Essay on the Tyrant in Richard III and Macbeth

When Macbeth kills Duncan, he kills him to be the heir of the throne but is full of remorse afterwards, which displays that he does not naturally have a murderous mindset like Lady Macbeth. Before he wants to kill Duncan he says to Banquo, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir” (1.3 157-159). Macbeth’s tone in this instance is hopeful, and shows that he will let chance crown him if it is meant to be. His first desire to become king is decided by fate, according to what he says to Banquo. His views change on fate when Malcolm is named as the next king. According to

Macbeth's destiny and his lust for power, confirmed by the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth, leads to destruction. Every act that Macbeth commits effects the kingdom as a whole. Macbeth's indecisiveness and his understanding of success cause this destruction. This lust for power leads Macbeth, as it would all men, to an evil that exist in everyone. It is his destiny to fail.

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth the reader watches as Macbeth changes gradually as the play endures. He are transforms from a loyal person with a loving and loyal disposition with other people, into a tyrants who are willing to kill in order to keep himself on the throne. He is tormented with fear, regret, and guilt. When someone does something they know is wrong it causes them to fall prey to their own emotions.

The dream of becoming king has ironically changed from a bright future to a tragic end due to some of the crucial decisions Macbeth has made during the course of his journey and a number of his actions will backfire on him. The first of his actions that backfired was when he murdered King Duncan which he regrets afterwards. Another action that backfired was the murder of the guards which could've drastically changed the outcome of this entire story since he could've gotten away with King Duncan's murder if he didn't commit it. The third action that backfired on Macbeth was when he ordered the murderers to murder Banquo and Fleance at which they failed to eliminate Fleance.

Macbeth is on his way to meet the weird sisters who are awaiting for him, he and Banquo then arrive together. Later the witches vanish and Banquo and Macbeth step aside to discuss the announcement that the witches gave them. In order to fulfill the witches prophecy, Macbeth has to murder the king, but he is terrified for himself. Macbeth does desire to become king, but he knows that his ambition will come with consequences. As the play goes go on, Macbeth knows that if Malcolm is chosen to be the prince of cumberland, Macbeth has to go through with his

Shakespeare’s eponymous tragedy Macbeth explores the social mores of a Jacobean society by exploring ambition and villainy in the Scottish monarchy. Macbeth’s demise is perceived as inevitable and a direct consequence of being an iconoclast of the Jacobean attitudes, values and beliefs. Violating existing principles including the Divine Right of Kings and the Great Chain of Being – his transgressions cause the audience to deny Macbeth of sympathy, thus receiving harsh judgement. Despite this, Macbeth conforms to the role of a tragic hero by showing valour towards his demise, however, such acts were not inspired by virtue, thus were not substantial enough to re-evaluate his character.

After hearing of the prophecy for the first time, Macbeth immediately starts to mentally divide people of hindrance and people of little importance. The first person he declares an obstacle is Malcolm. Duncan speaks of Malcolm as being an heir to the throne and Macbeth labels him as a “step / On which [he] must fall down, or else o’erleap, / For in [his] way it lies” (I.iv.55-57). Malcolm is one of the heirs to the throne so likewise in order to secure the throne Macbeth must not fall upon this “step”. This is a very important line, because not only does it state a simple obstacle, but it foreshadows the end of the play; for, Macbeth does trip upon this step, while Malcolm is crowned king. His doubt of his most reliable companion completely seals his mental state of apprehension. Macbeth believes Banqou to be his most imminent threat because of the prophetical statement made by the witches about Macbeth’s “fruitless crown” (III.i.65). Macbeth’s mind is rankled by the by his fear of Banqou and “[f]or Banquo’s issue have [Macbeth] filled [his] mind, / For them the gracious Duncan have [he] murdered, / Put rancors in the vessel of [his] peace. / …” (III.i.69-71). Macbeth is allowing himself to be distracted from his already secure throne. He should have been able to see that Banqou posed no threat; and, that by worrying, Macbeth was only allowing the prophecy to be followed through. It is his endless anxiety that permits him to

In The Tragedy of Macbeth, the most prevailing theme is the shift in power in the relationships of the central character. The main character of the play, Macbeth, experiences a shift in control of his relationships as he gains more power.

Although a great majority of the time, power corrupts decisions, it also can have a positive effect on choices. In the play Macbeth, one character who keeps in mind what is best for the people is Malcolm. As the son of King Duncan, Malcolm has virtuous morals and realizes that Macbeth is only in it for power instead of thinking of what is best for the people of Scotland. Malcolm makes a choice to fight back with the help of England. His choice to fight for power, although used violence against Macbeth, was a positive decision because he was thinking of the people and his father's legacy. His success is shown when he and Macduff defeat Macbeth and Malcolm is named the new king. He exclaims to his people, “[w]e shall not spend a large expense of time/ before we reckon with your several loves/ and make us even with you” (5.8.72-4). Only seconds after being named king, Malcolm is thinking of how he will reward his people. This proves

According to the classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does Macbeth do this?

land in the north of England after both the Earl and Anne died. He was

Shakespeare’s ideas towards kingship can be seen throughout the play. He shows that a king should be chosen by divine right and shows the attributes of what a good king should be.

Macbeth subconsciously knows that he may have to kill Duncan in order to pursue the third prophecy, as it is Duncan who is presently king, and the only way for Macbeth to obtain Duncan’s title is if Duncan were to die and lose his title. In this scenario, Macbeth has thoughts of himself being the cause of Duncan’s death, in order to have Duncan’s title passed on to him. Macbeth is soon outraged to discover that Duncan has announced his son Malcolm as the future King of Scotland, Prince of Cumberland, as Malcolm now stands in his way of pursuing the actualization of the third prophecy. When Lady Macbeth receives news of the witches’ three prophecies and the fulfillment of the second prophecy, the enormity of her ambition to make Macbeth become King of Scotland leads her into plotting out the murder of Duncan. When Macbeth hears of Lady Macbeth’s plans to kill Duncan, he is at first unwilling to go through such horrific and drastic measures in order to obtain a royal title. Macbeth gives reasons during his soliloquy as to why he shouldn’t kill Duncan, and then says:

It is Macbeths guilt that drives him insane. Before he has even killed Duncan, Macbeth feels guilty and considers backing out of the murder, but Lady Macbeth won't let him. Once again Macbeth sees that what he is doing is morally wrong, but he doesn't let that stop him. He kills the king despite his misgivings. Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet table and it freaks him out. His guilty conscience is projecting visions of Banquo because he is responsible for the man's murder. Outbursts like these hint at his guilt and make the thanes suspicious of the new king. Malcolm and the thanes who have sided with him have heard that Macbeth is going mad, and they assume that his madness is a result of the guilt for his crimes. In the royal palace at Forres, Banquo paces and thinks about the coronation of Macbeth and the prophecies of the weird sisters. The witches foretold that Macbeth would be king and that Banquo’s line would eventually sit on the throne. If the first prophecy came true, Banquo thinks, feeling the stirring of ambition, why not the second? Macbeth enters, attired as king. He is followed by Lady Macbeth, now his queen, and the court with the overwhelming guilt of killing

William Shakespeare wrote his histories focusing on an individual historical character and how they interact with their community as well as how it affect them or how they affected it. In Richard III, the titular character ambition is to become a true king, but being the youngest of three brothers (who have male sons as well) his chances are very slim so he ascends into the throne by deceit and murder. In Henry V, the titular character agrees to go to war to extend his influence onto France over a confusing reason by clergymen. Shakespeare, through both of the monarchs of these plays, explores Machiavellian politics and what it means to be live by these principles. Although both Richard the Third and Henry the Fifth are Machiavellians by having the ability to be a constant actor and doing whatever it takes to remain in power, but by having Henry succeed in the end shows how superior of a Machiavellian he was because he had a concrete goal in mind throughout Henry V.