Morality In Macbeth

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.

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

Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and Oliver stones ‘wall street’ set in distinct time periods, explore the concept that one’s longings for ambition can become overpowering and eventually lead to one’s moralities being recognised. The texts both illustrate that greedy ambition will lead to one’s downfall, that ambition causes people of weak character to behave corruptly to attain their goals, and that ultimately ambition comes with a price. Firstly, in Macbeth ambition is portrayed as seductive yet ethically destructive, in the text both characters who are frail are charmed to pursuing their ambitions at the cost of their own humanity. In ‘Macbeth’ this is shown through the protagonist and how the ambition due to the influence of the witches takes over the like of Macbeth.

The protagonist Macbeth, by the famous William Shakespeare, has different phases of respectability, all molded by his inevitability of fate. As an audience we interpret and form an opinion through Shakespeare’s use of psychological audience manipulation (Source C) to observe how one can fall prey to their own desire to create a perfect life; thus, it leads one to abandon their morals and commit horrible acts. When individuals begin to weigh ideology above humanity, they become bitter and accusing, they begin to lose their grip on reality and they create chaos and war. And at the end, Macbeth, the tragic hero stands up in front of us undeserving of the fate that was brought to him.

The namesake of the play, “Macbeth” is a man who faced a decision between his own personal passion and his moral obligations and duties. The two choices pulled at him and seemed to torment him even after he made a decision. Through the conflict that Macbeth felt because of his decisions, the reader can better empathize with him, and can obtain a more profound lesson from the story concerning decisions between personal passions and moral obligations. Macbeth is not what one would call “perfect.”

What do your neighbors, your coworkers, your family all have in common? A powerful evil that lays deep within all humans, only to be released under the most heinous circumstances. This fact is clearly articulated in the works of world renowned authors Shakespeare and William Golding in their novels Macbeth and Lord of the Flies. Shakespeare 's Lady Macbeth and Golding 's Jack share many similar qualities in their path to success proving that if good people who begin with positive intentions become provoked by the lust for power, then ambition can get in the way of their moral compass and capability for making good decisions because of the evil which lays inside all mankind. Shakespeare 's Lady Macbeth is thought of as a murderous character who is lured by the temptation of power into committing violent acts.

Aung San Suu Kyi once said, “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” It is human nature that the more power one desires, the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the ways in which characters speak and think about their morals change due to their overpowering ambition for power and wealth, and the fear of losing this power sends them into a spiral of chaos.

Morality plays a large role in defining identity. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to question the impact of morality in shaping Macbeth’s identity. Shakespeare accomplishes this through defining Macbeth’s original character, expressing how Macbeth’s changes morally, and examining the effects of this moral change on Macbeth’s identity. Initially, Shakespeare accomplishes this through establishing an original state of morality for Macbeth. Subsequently, Shakespeare highlights the decay of Macbeth’s morality as the story progresses. Lastly, he enjoins the audience to question how Macbeth’s identity has changed because of morality. In short, Macbeth explores how morality shapes the identity of man.

A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events.

Guilt has the potential to crumble even the most powerful of mortals. The Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth reveals the consequence of immoral action: guilt. William Shakespeare portrays the idea that the downfall of one may transpire as a result of this regret. Throughout the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are negatively affected as they are overwhelmed by the realization that they have violated their moral standards; this causes their guilt. The two attempt to conceal the remorse they experience, but despite this, their misdeeds take their toll. The effects most prominent throughout the play are the development of depression, paranoia, and emotional detachment. Ultimately, it becomes obvious that guilt is capable of bringing ruin to any individual.

Moreover, it is shown that Macbeth is not just a character that the witches try to control, but that he has enough choice to create his own path in life. Macbeth lets the witches’ prediction, that he “...shalt be king hereafter” (Shakespeare I.iii.53), influence the decisions he makes. Macbeth blindly listens to the witches’ prophecy without any proof, so he “... is not only a tyrant, but also his unselfconscious superstition causes him to be an incompetent one” (McGrail 32). Macbeth chooses to believe in the witches rather than dismissing their words like Banquo does. Therefore, it is this choice that leads him to his doomed fate.

Blind Ambition and Greed 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.

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.

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. In general, Shakespeare emphasizes that ambition for power and wealth can invalidate morality in human nature.

Macbeth views this as a sign that the witches’ predictions may be truthful but questions whether they are the result of good or evil. Upon hearing the news Macbeth says, “Can the devil speak true?” (I.iii.87) Macbeth becomes obsessed with the witches prophecies and despite his feeling that they are suggesting he do evil to his beloved king, his ambitions wrongfully guide his actions. Further on in Act 1 Macbeth discloses that he is afraid that his actions will come back to haunt him.