Macbeth And Jon Krakauer's Macbeth

Not surprisingly, Macbeth has received volumes of critical commentary over the years. Not only is the play an audience favorite, but its complex characterization, deeply woven themes, and characteristic Shakespearean style make it rich ground for scholarly inquiry. Critics such as Harold Bloom have remarked on the importance of Macbeth in the context of Shakespeare 's works. In Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, Bloom writes, ' 'The rough magic in Macbeth is wholly Shakespeare 's; he indulges his own imagination as never before, seeking to find its moral limits (if any). ' ' Bloom also remarks, ' 'Macbeth is an uncanny unity of setting, plot, and characters, fused together beyond comparison with any other play of Shakespeare 's. '

The plays of Shakespeare master the understanding of the human condition. The meanings behind each play are universal truths or messages that are considered timeless. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare portrays his characters to demonstrate some of the best and some of the worst human traits, which reflect experiences of modern humanity throughout the world. Through examining today’s humanity, Lady Macbeth’s character relates to the role of Regina George from the film Mean Girls, the role of Macbeth relates to the historical event of World War 2, specifically Adolf Hitler, and the apparitions relate to believing in Santa Claus.

In the play Macbeth, ambition, strength, and insanity play major roles in how the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth behave and react. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth present all 3 of these behaviors at one time or another during the play. However, there behaviors progress in very different ways. While Macbeth gets stronger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth does the opposite. She starts out strong and ambitious, but becomes weaker and more reserved.

Wanting for dreams to come true don’t do that themselves, it depends on what choices we do and don’t make that help us strive towards our longings. Unless, we are all controlled by fate, playing out the part in our lives that had been pre-organized for us. The unit selections Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, a biographical novel, and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a drama, both focus on things we can and can 't control in our lives, but Into the Wild does a better job answering the question in the prompt because rules are meant to be broken, Chris McCandless just took it to the next level. He was able to leave his life behind, making decisions most of us couldn 't even imagine making. He sets an example of what we can achieve in life. We

Shakespeare's shortest play, Macbeth, is also, consequently, his most shocking and intense. We see the essence of tragedy: in this case, the protagonist transforms himself from a noble warrior who is loyal to his king and fights for his county to a reduced tyrant by the play's end. Macbeth's divided soul which is in turmoil is the cause of his deterioration from a respected warrior to a despised tyrant.

“Shakespeare’s plays contain themes that are still relevant today. Macbeth is no exception”. Discuss with reference to at least 2 themes form Macbeth.

In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character’s goal is to become the king. Macbeth seeks to gain as much power as he possibly can and this ultimately leads to his demise. He hears the prophecy of the witches and becomes so obsessed with fulfilling the prophecy because it states that he will eventually become king. Having this information, Macbeth goes out of his way to force the prophecy to come true. He becomes so power hungry that he tries to force fate leaving him with an undeniable guilt for his actions, the loss of love from the people who once loved him, and a harsh death in the end.

Dreams are very elusive and great things to have. To what extents do humans go through to achieve them? The Grapes of Wrath, authored by John Steinbeck, depicts a family from Oklahoma and their journey out west in an attempt to make a new life in California. The family has a dream that is unachievable. They dreamt of having lots of work and being able to live in nice houses. However, they were cheated and lied to by the rich land owners in California. The Joad family lost family members on the way to California, but the idea of this dream they were chasing after kept them pushing on forward. Dreams drive people to great extents, even if the dreams are ones that will never be reached.

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 great American President Abraham Lincoln said “Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power” (Lincoln). Abraham Lincoln explained that hardships are a part of man’s life and many great achievements are attained by overcoming the difficulties faced in our lifetime. However, the test of man’s character comes through the handling of power. A righteous and moral man wills not exploit its power as opposed to corrupt leader who will pursue his self-interests by misusing his power. Such assumptions can be made with the ruthless and mass murderer dictator, Joseph Stalin and the cruel tyrant from Shakespeare play Macbeth. Joseph Stalin is known as the most merciless and murderous dictator

From the second scene, Macbeth is described by various other characters as a strong, brave warrior that is dependable in this time of war. Malcolm describes Macbeth’s fight with Macdonwald, portraying “brave Macbeth” (Mac. 1.2. 18). In response to Macbeth's victory, Duncan cries, “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” (Mac. 1.2. 26). Shakespeare provides that Macbeth is a courageous soldier that is praised by all. Macbeth's strength is further emphasised by his label as “Bellona’s bridegroom” (Mac. 1.2. 62). Bellona is the Roman goddess of war; therefore her husband would also have to be an incredible warrior. Ross’s classification of Macbeth as bellona's bridegroom makes it apparent that he is the type of warrior that could be marrying Bellona.

Dreams don't come true on their own, no matter how much they are longed for. Therefore, it depends on what choices are personally made or not made that help people strive towards their desires- unless people are controlled by fate, playing out the part in their lives that had been pre-organized for us. The unit selections Into the Wild, a biographical novel by Jon Krakauer, and the drama Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, both focus on things people can and can't control in life. Macbeth is qualified enough to answer the essential question, as fate is evident to be present in the play; people wouldn’t be able control their lives. However, Into the Wild does a better job answering the question in the prompt, because one should have the choice between whether to follow the rules or not, and Chris McCandless took it to the next level. For example, Chris McCandless is a role model in showing that anyone can take control of their lives and start a new adventure whenever, since the world is open to everything and anyone. To specify, he was able to leave his life behind, making decisions most of society couldn't even imagine making; he shows what can be achieved in life. Individuals are able to control what they are given and earn. People strive for the things they long for and they go on and about making conscious decisions that affect life. Therefore, Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild is the better choice to answer the essential question, ‘How much of what happens in our lives do

2When he says that Duncan will leave "to-morrow," she responds, "O, never / Shall sun that morrow see!" (1.5.60-61). The sun will rise, but not on a tomorrow in which Duncan is alive. She goes on to give him a little advice, which is that "Your face, my thane, is as a book where men / May read strange matters" (1.5.62-63). In other words, he's not a very good hypocrite. Now we use the word "matter" a little differently, and we would say that just by looking at his face, anyone could see that something is the matter with Macbeth. He should, says his wife, "look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't" (1.5.65-66).

As a virgin to The Shakespeare Theatre, I was pleasantly surprised when my recent encounter with Macbeth was a stimulating and enjoyable excursion. The two and a half hours I had predicted to be less than enchanting were filled with symbolism, and an overall attitude towards the Shakespeare classic that I had never contemplated before.

The importance of continuing to read Macbeth in our modern society is to educate readers on valuable lessons in life. The significance of gaining power appropriately, the fact that there are consequences for every action and the importance of justice are a few of the many life lessons that are relevant in Shakespeare 's tragedy, Macbeth.