Greed for power has always been evil and even made a saint turn into a demon. As the quote goes “All power tends to corrupt and an absolute power corrupts absolutely” (unquote), which is true not only in the fictitious stories but also in real life and Shakespeare, th9e greatest writer ever known, has always been in habit of making fictitious character come alive and Macbeth is no exception to the rule. The character of Macbeth has two sides, one which is wholesome while other been dubious. He symbolized great ambition but went overboard and in the process not only became corrupt but also became a killer. Macbeth reflects great strength but within he has his own weakness and thus good over took evil resulting in its downfall and finally his own death. His wife, Lady Macbeth, was the most influential person as far as Macbeth was concerned and any decision of his would have trademark of his wife, Lady Macbeth. The greed of Macbeth for more power led him to commit monstrous acts however
The play “Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare illustrates many themes through the characters from the beginning to the end of the story. But the main central theme introduced is Ambition and Greed. As the play goes on we read how Macbeth permits his Ambition and Greed to dictate the outcomes and tragedy’s that occur to himself and others. The main examples of Ambition and Greed is seen through Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff.
His conscience still guilty from the murder he had committed. This feeling of guilt showing that Macbeth still had morals, as he did truly doubt the murder plan and had begun to have second thoughts on it. But even though he still felt guilt his power hungry ambition for absolute power was greater. He had even turned against his loyal partner, Banquo, as he was predicted to be the father of a long line of kings. Macbeth growing fear of losing power took over him and he sent murderers to kill Banquo and his son. Yet there was still hope that Macbeth would learn to turn back from these ways, as he had still felt guilt after Banquo’s murder, but he did not. He had only become worse as he became entirely corrupt. Spilling blood, and turning against those who had once praised him. It had gone to the point where his own army only followed him as it was their duty and not because they truly respected and honored
In the beginning, Macbeth felt a deep guilt about planning to kill King Duncan. Once he did kill him, though, his conscious slowly started ebbing away. Within a short time, he was killing and manipulating many people; he even went as far as to kill the innocent wife and children of a man whom he considered his enemy. What started out as a doubt acted upon became a quick, almost unstoppable path of destruction. Every aspect of who he was, his conscious, was covered by the dark shadow cast by the corrupting sin.
At the commencement of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the guilty conscience of Lady Macbeth is overshadowed by her relentless pursuit to become Queen of Scotland. The ambitious path Lady Macbeth
In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare introduces us to a man on a mission to assassinate the reigning king of Scotland, King Duncan. Through King Duncan, Shakespeare reveals Macbeth’s crude and unfiltered nature while capturing every second of Macbeth’s sadistic plan. With the use of paradox, internal character struggles, and the idea of fate, Shakespeare provides insight on what madness Macbeth created and the effect his madness has on other characters.
First off, Macbeth inevitably decided to kill Duncan. He may have been heavily influence, but he undoubtedly could have chosen not to and at times, he would contemplate whether he should or should not. The act of murdering Duncan sent him to a downward spiral. He ordered murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. []. While Fleance was able to escape, Banquo was not so lucky. The reason for his murder was because the witches say to Banquo that his sons will be king Macbeth is out of control, and it also led to his decision to kill Macduff’s family, as Macduff was considered a threat, having figured out his insanity. []. By the end of the play, Macbeth is lost in a pit of state. The crimes he committed had desensitized him. He essentially became his own worst enemy from his downward spiral, which led to decisions he made on his
People’s views of Heaven and Hell can change their beliefs of Trust and Betrayal. The idea common concepts for people is that: If the person wants to go to Heaven they shouldn’t betray people and should be trustworthy while if they betrays someone they are likely to get thrown in Hell. In Macbeth, most characters try to avoid damnation by remaining trustworthy. While throughout the play, Macbeth exhibits choices and unlawful actions that are against his moral and virtues. This opens the door to Hell and closes the one to Heaven. Theses choices reflect on his thoughts about trusting someone but, then betraying them at the end.
Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, analyzes the tragic downfall of a man who pursued his prophecy given to him by three witches, and suffered the downfall because of it. Told his power was inevitable, Macbeth explores the idea of murdering the King to achieve his goal of becoming King himself. Macbeth continually faces this, contemplating the moral issue of committing murder to in turn, fulfill his powerful destiny. While facing this internal conflict, Lady Macbeth developes an influence over Macbeth as well. Driven by her own desire to be Queen, Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to commit the murder, by challenging his manhood and often reminding him that it is, in fact, his destiny. We see the two counter each other’s claims throughout this as
The witches played a colossal role in Macbeth’s downfall and ultimately, his death. Since the first part of the prophecy stated Macbeth as being the new Thane of Cawdor, he believed he could continue to become king as well. In knowing his prediction, Macbeth also realized that since the king was in good health, so he would have to kill the king himself. For the rest of his prophecy to come true he would have to kill the king for himself. “All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51).The witches sparked this greed and ambition in Macbeth that caused him to kill the king. Not only did the witches tempt Macbeth, they also deceived him and
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.
The tragedy play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the novel Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini are both stories about devastated characters who are plagued by their own guilt. Macbeth and Kite Runner both demonstrate that during the aftermath of a betraying deed, guilt will arise and will have a detrimental influence on one’s behaviors if one fails to redeem. It is initially the event of disloyalty that sparks the remorse of the individuals who perform it. In addition, if the guilt – ridden individuals fail to redeem themselves, their guilt will worsen and eventually lead to the destruction of their own lives.
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’.
Ultimately, Macbeth’s actions answer the essential questions of Shakespearean tragedies, namely, “What is a man? Of what is he capable? What are his moral…limits?” (Ramsey 285). Illustrating his answer through Macbeth’s downfall, Shakespeare shows exactly what man can become without morals; specifically, Shakespeare asserts that the loss of morality causes damage that cannot be undone. In Macbeth’s case, he suffers the loss of his king, best friend, and wife, all of which cannot be reversed. As stated by Carr and Knapp, Shakespeare engages, “our most crucial values and beliefs” (837). Then, Shakespeare asks if these values ever genuinely existed within Macbeth’s moral code. In any case, Macbeth’s actions replace his former self with someone even he does not care to see, but he lacks the power to revert back to his former identity. In fact, Macbeth admits that he is “in blood stepped in so far” that covering up his crimes seems easier than admitting his wrongs (3.5.138). Because Macbeth’s crime governs his actions, the knives used to kill Duncan are the same knives that sever the ties to his former identity (Carr, Knapp 845). Therefore, Macbeth’s life begins to revolve around the murder of
Macbeth is Foul, Macbeth is Fair: An Analysis of Macbeth as a Tragic Shakespearean Hero