...students of Sydney university. I will be lecturing 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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...Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth is a story of power and destruction. The two main characters, Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, are driven by ambition to commit evil actions. Lady Macbeth, a more ambitious person than her husband plots to have her husband murder the king of Scotland so that he can take the throne. Macbeth commits more murders to protect his throne, all the while becoming sick with guilt and paranoia. The guilt that engulfs him and his wife lead to their eventual madness. Blood appears everywhere throughout the work and symbolizes many things. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare creates a sinister mood with blood imagery, which creates suspense and helps to resolve the story. Shakespeare uses blood imagery in Act One of Macbeth to create suspense. The opening battle of the story, between Scotland and the Norwegian invaders uses blood imagery to symbolize honor and bravery. Blood symbolizes bravery because the blood spilled is the blood of traitors and not noble men. The sergeant praises Macbeth for the murder of a traitor, as the king praises the sergeant for his bravery on the battle field. "So well thy words become thee as thy wounds, They smack of honor both." As Macbeth and his wife plot the murder of Duncan, they plan to smear the blood of the king on his chamberlains. They hope the blood will make the chamberlains appear guilty. Macbeth knows, though, that he cannot hide his guilt from himself. He calls the plans"bloody instructions, which...
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...The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare and is about Macbeth, a general In the Scottish army. After Macbeth bravely defeats all of his enemies three witches come to him and predict that he is to be Thane of Cawdor and the king of Scotland. Propelled by greed and his wife's ambitions, he kills King Duncan and seizes the throne. Because of their deeds Macbeth and lady Macbeth become dominated in guilt and paranoia. To protect himself, he commits more murders and becomes an oppressive tyrant. In the end Macbeth is defeated in a gruesome battle full of surprises. William Shakespeare uses symbolism and foreshadowing to convey how greed and ambition can lead to the downfall of your morals and even your life. Symbolism is a powerful tool used by most writers as it brings the more depth and profoundness. Shakespeare uses symbolism many times throughout the play Macbeth, one example of this is when he writes “ Come out, damned spot! Out, I command you! One, two. OK, it’s time to do it now (5.1.2).” This is when lady Macbeth has gone insane under the weight of the guilt and knowledge of the crimes she has been apart of. in this line she is trying to get out a spot on her hand. The spot on her...
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...is a question asked by those who have read Macbeth, and those who have thought about watching the Great Performances: Macbeth. Even though this is a simple yes or no question, the answer to this is complex in nature. This is apparent when comparisons are drawn between the film and the play; likewise, the comparison allows the audience of both works to see that the movie and the play are drastically different from one another. Moreover, the answer to this question is no; this becomes apparent when the viewer compares how Rupert Goold conveyed various themes, developed various elements of the story, and created his own story. The way that Goold conveyed various themes is the first reason why the film is not as...
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...dramatic irony is in the play Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, the audience is given the advantage of knowing more than the characters due to Shakespeare’s technique of dramatic irony. Shakespeare has given the reader some key examples of dramatic irony throughout the first act. The most notable one is where the second witch says, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”(Macbeth, 1.3.50). This is ironic because Macbeth does not know that Duncan has named him Thane of Cawdor. The witches have given Macbeth his prophecy and he does not know whether he should listen to them, or to ignore them. Later in this act, he hears the news of becoming Thane of Cawdor and he slowly begins to trust the witches. This will lead Macbeth into doing villainous acts to make his prophecy come true. Most importantly, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony helps show the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall as he does whatever it takes to become king....
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...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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...Macbeth vs. Macbeth Retold Most people believe that books are absolutely better than movies because movies have a tendency to be incomplete, either from lack of important details or from different interpretations and setting, but Macbeth retold has proven that it is one to watch, not only does it have great actors and a stupendous storyline, it has also stayed fateful to the context of tragedy that makes Macbeth a true literary work. The British Broadcasting Company’s Macbeth Retold, directed by Mark Brozel, is truly an amazing film because of it stunning cinematography and plot, with actors like James McAvoy (Joe Macbeth), Keeley Hawes (Ella Macbeth), Joseph Millson (Billy or Banquo), Vincent Regan (Duncan), Richard Armitage (Peter Macduff) and Toby Keebel (Malcolm). Together with its faithfulness to Shakespeare’s Macbeth and the tragedy that is shown, Macbeth Retold is truly a great adaptation of its original book. Although the original book, Macbeth, and its modern adaptation, Macbeth Retold, have some similarities, their differences are still quite evident, such as the language that is used, the setting and the characters. Macbeth and Macbeth Retold both exhibit how greed and a hunger for power can destroy a person’s kindness and righteousness. Macbeth Retold is a truly tragic story set in modern Scotland. Joe Macbeth is the head chef of a famous restaurant known for its delicious and mouthwatering food, along side his wife, Ella Macbeth, who is the manager and...
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...The Ruling of the Ghost In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare establishes the compelling character of Macbeth. Throughout the play Macbeth gets caught up in greed, his tragic flaw. In the course of the drama he becomes engulfed by guilt and begins to see the consequences of his actions. When coming face to face with his worst fear, a hallucination of his murdered friend Banquo, Macbeth sinks into a state of disorientation and regret. All the while the audience experiences bewilderment as they grasp the prospect of a ghost. Play writers could choose to include an actor on stage as Banquo’s ghost in order to eliminate this confusion; however, it is more competent and efficient to have an actor absent from the stage amid the scene. This absence...
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...men and Shake Spare Macbeth. In my essay I shall compare both of the female characters the ways they are presented. “Conduct me to mine host, we love him highly, and shall continue our graces towards him” He says that he will continue to give him good things, to keep Macbeth on his side, as he would be a powerful enemy. Macbeth is a leader of the army and 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...
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...introducing the witches as a quick method to build up suspense. In eerie chanting tones they make plans to meet upon the heath after the battle to confront Macbeth. We hear about Macbeth before we meet him. It is reported that he kills the traitorous Macdonwald by cutting him open from his belly button to his throat, because he betrayed Scotland. The king hears of Macbeth’s victory and decides to give him the title of thane of Cawdor. - Scene 3 + 4 The witches meet Macbeth and Banquo on a heath and give them a prediction of the future. They predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Glamis (his current title at the time of meeting with the witches), Thane of Cawdor, and eventually King. For Banquo, the witches say he will be lesser and greater than Macbeth, not as fortunate, but happier, and his sons will be king. Macbeth inquires more, but the witches dismiss him. Macbeth can’t believe that it comes true when he becomes Thane of Cawdor, and wants to become King but Malcolm, the prince of Cumberland, stands in his way. - Scene 5, 6 + 7 Macbeth sends a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, and after she reads it, she fears that his nature “is too full of the milk of human kindness.” She believes that Macbeth will not take the actions necessary to become King without her help. She plans on killing Duncan that very night and tells Macbeth to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”. When Macbeth becomes reluctant, Lady Macbeth persuades him by questioning his manhood, saying...
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...Macbeth – Compare and Contrast Essay (Death of Banquo/Act 3 Scene 3) Directors, from James Stuart Blackton’s 1908 silent adaptation to last year’s Justin Kurzel film, have attempted to interpret William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in their own unique styles. The films are based on the original text but differences appear in the way each director decides to recreate the classic play to their audience. From the traditional style of Roman Polanski to the modern interpretation by Rupert Goold, no film is alike. In Macbeth, Shakespeare frequently uses the theme of death to portray the limits and emotions behind the main character’s thirst for ambition. The death of Banquo marks a significant moment in Macbeth’s continuing downfall as it reveals the increasing brutal nature of Macbeth’s greed for power. In Banquo’s death scene, the Goold’s version satisfies Shakespeare’s intended tension while Polanski’s version is flawed for being inaccurate....
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...Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and Malouf’s novel Ransom both explore themes about freedom. The themes of freedom are largely characterised by their modes of textual representation – the play and the novel. Malouf’s novel is a heteroglossic text and is able to explore the themes relating to freedom through multiple focalisations and intertextuality with Homer’s Iliad. On the other hand, Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the theme of freedom with asides, soliloquies and the supernatural. However, despite these differences in their representations of freedom there is a convergence for the reader in the implications for narrative meaning. Regardless of their contexts both texts elevate free will over predestination. Malouf’s novel Ransom reimagines...
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...The text 'Letter from the Understudy', written by Kathryn Simmonds, is, by the assignment paper, classified as a 'short story'. The characteristics for this branch of writing is that the story will often center around a single event, and that it has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Furthermore, short stories are often, due to their limited word count, written with great precision. If we look at the text, it does indeed meet all of these criteria. The short story is written in a 1st person narrative, the 'storyteller' being the perpetrator himself, Gavin Pollard. The lack of a 3rd person omniscient narrator makes it impossible for the reader to know which parts of the story are true, and which aren't. The whole thing could easily be a lie, but to analyze the text, we have to trust that at least parts of it is true. We are introduced to Gavin Pollard, an actor from London who has fled the country after assaulting 'Alex', the star of a play in which Gavin was an understudy. The entire three pages are supposed to be a letter from the attacker to the instructor of the play, Malcolm, in which the understudy tries to explain his actions, and the reasoning behind the committed crime. Judging by the language used, and the mention of a Golf GTI (which, it turns out, is a car), it can be determined that the story takes place in the present time. From the text, we know that Mister Pollard comes from a lower class family (page 2, line 21; "my parents aren't middle class). We...
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...To what extent is masculinity associated with evil and violence in Macbeth? Evil is a theme widely explored by Shakespeare in his plays and “Macbeth” is no exception. This play demonstrates violence in relation to evil and evil in turn is a reflection of the desperation and anxieties of the characters in “Macbeth.” The question of whether masculinity is associated with evil and violence is easily answered as the main character in this horrific tragedy is Macbeth himself, who commits a range of heinous crimes from murder to dabbling with witchcraft. However, the extent to which masculinity is related to evil is more obscure. In this essay I am going to show that evil and violence in “Macbeth” is not monopolised by masculine characters. To show this I will be analysing female characters who demonstrate strong evil qualities and personalities such as Lady Macbeth, The Witches and Hecate. I will also discuss Banquo, Macduff and King Duncan because these characters represent chivalry, nobility and honour of human characters, even though they are male. The first character I will be looking at is Macbeth himself. This is because he is the central character and focus of the entire play. From the outset Macbeth is depicted as a fierce war hero: “Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements.” (Act 1: Scene 1: Lines 22 – 23) The captain using the...
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...expresses the poet’s feeling of his immediate landscape 5.Song –has a particular melodious quality 6.Simple Lyric –includes all those lyric poems that don’t belong under the other types c.Dramatic Poetry - focus on the characters feelings- designed to be spoken or acted on stage These are plays whose dialogues are written in the form of poetry1. Comedy –a dramatic play of light and humorous character w/ a cheerful or happy ending 2.Tragedy –portrays struggle of a strong –willed protagonist against fate Ex. 5 great Shakespearean Tragedies ~ Hamlet –indecision~ King Lear–parental love~ Macbeth –ambition~ Othello –conjugal love~ Romeo and Juliet –young love 3.Dramatic History –a dramatic play dealing w/ past historical event 4.Farce –a comic play marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot 5.Melodrama–characterized by heavy use of suspense, sensational...
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