...Macbeth wants to gain the throne and is willing to do almost anything for it. Act 2 scene 1 of Macbeth describes Macbeth contemplating killing King Duncan for the throne. As he thinks about the murder, he is overcome with grief and nervousness. Along with being tremendously grieved, he also isn’t completely sure if it is the right thing to do. He has hallucinations and is questioning reality. William Shakespeare uses graphic language and visual imagery convincingly to convey that Macbeth is overwhelmed with fear and anguish. Shakespeare used visual imagery to distinguish Macbeth’s fear. In line 38 of act 2 scene 1, Macbeth says, “A dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” This image of a dagger shows how problemed and grieved Macbeth is about killing Duncan. Shakespeare giving Macbeth hallucinations also tells the readers that he is very afraid about the murder that he is about to commit. In line 49, Shakespeare uses witchcraft and nightmares as one of his tools to create a sense of eeriness. “Now o’er the one-half world nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtain’d sleep; witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate’s offerings, and wither’d murder, alarum’d by his sentinel, the wolf…” He uses the word “wolf,” and “wicked dreams” to add an effect of mysticism and to better describe the unsure feelings that Macbeth is having. Shakespeare visual imagery to paint a mental image of what might me happening to Macbeth, and how scared Macbeth...
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...Title Comparing and contrasting between two characters of two unique novels cannot be more profoundly illustrated than comparing that of the character of Lady Macbeth authored by William Shakespeare within the book Macbeth to that character of Abigail authored by Arthur Miller within the book the Crucible. .......... The act of manipulation overwhelms the mindset of Lady Macbeth and Abigail. Although, how they choose to react to such a feeling is where individuality from one another occurs. The concept of Macbeth revolves around Lady Macbeth corrupting her husband’s mental stability and convincing him to commit a murder. She does so by questioning his manhood and referring to him as a coward. “[He] is too full o’ the milk of human kindness” (I.ii.16). Lady Macbeth is worried that he is not strong enough to perform such a task, so she manipulates him by telling Macbeth how far she will go if it is necessary. “While [the baby] was smiling in my face, / have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums/ and dash’d the brains out” (I.VII.56-58). With such ideas of murdering someone and manipulating someone else, only for self gain, does not come without the feeling of remorse. “What need we fear who/ knows it, when none can call our power to account? / yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (V.i.36-39). The manipulation of Lady Macbeth’s husband leaves her feeling guilty to a point where it leads her to her own demise. Abigail also manipulates others...
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...times, these people were falsely accused and therefore murdered wrongfully. Witchcraft was a problem starting around the mid-1400’s and influenced many writers such as Shakespeare, and although it is not a big problem in today’s society, witchcraft impacted society in Renaissance England. In the time period of Renaissance England, there were many different beliefs in witchcraft. The most popular beliefs were that the witches were of the devil,...
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...how he utilizes his power. As demonstrated in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and The Time Magazine article Adolf Hitler, one can see how the abuse of power creates chaos in society. By analyzing the actions of the characters Macbeth, Abigail Williams, and the character Adolf Hitler, it is evident how the misuse of power will lead to the loss of structure in society. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A statement by Lord Acton which illustrates that those who gain power ultimately become corrupted by it - thus leading one to abuse their power. This statement is well demonstrated in the actions of the character Macbeth, from William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, in his rise to power from Thane of Glamis to the King of Scotland. Within the first scene of the play, Macbeth is given the gift of knowledge of the future, by the three witches, which he ultimately uses to gain more power. “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis ... All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii. 48-50). When given this prophecy from the three witches, Macbeth utilizes this information, once he becomes Thane of Cawdor, to plan the death of King Duncan. The power of knowledge is not the only power that he possesses, “ He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman....against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself”. In this quote Macbeth demonstrates that he is trusted by Duncan for two reasons. Firstly...
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...Middleton was an English dramatist during the reign of King James I. He was born in London on April 18th, 1580, and started his writing career at the age of 17. Most of his early plays were written in collaboration with other playwrights. Between 1613 and 1618 he mostly wrote “tragi-comedies.” And after 1621 he wrote tragedies - including one of his most famous works, The Changling. Middleton died, only 47, in 1627. Middleton's plays are marked by their cynicism about the human race. True heroes are rare almost every character is selfish, greedy, and self-absorbed. When Middleton does portray good people, the characters have small roles and are presented as flawless. Middleton's primary source for material on witches was the Discovery of Witchcraft , written by Reginald Scot (1584),from which the playwright drew invocations, demons' names, and potion ingredients. The other source he used is the situation of a historical Duke and Duchess of Ravenna, related in the Florentine Histories, by Niccolò Machiavelli. The first few lines of Hecate, the Lead Witch, alone entering the scene ,in Act 1, scene 2, derive from Scot’s accounts of the St. Osyth Witches: Heccat: Titty and Tiffin! Suckin and Pidgen! Liard and Robin! White Spirits, Black Spirits, Gray Spirits, Red Spirits! Devil-toad, Devil-ram! Devil-cat, and Devil-Dam! With a great Invocation of Witch-Spirits- Heccat the Witch-Queen (leader of her Witch-Coven) sweeps onto the stage. The St. Osyth Witches of Essex represent one of...
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...In Macbeth, ambition is characterized as a dangerous quality. Ambition is the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which triggers the murders that take place in Macbeth. Although, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition, it is the driving force of the play which is influenced by Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Lady Macbeth plays a major role in the downfall of Macbeth. She influenced and convinced Macbeth to commit the murder about Duncan, believing that the power would bring both of them happiness. Lady Macbeth says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise thee with the valour of my tongue. (Shakespeare 353)” It is as though Lady Macbeth is Macbeths bad conscious. She remarks, that she will solve his dilemma by poisoning his mind with her evil plan of murdering Duncan. Unlike her husband she is made of sterner stuff and has no moral scruples because she is evil to the core and decides to convince Macbeth to murder the king. This is the first murder victim of Macbeth. After the death of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth commits suicide which it is another breaking point of his down fall. Macbeth’s quest and desire for the power caused him to become a man of no emotions. Macbeth is an easy person to persuade and convince. Since the three witches gave him his prophecies, Macbeth’s character changed gradually over the course of the play. He became obsessed with making sure the prophecies come true as well as having a strong desire for power as...
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...feelings that most try to avoid. In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, many characters could be considered evil, immoral, and/or devious, but only one in particular has these three characteristics. The full presentation of this character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Lady Macbeth can be considered evil or immoral because she becomes ambitious for power, willing to kill, and assists in and sets up a murder. Lady Macbeth's ambition for power leads her into an unnatural, deceitful realm of witchcraft, insomnia and madness. But while Macbeth responds to the prophecies of the play's famous trio of witches, Lady Macbeth goes even further by figuratively transforming herself into an unnatural evil spirit. Once she learns of the opportunity for her husband to assume the throne as king of Scotland, she immediately becomes obsessed with achieving everything in her power to place Macbeth in the position. In Act 1, Scene 7 establishes the force and power that Lady Macbeth possesses over her husband. Upon hearing of Macbeth's decision not to kill Duncan, she is outraged and starts to work her force and power upon him. She knows where he is most vulnerable and attacks him at his weak spot. She strikes him at his manhood and courage. When Macbeth becomes hesitant about this plan, Lady Macbeth questions his manhood and exclaims, “When you durst do it, then you were a man…” (Shakespeare). Lady Macbeth keeps insinuating to her own husband that...
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...In the Play MacBeth, Shakespeare uses many imagery to articulate the theme of darkness in which is discussed throughout the play. Darkness evolves throughout the play that in turn leads the murder of many people. The first imagery of darkness are the three nameless witches. The witches represents the occult, the dark arts and generally known for wreaking havocs and their darkness is a part of MacBeth’s downfall. In act one scene one, the three witches appears in a dark scene that involves three elements; “thunder, lightning, and rain”, (1.1.2) this was also when the battle in happening. They plans to meet Macbeth and they do, later in act one, scene three. They tell of three prophecies, one of which is that MacBeth will become king. In Act 1, Scene 3 Macbeth states, “Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor...My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical.” (1.1.132 - 138) When he starts to believe the prophecy, he starts to give into the dark words of the Witches. This darkness grow within him, and due to his ambition, he will be blinded by his action, just like the sailor in the story he will never return to who he once was....
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...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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...Lady Macbeth is a character in Shakespeare's Macbeth (c.1603–1607). She is the wife to the play's protagonist, Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman. After goading him into committing regicide, she becomes Queen of Scotland, but later suffers pangs of guilt for her part in the crime. She dies off-stage in the last act, an apparent suicide. According to some genealogists, Lady Macbeth and Duncan's wife were sisters or cousins, where Lady Macbeth had a stronger claim to the throne then Duncan's wife. It was this that incited her jealousy and hatred of Duncan. The character's origins lie of the accounts of Kings Duff and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of Britain familiar to Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth appears to be a composite of two separate and distinct personages in Holinshed's work: Donwald's nagging, murderous wife in the account of King Duff, and Macbeth's ambitious wife Gruoch of Scotland in the account of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is a powerful presence in the play, most notably in the first two acts. Following the murder of King Duncan, however, her role in the plot diminishes. She becomes an uninvolved spectator to Macbeth's plotting, and a nervous hostess at a banquet dominated by her husband's hallucinations. Her fifth act sleepwalking scene is a turning point in the play, and her line, "Out, damned spot!," has become a phrase familiar to many speakers of the English language. The report of her death late in the fifth act provides the inspiration...
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...Synopsis Macbeth is a play about a Scottish nobleman who learns, from a prophecy given to him by three witches, that he is to become king. When Macbeth's ambition overcomes his moral judgement, he assassinates the reigning king and fulfils the prophecy. In doing so, however, he undermines his own rule with insecurity - insecurity he created when he upset the natural succession to the throne. Beheaded in battle, Macbeth's death allows the rightful heir to reclaim the throne and order is restored. Historical background The play is set in Scotland and the characters' names, including Duncan, Macbeth, Malcolm and Siward, are based on the names of real 11th century British figures. Although Duncan and Macbeth were both kings in life as in the play, Shakespeare did not directly base his narrative on fact, but instead used historical events as a frame for the action in the play. The real Macbeth, ruler of the Moray region of Scotland, was elected to the Scottish throne when the previous king, Duncan, died in battle. Whether Macbeth killed Duncan in the battle remains unknown. Historical opinions suggest that Macbeth was a charitable king who brought peace and prosperity to Scotland during his reign of 17 years. During this time, he made advances into northern England, which displeased Siward, Earl of Northumberland. Siward then campaigned to depose Macbeth and reinstate Malcolm Canmore, Duncan's son. Malcolm eventually beheaded Macbeth in a duel at Lumphanan to become Malcolm...
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...Shakespeare wrote the play “Macbeth” somewhere in the years from 1606 to 1611. In this play, Shakespeare takes Scottish history and dramatises it so that it appeals to the new Scottish king, King James VI, who is a descendant of Banquo. Banquo is also in the play. This play also appeals to King James because he is very interested about witches and witchcraft and he opposes strongly against them. Witches were seen as agents of the devil, who use equivocate speech to draw a man in and trap him with promises of power and wealth, so therefore corrupting innocent and noble men and bring chaos and disorder upon every one. Whereas the king was seen as an agent of God, bringing order and peace to everybody. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony very well in this play as Macbeth was, in reality, a good king, and Duncan was actually the tyrant. At the time when the play was first being acted out, Guy Fawkes’ plan was in action which links in really well with this play where people are trying to kill the king. At this time in the past, the three worst sins against God were Murder, of anybody, Treason and Regicide. These sins were heavily punished. At the start of the play, the scene is set as thunder and lightning witch is a sign of disturbance and God not being happy. There is also a gathering of witches and they mention the eponymous character “Macbeth”, so we know straight away that this character will be influenced heavily by evil. We see Macbeth at the beginning as “…valiant...
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...“Compare how Lady Macbeth is presented in the play to a dramatic production. (Film)”. The character of Lady Macbeth plays a vital part in the play. Lady Macbeth is presented as a mysterious, irrational and senseless character. She is very effective in the play and drives the play forward. Both Shakespeare and Goold highlight her state of mind being unstable. In act 1 scene 5 Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a confident and controlling character, this is highlighted by her convincing a good and loyal man (Macbeth) into a killing and untrue character. Moreover Shakespeare shows the early stages of Lady Macbeth becoming ghost like, because in the soliloquy she talks about spirits, for instants “Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark” which suggests that she wants spirits to come and take over, she no longer cares about heaven, as she just wants evil and darkness to control. We also know she is very determined because she asks the spirits of such things like “unsex me here” and also to turn the life-giving milk in your breast into a bitter liquid, this seems like an extreme course of action to take, but as of this we see that that is how willing and what measures she will take for king Duncan to die and Macbeth to become the thane of Cawdor. During the soliloquy in act 1 scene 5 the idea of being un-sexed would be seen to be like witchcraft by a Shakespearean audience who would disapprove of her actions and feel she would deserve punishment. However, the...
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...allusion as Joker is also ruthless and "views murder as sport" ("The Joker (Character)", 1). This reference to joker will effectively update the allusion as in modern society a majority of the teenagers know who the character joker is as movies are is a part of teenage culture and are familiar with popular fictional characters. Throughout history and also till this day fictional characters play an important role in depicting an author's theme freely. One fictional character that Shakespeare uses in his play for allusion is Hecate. Hecate is a character in Macbeth who "is the goddess of witchcraft and the ruler of the three witches" ( Macbeth And Hecate, 1). In the play Shakespeare specifically refers to this when a player states "With Hecate's ban thrice blasted, thrice infected” (Shakespeare, 3.2.242-243). The actor alludes to Hecate to emphasize how deadly the poison is by stating that Hecate the goddess of witchcraft has put a spell on it. This allusion can be updated to target modern teenagers by changing the reference of Hecate and instead allude to Maleficent. Maleficent is a fictional character known in modern culture as an evil character most notable for her sorcery. This allusion gives a similar meaning to that of Hecate as both of them excel at sorcery allowing the modern audience to understand how dangerous the poison used in the play actually is. This also targets modern teenager as a vast amount of teenagers know about the character Maleficent weather its through...
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...key component in the play Macbeth. Written by Shakespeare, Macbeth is the protagonist in Macbeth who strives to become king after hearing of the witches prophecy. Having free will, Macbeth’s life is not predetermined, as he has active control over his actions, choices, and his fate. Macbeth often questions in his own free will due to many of the witches prophecies, which always seem to be true. Macbeth, taking the prophecies as fate, is influenced into killing many of the people close to him and eventually leads to his death. The world seemly lacking free will, the witches appear to see fate. The first lines of the play they state”When shall we three meet again?/ In thunder,...
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