Examples Of Existentialism In Macbeth

In the play, The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, the main character, Macbeth, chases after power by going after the king position in Scotland. In the play, Macbeth changes from basically not worrying about whether or not he will be king, to going after the king so that Macbeth will rule the kingdom. At the very beginning, Macbeth encounters the evil witches and the witches greet Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter. The funny part about this is that Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis but, not the Thane of Cawdor because the current Thane of Cawdor is still living, and Macbeth certainly is not the king of Scotland because King Duncan is king. The things the witches say to Macbeth gets into his head and this is where the desire for power originates. Macbeth decides to kill the current King and Macbeth continues to murder people. Macbeth hires goons to kill Banquo and Banquo’s son, Fleance, because the evil witches hint that Banquo will not be king but, Banquo will heir kings. Macbeth is a character that struggles to free himself from chasing after power due to him wanting to rule the kingdom and Macbeth will do whatever possible to keep the throne. Macbeth performs multiple murders just to keep his throne from falling into somebody else’s hand.

The characterisation of Macbeth in the beginning of the play constructs him as as a meritorious and noble person, who returns from war as a hero, and has the title of Thane of Cawdor bestowed upon him. These traits are established as part of Macbeth’s character before his first appearance, positioning the audience to view him in a positive light, as the protagonist of the play. He is described by King Duncan as his “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman! (1:2:26)”. Macbeth is commended by many others, for he is “brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— (1:2:18)”. The build up of praise for Macbeth serves to provide a shock factor for the audience, leaving them

Existentialism is a philosophy for the twentieth century that revolves around being alive and the rationale of why humans find themselves to

Macbeth is a proud and robust Scottish general who is looked up to by the community. He is the Thane of Glamis and later is named the Thane of Cawdor, which is what leads his greed and ambition rise up to affect his thoughts and personality. Macbeth wants nothing more than for the prophecies given to him by the witches to come true, but he does not have the drive to act upon his desires. It is only with the persuasion that he was able to perform upon what he wanted to do as was able to kill Duncan. This had however traumatized him in ways that could not be reversed.

“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” Macbeth, or The Scottish Tragedy, by William Shakespeare is a story about a once strong willed and loving defender of Scotland who loses his grasp on the man he built himself up to be. Macbeth, who once was the best Scotsman in the country is nowhere to be found, and he has now become a murderous tyrant, who will not give up until he finds satisfaction. Macbeth is already Thane of Glamis when the Weird sisters, a trio of witches, allude to the fact that Macbeth will one day be Thane of Cawdor and then King, without actually telling him how he will get there. Although Banquo, the thanes best friend, warns him not to do anything impure of heart in order to acquire these titles, the thane ignores him.

Initially, Macbeth is viewed as a brave and loyal soldier, with Duncan praising him by expressing that “More is thy due than more than all can pay” (1.4.21). At this point, he has not been influenced by the three witches. Yet, by Duncan implying his importance, Macbeth gains a sense of self-worth and this arouses power within. His clear desire to be titled Thane of Cawdor while then having a growing temptation to commit regicide clearly demonstrate the early stages of his corruption and forms a basis for utilizing illegitimate power.

The witches tell Macbeth that he will be the “Thane of Glamis”, “Thane of Cawdor”, and “shalt be kind hereafter.” These promises serve the purpose of tempting Macbeth with the promise of higher power, as well as to lead him to his demise. Shortly after hearing the prophecy, people arrive to tell Macbeth that he has been awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor. This - being a part of the witches tempting spell - is what drives Macbeth to believe he must murder the King in order to replace him and become the new King of Scotland. Macbeth battled between doing what was right and doing what was wrong.

At a peak in Macbeth’s life, he had just been named Thane of Cawdor, it was largely influential in his naming as king. Because Macbeth is on an upward trend, the people are more inclined to support this decision. However, Macbeth’s moral quickly diminish and a number of murders are committed in his name to maintain his power. By doing this, Shakespeare positions his audience to take a different perspective on Macbeth, one which shows Macbeth in a negative light surrounded by greed and violence. This perspective of Macbeth is a polar opposite to the perspective given at the beginning of the play.

One quote that relates to the main theme that was found in Macbeth states, “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won” (1.2.77). In the beginning, the Thane of Cawdor, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, was sentenced to death for his betrayal to King Duncan. Meanwhile, Macbeth, the King's army general, has completed magnificent work in the battle and he received the title of the Thane of Cawdor for the appreciation by the King. Metaphorically and literally, the former Thane of Cawdor lost his life and his title. Unlike him, Macbeth has won by gaining the title and fame. Although the appearance might seem like positive news for Macbeth, in reality, it opened his eyes to do immoral actions.

As his lust for power intensifies, Macbeth commits immoral acts that taint his mindset as a human being. A courageous general who once served his country without a second thought falters under the influence of his wife and his strong desire for the crown. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is the evident portrayal of men’s susceptibleness of falling under the hands of greed. After being victorious in a battle, he is recognized by King Duncan as the Thane of Cawdor, which reminds him of his encounter with the three witches. The witches prophesize that Macbeth would end up attaining three titles: Thane of Glamis (current position), Thane of Cawdor, and even king. Sensing that this prophecy might actually be valid, Macbeth decides to commit several

At the play's outset, he is a celebrated Thane, respected and admired for his valor. Yet, the witches' prophecy awakens a dormant ambition within him, fueled by insecurity and perhaps a sense of inadequacy. Macbeth's yearning for power appears to stem from a desire for recognition and validation – to prove himself worthy not only to others but also to himself. This quest becomes warped, as power morphs from a symbol of achievement into an obsession that consumes him

This paper argues that the play Macbeth is driven by fatalism. All of Macbeth actions were driven by fate and it was his destiny so he had no control of what was going to happen. While research says the witches prophesied and told Macbeth, this paper says it would have happened even if the witches didn’t tell Macbeth. Keywords: fatalism, Macbeth and human affairs Fatalism in Macbeth

  Existentialism is a philosophy dealing with man's aloneness in the universe. Either there is no God or else God stands apart from man, leaving him free will to make his own choices. From this basic idea of man being alone in an uncertain and purposeless world, many related ideas have developed. One great worry of existentialist writers is that life is becoming too complicated and too impersonal. People become more and more involved with their work, which is taking them away from their friends, family, and culture. However, these provide the only "meaning" that life could possibly have. One author prominently known for his work with existential ideas was Franz

The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good

In Macbeth, the witches and their ability to foresee the future extends the notion of a ‘prophetic’ universe, which must accordingly be bound in an order or continuity, whether it be temporal or otherwise, such undoubtedly contrasts the idea of Existentialism. Consider for instance the following excerpt from the play in which the witches foretell Macbeth’s future: “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor (15; act. 1),” subsequent to the spectacle, one can observe as Macbeth is informed of his new title, as the Thane of Cawdor. As depicted above, the witches foretell Macbeth’s future; if the universe that encompasses Macbeth, is in a state of which it can be foretold, it must then have a degree of continuity and order in time, where