Macbeth Rhetorical Analysis

As well as that, Shakespeare uses imagery to show deception. This can be seen in the quote of "To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself." In this quote, it moulds a sense that the character, Macbeth, has betrayed himself, his pride and his ego along with those around him. Moreover, Macbeth states that to acknowledge the awful crimes he has been committing, he would be unsure of his own actions and thoughts, therefore this shows that he has changed dramatically from the previous scenes when he tried to convince himself he has no reasons and motivations to kill Duncan. In the wording of "deed" suggests that Macbeth is still trying to deceive himself that this is something he must accomplish. In addition, this could also be seen in the quote

Macbeth is thinking about the implications of assassinating the King and potential consequences of such an act. Lady Macbeth planted the idea into Macbeth in order for Macbeth to ponder such things implied in the idea of assassination of the King. In the beginning of Macbeth’s soliloquy, Macbeth turns over the idea of punishment for such an act in his mind and brings up the point of having punishment in “the life to come.” (Shakespeare 288) even if he gets away with the act on Earth. He then tries to find reason to kill Duncan besides his own ambitions for power and cannot find any reason as he says that he is Duncan’s kinsman and should “shut the door [on the murderer], / Not bear the knife myself.” (Shakespeare 288). He also brings up the point that Duncan is a benevolent king ant that “tears shall drown the wind.” (Shakespeare 288) if King Duncan dies. This passage shows Macbeth’s ego as id and superego, which, in this case, are ambition for power and civility respectively, is at play and influencing his upcoming actions, along with Lady Macbeth’s

Macbeth’s mental state is revealed to the audience prior to Duncan’s murder, describing the guilt he already reserves for the proceedings ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me…I have thee not and yet I see thee still’ (2.1.35). The soliloquy ‘Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear‘(2.2.56-57) establishes that his guilt and remorse prove he’s not purely evil and remains somewhat sane. The hallucinations Lady Macbeth and Macbeth experience are clear indicators of the immense guilt that consumes them. Additionally, the soliloquys have indicated the significant effect that guilt has on their conscience and how it impends on their mental

Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action.

In this soliloquy, Macbeth’s growing uncertainty with murdering Duncan is being expressed despite the earlier convincing of his wife, Lady Macbeth. While waiting for the dinner bell that will initiate this bloody expedition, he sees a dagger pointing towards Duncan’s chambers. Though first confused by the dagger, he later concludes that is a figment of his imagination from a guilt-ridden mind.

Shakespeare, also known as the “Bard of Avon” (the nickname was provided by wikipedia), is one of the most famous and influential authors of english literature. In September 2008, at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, Michael Mack (a professor) presented his opinion on the value of reading Shakespeare as a speech to college freshman. While presenting his opinion, Mack makes a compelling argument that even though reading Shakespeare is hard, it is worth it in the end and not only is it as important as other courses you may take in college but you will also gain something from it. His use of rhetorical devices and claims helps him support his argument.

Helen Keller once said “character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” People inspired by ambition can accomplish great things. However, when tempted by their desires, people can destroy themselves as well. These desires can simply be too much for any one person or two to overcome. In William Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy ‘Macbeth’, ambition is portrayed throughout and Macbeth, a Scottish Noblemen is overcome by his desires. His downfall and destruction was caused by his blind ambition leading to his fatal flaw.

After killing Duncan, Macbeth’s mental state changes completely. The difference between the moment before the murder and the moment after is that Macbeth’s lack of determination. He feels personally responsible for the murder and wishes it never happened. Thus, he is afraid to look at the dead body and face what he has done (2.2.54-56). His regret of the murder shows the transformation of Macbeth’s attitude: he lets his remorse overpower him to the point of madness. The voices he hears that threaten: “Macbeth shall sleep no more” indicate a relationship between guilt and madness. Therefore, the manifestation of the dagger suggests that he feels guilty because of his attempt to murder Duncan.

Often times in literature, the downfall of a character arises due to both external and internal forces. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare demonstrates that the downfall of Macbeth arises due to both internal and external forces, but among the two, internal forces have a greater influence on the outcome. The forces of Macbeth’s own nature, the supernatural and Lady Macbeth all contribute to his downfall but the true deciding factors are the forces within.

In the past scene Macbeth is being hesitant in going through with the assassination of King Duncan.Macbeth has a moment where he talks to himself after he sees a floating dagger and says “Is this a dagger which I see before me/The handle toward my hand?/Come, let me clutch thee./I have thee not, and yet I see thee still./Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible/To feeling as to sight?or art thou but/A dagger of the mind, a false creation,/Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?.” (II.I, 44-49). This shows Macbeth in a vulnerable place of mind. He is experiencing this as a result of guilt he has deep down inside. Macbeth is appalled for the reason that he did not expect to live on with guilt after the murder of The king that Macbeth and Lady

In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses shifting diction and dramatic characterization to reveal how unrestrained desire for power leads to corruption of the mind. The diction that Shakespeare utilizes for the dialogue of each character reveals the different layers that pertain to the characters. For example, in 1.7, Macbeth pleads Lady Macbeth not to kill Duncan:

Macbeth’s greatest weakness is his ambition, but it is also his greatest strength. Despite his ambition being one of his major weaknesses, it is not his sole weakness he exhibits that contributes to his inevitable death. At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’.

Shakespeare, in Act 5, Scene 5 of his play The Tragedy of Macbeth, portrays time as unfeeling. Shakespeare’s purpose is to make the audience ponder the nature of time and denounce ambition as a vain notion of humanity through repetition and personification. In the speech, Macbeth adopts a grim and weary tone in order to convey the meaninglessness of day to day life and the cyclical nature of time to the Elizabethan audience.

In Macbeth’s speech in Act 5, Scene 5, he uses repetition to create a grim tone which mirrors the speech’s message surrounding the cyclical nature of life and time. This is seen when he repeats “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,” which illustrates the unfeeling passage of time that continues whether individuals are prepared or not (5.5.19). This also shows the cyclical nature of life and time because by repeating tomorrow shows similarity between the days. Instead of showing the progression of time through three unique phrases, Macbeth deliberately chooses to repeat tomorrow to show how one day comes just the same as the next in a cycle. This monotonous continuation of time also accuses ambition as being a vain human pursuit as, eventually,

The Tragedy of Macbeth incorporates character development to present William Shakespeare’s motive; throughout the play it allows the audience to see the message the play relays. The play is a tragedy and it specifically shows the tragedy of humans as they self destruct. There is a use of literary devices to create different aspects of each character allowing them to portray different images of themselves that wouldn’t be noticed initially. Compared to how the audience views each character in the beginning of the play, the image develops into something new as different aspects are revealed. The characters and their continuous changes become the essence of the play. The development and new aspects of each character leads to Shakespeare’s motive.