Prior to our discussion, I was of the opinion that it does take “the worst of times to see the best in men’s natures” because of the various instances where other characters in the play were magnified as a result of Macbeth’s evil and tyrannous acts. As far as we know, life would have continued on as normal if Macbeth had not interfered (e.g. Duncan would have remained king, Macbeth would not become king and would remain a brave Thane, etc.); therefore, it took the heinous actions of Macbeth to provoke the actions of others that led to them reaching their full potential. Throughout the course of our discussion, my thoughts regarding whether it truly takes the worst of times to see the best in men's natures were enhanced. I began the conversation
Underline the reason (topic sentence) in each body paragraph. Is the reason clearly connected to the overarching argument? If not, how might the writer address this?
Based on their use of Aristotelian appeals, Macbeth has a more convincing and universal argument than Lady Macbeth. Macbeth thinks ahead of the crime when he says, “If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well / It were done quickly” (1.7.1-2). Macbeth looks at the logical side of the matter. A king’s death would not go unnoticed, resulting in an investigation. There is a high chance that Macbeth would get caught. He strengthens his argument by using logic, clear thinking, and possible scenarios, which are often the recipe for a sound argument in any context. Macbeth remembers that “He hath honored me of late, and I have bought / Golden opinions from all sorts of people, / Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, / Not cast aside
Macbeth Prompt 1: As persistent as Macbeth was in his conquest to be rightful heir in king, his predestined plan fails leading him to commit the worst of sins such as murder and betrayal to the king. Macbeth’s power struggle revolves around his prophecy along with others setting for his ideal process of elimination until he can rest as king. However the guilt he carries for the lineage of murder he causes is fueled by consumption of his ambition and greed for power. “Fair is foul and Foul is fair”, the appearance of a noble and loyal man becomes corrupted by his self desire and convinced in his altered fate to take power. Following the murder of Banquo and King Duncan, the power becomes less valuable to Macbeth knowing his sins will follow him through the end of his rule.
In William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth", manipulation is a very effective device. The main character Macbeth is a puppet controlled by the words coming from the three witches and Lady Macbeth. The four troublemakers provide Macbeth with the motivation and confidence he needs to kill Duncan and perform other dark actions. Macbeth is very ambitious; there’s no doubt about this. However, there is no sign of him changing from a loyal man to a power hungry man. That is until outside influences begin to interfere with his life. The people with the greatest impact on Macbeth are his wife, Lady Macbeth and the witches. However, he then learns to manipulate others himself. In the end, all the treachery is revealed and he realizes
The “Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare tells a tale of deceit, murder, and ambition, beginning with a cutthroat rise to power, followed by calamitous downfall. At the start of the play, Macbeth is a brave and loyal captain in King Duncan’s army, but after three witches prophesize that he himself will become the king of Scotland, and that those born of a friend, Banquo, will be king after him, Macbeth is overtaken by ambition and gluttony. Instigated by his wife and his own lust for power, he murders Duncan, assumes the throne, and subsequently sends mercenaries to kill Banquo’s sons. While awaiting battle, Macbeth addresses the death of his wife in Act V, scene 5. Throughout the
In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Donalbain and Malcolm make a wise decision to flee Scotland since to remain in a country where one is in danger of being framed for one's father’s murder leading to a humiliating death is not a sound judgment.
The reason Macbeth best fits this is because first the witches tell him he will be king “ all hail, Macbeth! You will be king one day.” (pg.31). When he first finds out that he will be he is very confused and doesn’t know what to do about it. He also thinks about how he will become king and jumps to murder. Then a messenger gives a letter to lady macbeth telling her that her husband sent telling her about how he was told by the witches that one day he will be king and she also says that he has to murder banquo. Macbeth later on invited him to his castle and they all have dinner and the king tells him how proud he is of what macbeth has done and macbeth tells his wife about how he decides he doesn’t want to murder duncan because he honors
Throughout the course of Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy, “Macbeth”, the eponymous hero develops from a highly respected warrior and loyal thane; to a “dead butcher”, executed for his crimes against Scotland, and condemned by all. By making the fatal error of disregarding his conscience and committing regicide in order to gain the crown of Scotland, he seals his own eternal fate and that of Scotland, making her the “grave” of her people.
Act four, scene two, is a very important piece of the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare. In this scene, Macbeth has Macduff’s wife, children, and others in his castle killed while Macduff is in England. This is the pivotal moment in the play because now Macduff and Macbeth have to fight. By some, this is viewed as the climax because it is essentially the last straw. In this scene, people are exposed to just how awful Macbeth is. For him to kill a man’s wife and children while his castle is unprotected, is the lowest of the low. This is so horrible because Macduff’s wife and child are innocent and are no threat to Macbeth. At this point, Macbeth is killing for amusement. Also, in this scene, Lady Macduff and her son have a conversation. In this exchange, the two say very ironic last words. In act four, scene two, there are three important messages that relate to the rest of the play; manhood, madness, and foul and fair.
Macbeth is innocent Your Honour, what is your view on free will? What is your view on a mentally scarred war hero who was destined to be betrayed by his country and his people? Macbeth your Honour, is not guilty for the crimes of regicide, 4 accounts of murder and numerous attempted murders, he was simply a drift in the linear stream of destiny, governed by god. He is like all of us here today, actors with defined roles on the stage of life. The Prosecution may proclaim that the tyrant Macbeth was deserving of his betrayal by his country, he did defy the natural order, he killed King Duncan.
No activity is truly mindless. Whether debated for a long or short period of time, every action is derived from a thought or notion. Therein the true crime lies in the thought process or motive of an action. A crime committed with the desire to improve or protect one’s own pride is selfish and often vain and derived from the desire to be accepted by others. Not every crime can be traced back to selfish intentions. To say “the only Crime is pride”, both a flawed statement and highly unlikely, is to exclude crimes sparked by any other variety of motivations.
In the beginning of the play Macbeth and Macduff are very similar in many aspects including rank, leadership, belief, and loyalty. But as the play unfolds, Shakespeare reveals these two characters are as different as night from day. In this essay I will compare and contrast the characters of the murderous Macbeth, and the forthright Macduff. I will consider their status within the Scottish society and the depth of their intelligence. I will also evaluate their actions and their relationships with other characters, including their families and I will discuss their degrees of ambition.
The story of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a classic one of betrayal and destiny. One of the major themes of the play is the use of equivocation to create ambiguity. The definition of equivocation from the Oxford dictionary is: the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication. The very definition of equivocation contains the use of ambiguity, thus making the two very connected in terms of the story of the play. Equivocation is used multiple times throughout the piece to create a sense of uncertainty, which in turn makes the reader not sure of what will happen next. This makes the reading of the play very compelling. Shakespeare uses equivocation to make the reader think one thing,
“Macbeth” a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, portrays, how the main character Macbeth, transforms from a war hero, to a murdering villain. Macbeth starts out as the thane of Glamis and steadily rises to become King of Scotland. The higher Macbeth rose on his road of power the more corrupt and evil he became. The character change of Macbeth ignites the whole theme of the play.
The way one shows emotions on the outside is very different from what they hide on the inside. Individuals might change to fit in, but others will pretend to be something they are not. While attempting to act as someone else reality will eventually show up either way one considers to go. Macbeth is visited by three witches that project images and as time goes on the images become a reality.