Macbeth suffers the most through the text; he goes through the most, whether it is physically or mentally. There are many different themes in the text Macbeth, these can include the corrupting power of unchecked ambition, the relationship between cruelty and masculinity and the difference between kingship and tyranny. The topic of the text is tragedy, which is aimed at Macbeth himself. His wife tells him that he is a ‘coward’ and that he isn’t a real man. He becomes king after committing a crime but soon after it affects his mental health. He later realises that he is not built out to be the king and that he should be a soldier instead as politics is not his line of work. He is also told that he cannot be killed by anyone, which makes it extremely hard for him when he finds out that Macduff will be able to kill him. …show more content…
There is a part in the text where Macbeth wants to commits a crime in order to be king, he later changes his mind. His wife then says this - “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ”Like the poor cat i' th' adage?” – (Act 1, Scene 7, Page 2, Line 41). Lady Macbeth says this and makes Macbeth question himself as a person and as a man. Having your own wife put you down is pretty bad so for that to happen to him he must have felt very small. Later on in the text Lady Macbeth is killed, which affects Macbeth greatly. This is not the only problem he has to deal
Although William Shakespeare created the play, Macbeth, to be a tragedy, the tragic hero can hardly be considered to be one. For the entirety of one of Shakespeare’s most magnificent works, Macbeth is controlled and manipulated into committing atrocious acts that the witches and his wife desire. He is powerless to their tricks and through their sorcery/cunning words and his own morals (or lack thereof) “sustain[s] the central paradox–the heroic murderer” (Cusick). Despite the fact that he laments the loss of his king, Duncan, he still continues down his path of evil that only has one ending: his death. Although Macbeth gains a few insights on his inner self, his lack of ability to resist manipulation, willingness to kill, combined with his
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.
Every human being has a weakness and that weakness is pride. ‘Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:12, The Bible)’. Pride is a natural flaw that most people do not realize. Some can control it, while others let their pride blind them from logic and truth. Naturally, Macbeth has this attribute and he demonstrates it throughout the play. Shakespeare purposely introduces Macbeth as a proud character. The witches’ prophecies give him his confidence. And as his confidence grows, so does his pride until it eventually consumes his power-crazed mind.
When you finish reading Shakespeare’s Macbeth, you feel bad for the Macbeth for what he has become. Macbeth was a man with a great future ruined by outside sources. Throughout the play Macbeth changed from a noble soldier and turned into a memory of his past self. Every moral that Macbeth had at the beginning of the play changed in his rise and fall as a king. He was a great military leader but when he was promised the crown by the witches, and his demanding wife pushed him to the edge he began to make poor decisions. You can certainly feel sympathy for Macbeth based upon how he is treated throughout the play by other characters.
Macbeth’s inability to make his own decisions, or function independently have a tremendous affect on his weaknesses. It seems that he depends on Lady Macbeth not only in his times of distress, but any time he is forced to make a serious decision or even to present himself in front of his peers. “Lady Macbeth: You do unbend your noble strength to think so brainsickly of things. Macbeth: I’ll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; look on ’t again I dare not.” Macbeth is so cowardly that he can’t even own up to what he has done. Lady Macbeth calls him a coward, as she has done before, but this time, she goes and does the job for 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.
In Act One, Scene Seven, Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeth’s pride in order to manipulate his decision. Macbeth doubts the choice to kill the King, but Lady Macbeth wants the power and the title for Macbeth and herself. She asks Macbeth, “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem,” (1.7). Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manliness, by asking if he is a coward or a noble king. No man wants to be called a coward by his female companion, or anyone else. In doing this, she mocks his fear of committing regicide, by calling his masculinity into question. Consequently, this affect’s Macbeth’s decision to kill King Duncan. Macbeth believes that men should be violent, cruel, brave, and unremorseful. This viewpoint has been instilled in him by people surrounding him such as his wife. His pride and masculinity were superior to any future punishment for this action. His myopic view prevents him from truly seeing the consequences to come of his decisions. The egotism of some men seems to take over their perspective of right and wrong. Males today do not want to be inferior to women, because they would seem weak.
We all wish to become a leader. Some of us want to be humble, courageous, trustworthy, and respected amongst our peers. Others want to take action and rule with an iron fist. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, we see that a leader that rules tyrannically over their people will consequently lead to his or her downfall. We observe this through Macbeth, who is loyal and compassionate in the beginning of the play, but ends up being a paranoid, unforgiving tyrant because he uses his power in an incorrect way.
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.
“O worthiest cousin, the sin of my gratitude even now was heavy on me!”(I. i. 347) the king cannot repay him for what he has done for their kingdom. Macbeth is a highly respected warrior because he is loyal, trusted, and honest man. Macbeth is a vulnerable man; he is weak. Letting other people make decisions for him, he becomes more incapable of resisting how people will view him as a “loyal” soldier since he cannot follow through. In the film Macbeth the setting is right in the middle of war. Macbeth has held the enemy facing him, but he hesitates and looks at his soldiers for the okay to kill the enemy. With that being said, he is seriously self conscious and lets others makes the decisions for him. Before he is going to kill King
In the Shakespearian play, Macbeth cannot be solely responsibly for the tyranny that he causes. Macbeths close relationship with lady Macbeth and his own ambitions to become king lead him to many evil actions. This relationship causes many fatalities, which is turn leads to changes in the personality of lady Macbeth and this can be seen, as she has difficulty in coping with the situation that she has put herself in. However, slow reactions by other characters in the play, may have been the cause many unnecessary events to occur. But, theses may not have mattered is it wasn’t for the apparitions given to two characters by the evil sisters, these
Macbeth’s character has developed significantly up to the second act. We are first introduced to Macbeth character in a way that we view him as powerful and Nobel. We get this idea from the quote “oh valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” which is what he is described as by Duncan, who at the time is the king. From this quote Macbeth is portrayed as a loyal and heroic figure who has done much for many, however as we know this was not a smart move for Duncan to make as it makes him come across and weak and seems like Duncan should be giving Macbeth a higher title, which is what the witches had told him before. In addition, this idea of the king complementing Macbeth about all the good that he has done seems to trigger the belief that Macbeth has the ability to be king, even in the eyes of Duncan who is so ecstatic what he has done for the county.
Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most powerful and emotionally intense plays. Macbeth, once known for his courage and bravery is transformed into a ruthless tyrant. His wife, Lady Macbeth, once known for her strength and great ambition is soon engulfed by guilt and sensitivity greatly weakens her. As the tragic hero Macbeth is overcome by tensions in his criminal act and the reactions by his conscience (Nix).
After being given ambiguous predictions by the three witches, Macbeth has a certain confidence and believes he cannot be killed. Of course, a tragic hero must suffer, which again adds to the tragedy of his story and continues to show how human he is. “What hands are here? ha! they pluck out mine eyes!” (II.ii.59). Macbeth suffers psychological trauma after his first kill. He is overwhelmed with guilt, so much so that he does not even recognize himself.
The dynamic between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is clearly shown in 1.7 as Lady Macbeth being portrayed as the more dominant figure, as she repeatedly insults the masculinity of her husband. When Lady Macbeth hears that Macbeth has changed his mind about killing King Duncan, she starts to guilt him about his decision and says “Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life / And live a coward in thine own esteem / Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would. ” (1.743 - 45). Lady Macbeth is saying that wanting the crown but not doing anything about it, makes Macbeth a coward because he doesn’t have the guts to do the necessary actions to get power. She’s trying to appeal to his sense of manliness by insulting him about his reluctance to kill the king in order to convince him to go follow his word. This tactic reveals how manipulative and cunning Lady Macbeth is