A formidable physical appearance never equates to success. Without a solid personality, an individual is bound to fail. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth delves into the flaws of the protagonist. In 11th-century Scotland, Macbeth, a war hero, encounters three witches. They speak of a prophecy in which Macbeth is king. The idea plagues his mind. He murders the ruler and takes over. However, such a revelation comes with a dark side. It states that his friend, Banquo’s child, will take the throne. The once honorable hero commits heinous acts and overlooks his conduct. This leads him to his doom. His behaviour shows that he is weak. This paper examines how self-justification of one’s wrongdoings leads to self-destruction. Over-ambition blinds a person to their own actions. It drains them. Macbeth begins as a brave warrior. Encountering the three witches ignites a fire of zeal within him. It covers him from the moral fabric that holds up society. He rationalizes the murder of King Duncan, stating, "I am settled, and bend up / Each corporal agent to this terrible feat" (1.7.79-80). Macbeth blames fate for the atrocious actions he commits. He attempts to kill Banquo’s bloodline and spreads …show more content…
This weakness causes him to commit more crimes to secure his throne. Yet, evasiveness is a tragic paradox. It leads him to the fate he seeks to change. The witches' say, “None of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth." (4.1.96-97) He takes this sentence as a reassurance. He believes he is invincible and doing the right things. The positive message solidifies the idea that continuing to evade accountability is correct. He believes he is destined for this. However, it is revealed that Macduff was, "From his mother's womb / Untimely ripped." (5.8.15-16) This shatters Macbeth's illusion of invulnerability and seals his fate. It is the consequence of all of his wrongdoings. His attempts to avoid responsibility ultimately lead to his own
Macbeth’s actions are driven by ambition, and he is willing to sacrifice his own moral principles
He has achieved the goal he aspired to, gaining power that insulates him from any real accountability, but he is nonetheless unable to escape the wrongness of what he has done. His vision of the blood on his hands turning an entire ocean red reveals the mental torture that is plaguing him, illustrating the trap his mind has become and forcing him to face his actions through visions that drive him to near
In the play Macbeth, the story and characters are largely affected by the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies. One way the story is changed through this is when a person hears of his fate, and choosing not to do anything about it. Out of all the people, this only happens with Banquo. He is told that his descendents will become Kings, and then moves on, not twisting his actions in any way to force the events to come true. While it isn’t quite as expected, it provides an interesting comparison against an individual who does try to fulfill the prediction.
Filled with backstabs, murderers, and long soliloquies. The Murder of King Duncan is foul. The first murder of the play, that kick starts the play. Macbeth believes the prophecies of the three Witches and listening to his wife, he commits a murderous crime. Macbeth said “ Methought, I heard a voice cry.
Moreover, Macbeth will continue to commit even more heinous crimes, as a result, Macbeth’s loses sight of humanity and sanity. Once he realizes that Macduff is a potential threat, he says “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; / Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword / His wife, his babes” (4.1.164-166). Macbeth has finally lost all sense of guilt and humanity. His decent into evil made him obsessed to maintain his throne to the extreme point of insanity. He decides to murder the wife and child of his potential threat, Macduff.
What need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure And take a bond of fate — thou shalt not live — That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder” ( Shakespeare 4.1 90–94). MacBeth thinks hes invincible and doesnt think Macduff can kill him. Later to come find out MacDuff is the one to murder MacBeth. In Conclusion, MacBeth being self-centered is the reason he ends up
Greed causes even the best of men to brood immoral intentions. The Tragedy, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, describes the flaws of human nature and the traumatic effects unrestrained ambition may cause. The play commences, featuring Macbeth as an eminent, highly esteemed Thane and loyal warrior to the king; however, after being prophesied by the three witches, a torch of ambition is lit. Furthermore, upon hearing the witches prophecies, his reputation is downgraded as he steps into a realm of evil, and more tragically, finds that he has “in blood stepped in so far that should [he] wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er”. After murdering the rightful king of Scotland, Duncan, and therefore subsequently, one murder leads to another; to a point where he cannot return from his life of evil “I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er”.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare writes about a man named Macbeth, who has a very strong ambition to be the the king of Scotland. His credulousness led him into believing the prophecy from the three witches without thinking rigorously. Because of this prophecy, Macbeth is willing to do everything he can to gain the throne, even to the extreme of murdering someone. Shakespeare uses syntax, similes, and personification to convey the evolution of Macbeth’s insanity.
Cursed by three witches and forced to kill, Macbeth slowly started to lose his sanity and ended up becoming his own worst enemy. As Macbeth's ambition spirals out of control, other forces may have stimulated the emotion, but it was Macbeth’s own choices that fanned the flames and ultimately led to his downfall. Macbeth, written by playwright William Shakespeare, presents the tragic story of Macbeth, an overachieving warrior who is corrupted by the prophecies of the three witches and eventually consumed by his ambition. Macbeth is the architect of his own fate, both in the sense that he brings about his rise to power as well as that his decisions lead to his tragic downfall. He initiated his nefarious streak of atrocities by perpetrating the
As a result, many of the crimes Macbeth commits later in the play, such as murdering the King and killing Banquo, are an attempt to convince his wife that he is manly enough. Macbeth demands Lady Macbeth to stop attacking his manliness and says, "I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do more is none" (1.7 51-52). Macbeth points out his bravery by showing he will do whatever it takes to prove his masculinity. Macbeth says he
Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a riveting play about a power-hungry ruler destined to fail. There are three internal and external factors that predominantly contribute to Macbeth’s downfall. These factors include the witches misleading Macbeth with the idea of gaining power, Lady Macbeth influencing Macbeth to increase his status, and Macbeth’s ambition. Nonetheless, the witches are one external force contributing to Macbeth’s demise by misleading him with promises of power.
The theme is continued when Macbeth, who is originally characterized by some level of loyalty because of his success in the army, which awarded him the title of Thane of Cawdor becomes not only murderous to king Duncan, but to Duncans soldiers to cover the trail , then proceeding to lie about why he killed them saying that the “expedition of [his] violent love outrun the pauser or the reason.” (Macbeth 2.3.129-130) Macbeth says that he murdered the innocent soldiers out of passion for King Duncan, this indicates the decay of Macbeth’s honesty and strong character. This implies that corruption is not a singular action, that one action begins a slippery slope into destruction.
Macbeth is hesitant to murder but Lady Macbeth questions his manhood and tells him how much more of a man he will be if he would kill
Macbeth is a tragic hero in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. He is a complex character with a multifaceted personality. Macbeth's personality undergoes a significant transformation throughout the play, from a loyal and respected general to a ruthless and paranoid tyrant. In this essay, I will discuss the different aspects of Macbeth's personality, including his strengths, weaknesses, and how they contribute to his downfall.