Taylor Trejo
English 102
Research Paper
Final Draft
Deathly forces of Power and Deceit In both The Tragedy of Othello and The Tragedy of Macbeth, deceit and the need for power lead to death. Many emotions such as hate, greed, and jealousy drive the characters’ actions. Deceit is powered by jealousy and the need for power and is prominent in both plays and is a major cause of the deaths. Shakespeare shows in both plays how a little trickery, jealousy, and power can lead people to do things that they normally wouldn’t do. In Macbeth, Shakespeare shows how strong morals and values can be destroyed by deceitful acts and power. The evil effects of jealousy and power can affect even people trusted in high positions. The need for power is one of the most important forces in both plays, but especially in Macbeth. Shakespeare quickly shows what will happen during the The Tragedy of Macbeth, without all the details, by the witches telling Macbeth his future. The witches say:
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!(1.3.51-53)
At first Macbeth does not believe and is almost worried, so Banquo asks the witches to tell him his future, and the witches say:
Lesser than
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Iago feels that he was wronged by Othello and wants revenge. William Hazlitt said, “From this time, his raging thoughts "never look back, ne'er ebb to humble love," till his revenge is sure of its object, the painful regrets and involuntary recollections of past circumstances which cross his mind amidst the dim traces of passion, aggravating the sense of his wrongs, but not shaking his purpose.”(Hazlitt, Othello) This is all powered by jealousy and greed. At first Iago was just mad because he wanted more power but didn’t get it and is jealous of Cassio. Now he hates Othello because there are rumors that Othello has slept with his
Also, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both strong conveyors of deceit. From the onset on the play, Macbeth is characterized as strong and loyal to his king and country. However, once the witches’ prophecy is planted in his head, his thirst for King is so intense that it cannot be quenched and slowly his admirable traits are erased. When Macbeth is preparing for the King’s arrival at his house, he starts to question his murderous thoughts. He states that the King will be here in “double trust” , for Macbeth will be his hostess and will also be acting as a subject of the state. How can he possibly do such a grim task? The answer is Lady Macbeth. She lusts after becoming Queen and living a life of fantasy and does everything in her power to persuade her husband to kill the King. She questions his courage, she feeds his ego and she emasculates poor Macbeth all in an effort to get what she wants disguised as what is best for him. When he agrees, she tells him to “look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” in order to commit this regicide. Lady Macbeth, such a beautiful woman, is actually a cunning, strategic and determined lady – so determined that she’s willing to risk everything and make her husband lie to the king and betray him. It’s funny how things are not always what they appear to be.
Iago's need for revenge on Cassio and Othello could originate from the inadequacy he must of felt when Cassio was promoted, and finding out that his wife might be having affairs must have wounded his pride and bruised his ego greatly. All
In the words of Bemos Thenes, “Nothing is easier then self-deceit for what man wishes that he also believes to be true.” Self deception is a human weakness. It means that even though something maybe wrong and untrue if an individual believes it enough it will come to pass. No matter what someone may say, it is hard to change ones opinion because that is what the person truly believes. This is portrayed in William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, through the actions of various characters. Shakespeare clearly shows the idea of self-deception through their actions and how this self-deception leads to moral disorder.
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the
Macbeth, an ironic tragedy of the 17th century, is perhaps one of the most appraised works by renowned playwright William Shakespeare. Such fame, though, can be justified through the play’s effective utilization of themes and their evocative subtext; however, Shakespeare particularly focusses on the theme of power and has done so with intent. Macbeth visualises power in two forms, being that of divine and supernatural. The play forms a representation that, alike with the socio-cultural beliefs of the Elizabethan era, divine power should not be tampered with. Otherwise, the consequences can be detrimental, as demonstrated by the painful ends of characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Both individuals use the process of illegitimate power to
Deception and Betrayal in William Shakespeare's Macbeth The play ‘Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare” not only shows us how betrayal and deception undermines society but how it restores the moral law and society back to the way it was before the Thane of Cawdor and the tyrant Macbeth brought about the destruction in the first place. the play Macbeth also featured two changes to the throne of Scotland, both as a result of betrayal, deception, the aid of the weird sisters and the death of kings, the fate of Scotland changed for better and for worse.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play.
‘Macbeth’ is a play in which a Lord and his Lady come into supreme power through acts of injustice and despicable inhumanities. In the play Macbeth there is no main focal theme that overrules the others; the play however has several underlying themes, namely there are important themes i.e. good and evil (like ying and yang), greed and power, guilt and conscience, fear, ambition – this leads to the murder of other people illustrating to the reader that even the most sane of people can result to character diminishing methods to get what they want. These particular themes are the most prominent and when closely looked at, it can help to understand characters and meanings behind the play. The theme of ambition is very important in this play,
Throughout Macbeth things are not always as they seem. Deception is always present with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the three witches.
In life, there are two types of people: those who do the right thing and those who don’t. In the play Macbeth, by Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is given a prophecy by three witches that says he will become king; however, there is no descending line of kings of his own blood. With the knowledge of the Witches’ prophecy, Macbeth’s ambition, and manipulation from his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is quickly dragged into a never-ending, bloody murder rampage to obtain the crown and get rid of those who stand in the way of obtaining it as well. Macbeth constantly battles with his moral dilemmas; however, he easily falls victim to influences that go against his morals. Influences on major characters emphasize how easily one’s decision making can be negatively affected, resulting in one going against his or her morals/integrity.
The source of why Iago created corruption and disturbed the peace in Othello life has many reason. But as the villain, Iago has two main reasons he hates Othello because he is jealous and hates him. Iago's reasons for why he hates Othello is because he believes that Othello made love to his wife. “I hate the Moor And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if't be true;But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,Will do as if for surety.” (1.3.55 line 431-433) Another reason why Iago is mad is because Cassio was chosen to be Lieutenant instead of himself. “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife-That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of
The rise of an individual and the gain of power can often be intoxicating. This control placed in the hands of one can often ignite thoughts and actions of greed found deep inside. This can often be seen in the history of civilization as countless leaders have neglected the good of their people to fuel their own selfish desires. Lord Acton once expressed, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is embodied in the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare as numerous characters abuse power to manipulate and destroy the lives of many. Though the examination of, Lady Macbeth, the three witches and Macbeth, it becomes apparent how the gain and loss of
Complicated consequences result from the abuse of power that is central in William Shakespeare’s play ’Macbeth’ following immoral manipulation. Macbeth was written in 1606 during the reign of King James I and was used as a warning to potential threats of the King. It is a form of praise and admiration towards the King by Shakespeare as those who immorally seize power will ultimately possess a destroyed fate. Through analysing the text, we can see that abuse of power through supernatural manipulation on human nature is evident therefore guilt and delusions are consequences of that power abuse.
The witches tempt Macbeth with their words of prophecy and fate. By listening and acting upon those words, he makes his Faustian Bargain. And as is known in literature, when a character acts upon fate or prophecy they fail. When the witches meet Macbeth, they greet him as "Thane of Glamis", "Thane of Cawdor", and "king hereafter"(Shakespeare 1.3.51-53). Macbeth instantly becomes intrigued with these three words that contain so much power. This is when he ignorantly makes his bargain, "Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more...Say from whence/ You owe this strange intelligence or why...with such prophetic greeting" (1.3.73-81). Unlike Banquo, who is undisturbed by this foretelling, Macbeth is captivated by his learned fate.
As Brutus shows his major flaw by listening to the wrong people, so does Macbeth in the play Macbeth. In the beginning Macbeth meets three witches that he is heavily influenced by. The three witches tell him his fate in the very beginning of the play and he gets anxious to be king so he kills King Duncan. Similar to Brutus, Macbeth’s fate really begins when he starts listening to the wrong people. The witches tell Macbeth his prophecy when they say in Act I scene iii, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis!”, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor!”, and “All hail, Macbeth, the future king!”. These quotes show that the Three Witches are able to convince and