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Fear In Macbeth Essay

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FEAR IN MACBETH Topic: Fear is the primary emotion in Macbeth THESIS: Fear is the primary emotion and the central motivating factor that influenced the outcome of the play as it dominated and controlled the nature of multiple characters. ARGUMENT #1: THE PRESENCE OF FEAR IN LADY MACBETH As the main motivator to Macbeth’s actions, Lady Macbeth is a character whose ambition and greed lead her and her husband to their inevitable fate of death. Lady Macbeth’s relentlessness, as well as her longing for power, generate an emotion of endless pain and suffering EXAMPLE 1: Consistently washing her hands as she begins to feel guilt and remorse. In hearing the prophecies of her husband, Lady Macbeth is intent on making Macbeth king …show more content…

Each new morn / New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows / Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds / As if it felt with Scotland and yelled out / Like syllable of dolor.” (IV.iii. 2-8) ARGUMENT 3: THE PLAGUE OF FEAR IN MACBETH Macbeth’s unfettered lust for power led to his biggest detriment, the transformation into a man living in fear who cannot possibly escape this continuous cycle of trepidation. Though Macbeth may hide these fears behind a strong exterior throughout the play, it remains a primary emotion and potent motivating force in his life. EXAMPLE 1: Macbeth’s fear of the unknown and of the future has driven him to seek certainty as his one objective. This fear begins in the beginning of the play after hearing the witches’ three prophetic greetings two of the three prophecies have conformed to reality; this fires his aspiration to do everything in his power to ensure that the third one comes true Results in death of King

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