise her husband's nature, since he is "too full o'th'milk of human kindness". A wife...
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...Macbeth at the start of the play At the start of the play, Macbeth is a good man who knows his place. He is a loyal servant of the King. God appoints the King to rule. If the King rules well, then his subjects will love him and he will reward their love with gratitude and generosity. This is the ideal state of affairs at the start of Macbeth, though just before it, there has been a rebellion, and the play opens with an account of the defeat of the rebels. Although God appoints the ruler, it is possible for a gross disturbance of the natural order of things to happen. And this may allow a rebel (usurper) to overthrow the rightful monarch. In Macbeth, this is what happens when the witches dabble in the affairs of men. But Hecate, who must obey the higher powers of the universe, shows the witches that order must be restored, and Macbeth removed from power. Macbeth is very loyal to begin with, so his treachery against Duncan is especially shocking. It is only believable (plausible) because of the way the witches arouse powerful ambition in him. But though they suggest things to him, the witches do not force Macbeth to kill Duncan. His evil action is freely chosen and (as we say today) premeditated. In fact Macbeth sees very good arguments against Duncan's murder but is stung into firmness by his wife's scorn. She says that if she had made a promise like her husband's, she could even have dashed out the brains of her own child. (Perhaps, though, this is bravado - later she admits...
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...Anas Javaid Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Director’s Notes The movie production will be based on the time period that Shakespeare had originally intended, during 11th century Scotland. It will be inside of a type of castle you’d expect during for a time period and setting like this, with rows of tables as long as the hall. The back wall has long red-and-gold tapestry hanging down from the ceiling, complimenting the kingly throne made out of pure gold with a red seat. The expensive-looking tables are laden with decoration and have full course meals laid out on them. Macbeth is donning a heavy purple gown accompanied by a white cloak, with a golden crown sitting atop his head. The Lady Macbeth is sat beside him in a beautiful red dress. All of the lords and ladies are wearing their best outfits for this occasion. The room is lit entirely by candles, and the hall has a warm, but slightly eerie, feeling to it. While the murderers are speaking with Macbeth, everything in the background seems perfectly normal, as people continue to have a good time and feast on the food at their tables. When the murderers inform Macbeth that Fleance escaped, a look of horror and sudden realization comes upon Macbeth’s face as he realized the prophecy of Banquo’s sons becoming king will hold true, and there is nothing he can do. After the murderers take their leave, business continues as usual, besides Macbeth, who is now disturbed at the thought of Fleance overthrowing Macbeth. However, the nature of the scene...
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...The witches in Macbeth reveal human weakness, heighten the tension, and foreshadow things to come, but they do not control Macbeth or anyone else in the play. The only power they have is their ability to reinforce an idea and to cause temptation that was already in his head. Hectate suggests that they do not have the power to make him do the evil and mischief that they desire him to do, nor do they need that power. Macbeth is fully capable of doing all the mischief and evil on his own without the witches. The witches control Macbeth by physical and/or emotional force. Fear and threats, rewards and praise work to control others. These ideas work to different degrees on different people. So much of what is called control depends on the person that is being controlled. For example, Macbeth was easy to control because he thought that the witches had foretold the future but in reality, they brought an idea to the attention of Macbeth. The promise of a throne may send some people to their knees while others will take to their heels. When the witches hold out their promises to Macbeth the only reason they can manipulate him is because they have a knowledge of his ambition and his need for power. In the end this was all they needed to know and to be sure of. They may try to manipulate, but they do not need to control. The character flaws that Macbeth has, will be enough to fill their needs. It is interesting to note that the witches do not ask for anything in return for their prophecies...
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...which. Shakespeare didn’t write “heroes” and “villains.” He wrote real people with real flaws, who were all equally capable of committing good and evil. One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death...
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