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Morality In Macbeth

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Without moral discipline, anarchy would arise- boundary, order, and control would cease to exist. Every day, humankind is in a constant battle between right and wrong, good and evil. Even a once noble person will turn to greed, betrayal, and guilt when deprived of their morals. The deprivation of morality and its effects reflect itself within the story The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were once noble people, but when exposed to the possibility of power and control, they turn corrupt, allowing their sinister thoughts to consume them. By portraying Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s loss of moral discipline, Shakespeare accentuates the calamitous corruption of human nature, and warns society that ambition without …show more content…

During the Renaissance, witchcraft was highly praised and believed in by many. The Renaissance, “like many European cultures of the period, medieval Scotland maintained a belief in witches, including their ability to make prophecies and to affect the outcome of certain events” (“The Historical Context of Macbeth”). Humankind during the Renaissance believed witches could control one’s outcome; therefore, the witches were able to manipulate the fates of people. Likewise, in Macbeth, Macbeth’s belief in the three witches leads to his impending death. Macbeth was told by the three witches that “the power of man; for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.83). Macbeth trusts them and continues on to do as he pleases because he knows no one could harm him. However, his excessive confidence allows the witches to deceive him. He thought he would not fall until “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him” (4.1.97), but the witches had twisted the truth and Macbeth is too arrogant to see the reality. Macbeth, who is excessively confident, who allows himself to be deceived, is ultimately killed by Macduff as a result of his overconfidence. By exhibiting Macbeth’s hubris, Shakespeare warns society when one is too confident, one will be blinded from reality, and it will lead to

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Macbeth's desire to "make assurance double sure" by having Macduff killed reveals his paranoia and his willingness to use violence to maintain his power. Macbeth believes that by eliminating all possible threats to his reign, he will be able to sleep peacefully and without fear. However, this ultimately leads to his downfall, as his violent actions bring about his own demise. Additionally, as declared in Document E, "I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born. " This augments Macbeth's character flaw of overconfidence because despite the many warnings and signs that his reign is coming to an end, Macbeth remains overconfident and complacent.

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What makes a moral person? Although morality is malleable, no truly moral person escapes the natural human instinct of guilt. These universal ideas are conveyed throughout Shakespeare’s 17th-century play ‘Macbeth’ and Mark Brozel’s 2005 modern film adaptation, ‘Macbeth Retold’. But why is Shakespeare still relevant in this day and age? Well, “William Shakespeare’s work is not of an age, but for all time”.

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When in a relationship, one's quest for power, can result in an endless effort to satisfy this desire, producing a tragic outcome. In the tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores how greed and ambition has an influence on one’s actions, leading to the occurrence of a tragedy. In the case of Macbeth, greed and ambition results in Macbeth becoming a highly manipulative, and dangerous individual. The dominant status Lady Macbeth owns, allows her to influence Macbeth into committing harmful acts. When Lady Macbeth’s dominant status begins to deteriorate, Macbeth begins to mature, gradually becoming the more dominant individual within their relationship.

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Both greed and power, if not controlled, can lead to destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate how ambition can change one’s personal relationships. As in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not share the same ambition, and it is because of this that their relationship lacks love and affection however through the use of persuasion and other means, Lady Macbeth is able to get Macbeth to pursue her ambition. This not only changes their relationship drastically but it also changes Macbeth’s attitude towards ambition. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows us through Macbeth, the possibility for ambition to eventually turn into greed and how the lust for power may corrupt us.

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The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare set in Scotland about a murderous and vehement king who spirals on a path of destruction as he suffers from the consequences of determining his own fate. The predominant theme portrayed throughout the play is honor vs. loyalty. This is represented through the identification, actions, and quotes of numerous characters. To introduce the theme of honor vs. disloyalty, the characters Banquo and Macbeth exemplify traits that are equivalent with the moral of the story.

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Sean Smith Mrs. Anthony Senior English 8 March 2018 The Danger of Ambition In Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, the author proposes a perpetual loop of struggle through his use of fate and imagery of the character’s deaths in order to express the consequences for one’s actions if they are foolish enough to make these decisions. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is a uniquely portrayed concept of fate, internal struggle, and paradox; the story depicts a human with intentions to receive power.

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The reader is able to see this through Macbeth’s contemplation on whether or not he should kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth's lust for power and Macbeth’s final yet selfish decision. The overall comparisons are able to demonstrate the harmful physical and psychological effects of power throughout a community. As a result, the reader can learn from both Queen and Shakespeare that one's evil pleasure and desires can be a result of one's destruction all

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Thus, he felt that nobody can hurt him so that he thought that he is safe all the time. He was very sure about his secure until the Macduff threat. Although the Macbeth felt secure, Macduff who is not born of a woman was the only threat for him. As Jarold Ramsey states that “When he perceives that Macduff is the object of the witches' equivocation, the mortal man Fate has chosen to be its instrument against him, Macbeth gains the last and fullest fragment of tragic knowledge the dramatist grants him in this tragedy of limited and helpless knowledge”(298). On the other hand, Macbeth does not fear any mortal enemy, not even MacDuff though he is warned about him, only the unnatural.

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As human beings, there are occasions where we choose between right or wrong. Certainly, It can materialize into effect on how other people judge you based on their glimpse of moral senses. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare displayed a dark and erroneous side of humankind. The three preeminent characters accordingly demonstrate identical attributes of greediness. For instance, Banquo who appears to be noble fails to resist his desires, and in relation to Lady Macbeth, she overrules herself with greed to a fate of anguish, and thus, Macbeth becomes engulfed with greed that leads to horrendous deeds.

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Humans are known for being insightful and looking into their soul, asking questions and exploring philosophy. One of the greater philosophical questions is how to be a moral person. These questions prompt many stories. One such story is Macbeth, a Shakespearean play about a corrupt Scottish king who becomes a murderer to achieve power. Macbeth teaches us that to be a moral person, one must not let their desires control them.

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