Character Empathy In Macbeth

Lady Macbeth, and even Macbeth himself both share the hope of being King and Queen of Scotland. The only difference is that only one of them is willing to complete a horrible act to achieve that dream. Yes, Macbeth admits that he would like to be King, stating in lines 7-12 on page 20 (scene 4) that,” … Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires…” Although Macbeth agrees that being King would be great, he understands that murder is not the way, because of the three Weird Sisters’ predictions. If the title of Thane of Cawdor was bestowed upon him mere minutes after the witches’ foreseeing of it, then what is to stop the predictions of Macbeths’ kingship. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth falls victim to the darker side of ambition, letting it cloud her mind and judgement, leading to a plan that most normal people would never even consider. The examples presented in just the first act go to show how ambition can completely control one’s thoughts and actions.

Shakespeare was a man who influenced the English language in his time. His birth date is officially unknown but is largely acknowledged on April 23rd,1564. His birthplace is in Stratford-upon-avon, United Kingdom and went to school at the King's New School in Stratford. The schoolhouse that he studied in was conveniently located approximately a quarter mile away from where he lived. When Shakespeare turned 18, he got the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester to issue a marriage licence on November 27, 1582 and he used it to marry Anne Hathaway (who was twenty-six at the time). Together, they had Three children: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith. Sometime after 1585, his acting, and playwriting careers picked up speed in London. In that same

Macbeth's feels that his destiny is to become King and rule with all the power that goes with kingship. The three witches on his way back to the kingdom, prophesied that he would rise to kingship. They said "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis" (I, 3, 48), and then as the thane of Cawdor "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor" (I, 3, 49). At this point in the play Macbeth had just become thane of Glamis, and the thane of Cawdor is still alive. Then, the witches greeted Macbeth as the King of Scotland saying "All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter" (I, 3, 50). This is the point in the tragedy where Macbeth starts to think as a villain. If the witches had never greeted him as King on Scotland, then he would probably never have contemplated killing Duncan in the first place. At first, he believes that he will need to kill King Duncan. Though at the end of Act 1, Scene 3, he thinks that perhaps he doesn't need to do anything to become the king saying "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir.", showing he is a man of honor and morals. Then, Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecy in his letters and decides immediately for him that King Duncan must die, showing Macbeth's doubt. An

At the beginning of the play Macbeth is unwilling to kill King Duncan while Lady Macbeth is convinced that she must compel him to do so. Macbeth is told by three witches that he will become thane of Cawdor, thane of Glamis and King of Scotland. Macbeth believes the prophecies since he is already thane of Glamis and is Ross later informs him that Macbeth is now thane of Cawdor. Macbeth wants to be king, but hopes

Macbeth’s desire to become king and take the crown from King Duncan ends up hurting him more than helping him. Initially, Macbeth was against murdering King Duncan and didn't think he could do that to his very own king. Lady Macbeth believes that her husband will not go through with his plan however he does end up killing him. She states “Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full of of the milk of human kindness. As he kills the King he starts to see things like the floating dagger and that seems to make him extremely

Secondly, Lady Macbeth’s blind ambition and false appearance take part in further altering Macbeth’s decisions. Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth’s letter and she immediately starts to plot King Duncan’s murder so the witches’ prophecies can her husbands desires can become true. She knows Macbeth is, “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness/… That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false/ And yet wouldst wrongly win” (1.V.17-23). Lady is aware her husband Macbeth is too noble and innocent to hurt an individual for his own personal gain. She knows she will have to persuade Macbeth to murder Duncan in order for him to become king. Later, during the congratulatory dinner, Lady Macbeth convinces a hesitant Macbeth to execute Duncan. At first, Macbeth is hesitant because he thinks he is double crossing trust with the king, he is his kinsman, and tonight Duncan is his guest. Moreover, Duncan has done no wrong to deserve death. Macbeth confesses to Lady Macbeth he can not murder Duncan however, Lady Macbeth says, “Art thou afeard/…Wouldst thou have that/ Which thou esteem’st the ornament

Whilst the character of Macbeth is initially portrayed as a noble kinsman, his ambition and motivation, directly influenced by the witches and Lady Macbeth, ultimately transforms him into a corrupt and ruthless tyrant. William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy “Macbeth” clearly depicts this notion of change, illustrated through Shakespeare's utilisation of literary techniques. The tragic downfall of Macbeth is mainly attributed to Macbeth’s own greed and hubris.

The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603) and James I (ruled 1603–1625), and he was a

The three witches have told Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor as well as becoming king. Macbeth believes that the witches predictions will come true because he has just been announced the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is very confused. The tone of this soliloquy is one of bafflement. In fact, he proclaims that the witches’ fortune “cannot be ill, cannot be good” (130). Given that Macbeth had been told about being king, he’s had terrible thoughts about murdering Duncan which “unfix [his] hair” and “make [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs” (135,136). Macbeth does not want to kill his friend, yet he still desires to become king. It is very ironic that his emotions and mind-set towards Duncan who is his “friend” has changed because of the fortune that the witches have given Macbeth.

Despite the manipulation from Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is the one who ultimately makes the decision to murder King Duncan in order to become king. When Macbeth is given the title of Thane of Cawdor and the witches’ prophecies come to him, the thoughts of murdering King Duncan to become King emerge in Macbeth’s mind. Macbeth has mixed-feelings about the prophecies and asks himself, “Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings: my thought, whose murder yet is

Macbeth’s ambition for power interests his wife, Lady Macbeth, who also desires power and corrupts Macbeth’s ambition. When Macbeth is having second thoughts as to whether or not he should murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth, coaxing him into killing King Duncan despite his loyal service to him;”When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man”(I.7.56-58). Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manliness as a way to get Macbeth to go through with the murder. Macbeth, offended and hesitant, struggles with moral conflict. He fears being caught and does not wish to murder Duncan because he has been fair to him. Lady Macbeth however knows that Macbeth strives for power, and finds a way to use this as a way of manipulating him. Earlier on in the play, Lady Macbeth is reading her husband’s letter and learns of the prophecies. Her first instinct is to kill Duncan. She reads the letter and reflects on Macbeth’s nature,“Glamis thou art, and cawdor,and shalt be / What thou art promised. Yet I do fear thy nature; / It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness”(I.5.15-17). Lady Macbeth knows that her husband does not have enough ambition to kill Duncan, and realizes she must push him into murdering King Duncan. [This is the moment in the play where Lady starts planning to murder King Duncan and gets the play moving in the direction it ends]. Macbeth’s thirst for power never leaves him satisfied.

Because Macbeth starts out in the play with his morality he is unable to think of murdering someone over becoming king. After Macbeth is informed that he has become the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth says, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may / crown me / Without my stir.” (I.III.157-159) This quote is saying that if the witches and fate want me to become king I will, but that does not mean I have to kill someone to make it happen it will just happen on its own. It illustrates that Macbeth is completely innocent and cannot even fathom killing another human being. On the other hand, when Lady Macbeth finds out Macbeth will become king, she begins to figure out how she needs to influence Macbeth for the worse. Lady Macbeth receives a letter stating that Macbeth will become king and she begins to plot Duncan’s death. Lady Macbeth says, "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear" (I.V.29) This quote is saying that Lady Macbeth wants to "pour" or give her evil intentions and lack of morality to Macbeth. Because Macbeth is still so pure hearted at this point in the play, Lady Macbeth realizes that if she wants Duncan dead, so she can be queen, she needs to change how Macbeth initiates his ambitions. Overall, Lady Macbeth feels the need to influence Macbeth at this point in the play because she knows that on his own Macbeth would never contain

Similar to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is presented in a deceptive manner, first appearing to be a hero, but eventually deteriorating into something else. His formidable contributions on the battlefield are overshadowed by his lust for power, which leads him into killing Duncan so he that he can take the throne. Indeed, it is the witches who plant the thought of becoming king inside of Macbeth’s head, but it is Macbeth who immediately “yields to the suggestion” (1.3.146) of murdering, which despite “make[s] [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs (1.3.148), is a thought that he completely created on his own. The witches spoke nothing of murder, showing that even without being deceived, Macbeth has a dark mind. And although Lady Macbeth convinces him to go through with the plan, all of the other dark deeds he commits are formed based on his own thoughts, not those of others, showing that he is capable of deceiving without needing help from others.

Our first impression of Macbeth is that of a good and honorable thane, whose weak moral character makes him susceptible to ambitious thoughts. He has distinguished himself on the battlefield by proving his loyalty to Duncan, his king. Upon learning that the first of the witch’s prophecies has already come true, Macbeth has a sudden realization of what might have to be done if the second prophecy is to come true: “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs Against the use of nature?” (1.3.147-150) The horrid image that Macbeth imagines is a vision of a dead King Duncan, and he is terribly unnerved by it. Most soldiers see death and killing in battle as honorable, but killing outside the line of duty is immoral. Macbeth shows no sign of mental trauma from the bloody battlefield he’s returning from, yet is terribly troubled by the vision of the death he imagines, because he knows it represents his treasonous desires. Macbeth continues with: “Present

Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.