The author of many well-known tragedies, William Shakespeare, has pieces that set into iconic plays in English literature. What makes them the best, is all Shakespearean tragedies have a common element: fatal flaw— all heroes have a weakness personality that results in lead them to their downfall. For instance, Macbeth, a renowned fallen hero, was told of a change that completely shifts his life; all driven by fate. In Act I, readers are introduced to supernatural influences ( The Weïrd Sisters), whose plot of the tragedy base on their name. ( Weïrd meaning "fate").
The urge to be seen as perfect is a desire commonly found among humans. However, even some animals are not immune to such desires. A bird trying to attract the best mate in the forest by creating a perfect nest will fight to the death for a twig that it believes will make its nest excel beyond the rest. The bird will even go so far as to break the incubating eggs in a nest if it contains an item that the bird wants as its own. Similarly, in humans, there are characters that strive for perfection primarily based on self-satisfaction, rather than the well-being of others so much so that they begin to weigh ideology above humanity.
Furthermore, since Macbeth is dominated by desire, he have no free will to control himself, and he would wipeout anything that hinder his ambition by any means. After he is blind by his ambitious thoughts, he begin to commit sinful actions one after another, like a killing machine. While Lady Macbeth said, "He is about it:/ The doors are open; and the surfeited grooms/ Do mock their charge with snores: I have drugg'd their possets,/ That death and nature do contend about them,/ Whether they live or die" (II. ii. 6-11), Macbeth slays king Duncan in his sleep and exits with his bloody dagger.
Macbeth’s character is originally based off of the perfect caricature of a man; he is smitten with masculinity and believes it to be defined as cruelty. Because the first time we glimpse Macbeth is through the story of an awestruck soldier as someone who fought valiantly for the honor of his country and his king and cousin, Duncan, we assume he is powerful and brave. He was able to mow down his enemy, sever his body from his head, and plunk it down onto a stick. There is a point where bravery is cruelty is masculinity, and Macbeth is located there; Macbeth is a brave, strong, cruel man fresh off of the battle field, and we as the readers respect him. He writes to Lady Macbeth of his first encounter involving the weird sisters, and she
Misery of Fiery Desires The solar eclipse is fascinating and draws attention, yet it gives off rays that are blinding. Ambitions have the same effect on an individual, as they become blinded by their fascinations and desires and lose sight of reality. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, characters that pursue harmful ambitions and suffer from the consequences. Three witches foretell that Macbeth will become king.
In The Tragedy of Macbeth, written by the playwright William Shakespeare, a Scottish nobleman betrays his conscience to gain power and eventually meets his downfall. Macbeth, the Scottish nobleman, blindly follows his ambitions to his rise to royalty, and ultimately, his dishonorable demise. His decisions affects the nature of of his and other characters’ relationships with one another. The many relationships based on marriage, family, and loyalty are all tested by the decisions of the characters involved.
Throughout history, stereotypical profiles of what a man or woman should be have determined how they are perceived by others. Men dominate their marriage, prove themselves courageous in the line of battle, and do whatever they need to do in order to achieve their goals. Shakespeare's representation of women, and the ways in which his female roles are interpreted and enacted, have become a topic interest. In one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Hamlet, a female character by the name, Ophelia, is portrayed as an immensely weak character.
In the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth has a very large range of emotions as the play progresses and she changes drastically over the course of events. At the beginning, she encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan but as it goes on, she realizes he’s taking it way too far and goes crazy with guilt and loneliness. Lady Macbeth said, “Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, stop up th’access and passage to remorse.” (Act I, scene 5, line 40)
Throughout the course of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, ambition is the driving force behind all the characters in the story. Ambition fueled them to go after power and to get something that they want. Similarly, ambition is also the driving force behind all the people in the world. Ambition can be good and bad, for many people ambition is wanting to achieve something and doing anything to achieve that. On a more extreme note there are also those who see no more finish line, they keep going and are never satisfied with where they are at.
In Shakespeare's shortest and popular tragedy, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy reveals her intentions to lose femininity in order to become mentally strong and ruthless, and it also depicts the idea of masculinity associated with power and authority she craves for. When Lady Macbeth cries, “Come you spirits/….. unsex me here,/ And fill me from the crown to toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty!” she implores the spirits to take away everything that makes her a woman so that her femininity does not interfere with her heinous plan to kill Duncan.