Macbeth, By William Shakespeare

In human society there are different rank and class systems that distinguish groups of people. Ambition -- the quest for power – is an internal drive that is embedded in every one of us. It motivates us to improve ourselves. Ambition can lead to corruption as in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, where the main character Macbeth is driven by his ambition and eventually becomes corrupt. Macbeth chooses to let ambition override his humanity in order to achieve and maintain the throne which ultimately leads to his and Scotland’s down fall.

Hubris is a Greek word that means overwhelming pride, as stated by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Thus, a person that is hubristic is one that is arrogant and has lot of pride and self-confidence. Holy teachings from the Christian church condemn hubris and emphasize that hubristic behaviors lead to eminent and disastrous downfalls. Various examples of teachings of anti-hubristic behavior can be found on the bible such as “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34) and “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5). Consequently, Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Shakespeare’s Macbeth are two stories that clearly depict the hubristic behavior that is condemned by the Christian church since both focus on human pride and thirst for power. Macbeth portrays more hubristic behavior than Doctor Faustus, although Doctor Faustus initially seems to be more hubristic than Macbeth.

We first start seeing power affecting Macbeth’s morals in the ending of Act I when the promise of power makes Macbeth think about killing the king. Macbeth has just finished having a nice dinner with the King and he is rethinking his plan of killing the king. We see him try to pull away from the idea of killing the king and wanting to stay an honest man. He is arguing with Lady Macbeth to not kill the king because “the king has just honored me”, “We can’t go on with this plan.” Macbeth wants to stay respectful and honest, he feels guilty to think about killing the king because the king thinks so highly of him. It is an honor to have respect from the king and Macbeth does not want to kill a good man like him. No matter what he says lady Macbeth still argues to kill the king and promises unlimited power. Macbeth finally makes the decision to kill him and begin to change from an honest and humble man to a liar and cheater. As Macbeth and lady Macbeth go forth with killing the king in Act 2 Scene 3 Macbeth freezes and Lady Macbeth tells him to dispose of the evidence but he can’t move. “I can’t go back. I’m afraid even to think about what I’ve done. I can’t stand to look at it again.” Macbeth regrets the decision and wants to go back to the honest and humble man he once was, but after killing the king he can’t turn back. He uses word choice like afraid, can’t stand to look at it again because he realizes how power has made irrational and power hungry. This new personality

“Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower/ But be the serpent under’t” (I, v, 65-66). In Macbeth, Macbeth is told to deceive everyone because Lady Macbeth says so and he wants to get away with killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth tells him to look innocent but be sneaky attitude and appearance is everything. Macbeth is a loyal soldier and nobleman that fights for his home of Scotland but, when he is acquainted with three witches a prophecy will change his thoughts in two persuasive ways. Macbeth can be viewed as two very different people, a loyal noble and a paranoid killer, as the play proceeds. Throughout the play, the theme that outward appearances are not the true character of a person is clear because Macbeth battles the evident desires of loyalty and ambition representing

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play about the inner struggles of a man who is informed of his possible rise to power, and how those inner struggles ultimately lead to his downfall. The story begins with three weird sister, or witches, planning to meet Macbeth (1.1.1-7). When the weird sisters meet with Macbeth and Banquo, in Act 1, Scene 3, they tell them of three prophecies. The first prophecy, that comes true right away, is that Macbeth will be titled Thane of Cawdor, which the audience learned of in Act 1, Scene 2. The second prophecy is that Macbeth will be the future king of Scotland. The third prophecy is aimed at Banquo, stating that while he will not be king, he will “get kings” (1.3.67), referring to his future family. While Banquo

Blood represents everybody’s life, it’s an essential to life. Without blood we couldn’t live. This is known to everyone, because of this Shakespeare puts the imagery of blood in his play Macbeth. As shown in Macbeth he uses blood imagery to represent treachery, murder, death and guilt. This imagery of blood is extremely significant to the play of Macbeth for multiple reasons.

Shakespeare, in his plays, often uses the repetition of a word, not because he cannot think of a synonym, but to place emphasis on that word and therefore the idea conveyed by the use of the word. Macbeth is no exception. Macbeth takes place in Scotland in the 11th century and discusses the issues of equivocation, fate, the future, and paranoia, as if to warn and inform the audience about such issues. Shakespeare wanted to inform the public about the consequences of equivocation - the use of ambiguous language to hide the truth - and to reassure them about placing their trust in the King, both because of the Gunpowder Plot, which had occurred not long before the writing of the play. Macbeth warns about the danger of tempting fate while indirectly persuading the audience to rebuild their trust in the monarchy, which had been precarious because of the long-lasting religious persecution. To convey this theme, Shakespeare uses the repetition of several words, a prominent one being ‘man’. All of the uses of ‘man’ rely on the social standards of the time, which dictated the behavior and traits of men and women. These social ‘rules’ were rarely broken, and those who did not abide by them were ridiculed. Shakespeare expands on the meaning of these rules through his uses of the word ‘man’, and other terms relating to gender, which convey one of three distinct social ideas: what a man is, what a man should be, and what a man should not be.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.” On October 17th, I had the pleasure of going to see Macbeth performed at the Shakespeare Tavern. Along with its reputation for being “cursed,” Macbeth is also known as one of the crown jewels of William Shakespeare’s repertoire. In my opinion, the central concept of this particular retelling of the play was the murkiness of character. Throughout the play, the many characters go through fierce temptation and strife, and none truly rise above moral contention.

Hook: With three simple prophetic statements told to Macbeth by witches, the path for his future changes. But is the following chain of events caused by the premonitions of the witches or by Macbeth’s own free will?

I have been given the task and privilege of directing the film Macbeth, (Macbeth) and the essay will examine many aspects of the play including the main characters, personalities, themes as well as the important incidents in the film and the historical background. I have chosen Lady Macbeth as the main character for discussion.

“My noble partner you greet with present grace and great prediction Of noble having and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal. To me, you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not Speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear Your favors nor your hate”.(1.3.57-64) William Shakespeare is one of the most famous playwrights in history and of the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare wrote many plays one of his most famous is Macbeth thought to have a curse on it because of the accidents that surround it. This play is about a general who becomes king and eventually becomes corrupt and a tyrant.(Shmoop)

In Shakespeare 's time, supernatural entities, such as witches or ghosts, were to be feared. It was a point in history of extremely superstitious people, where women were burned at the stake for being accused of using magic. At odds with the beliefs of his time, Shakespeare uses the supernatural in a very logical way, providing a glimpse into his characters ' unique dispositions through the use of witches, ghosts, or magic to represent their internal thoughts and struggles. Each play deals with corruption and morality as a main themes, which are enhanced by the otherworldly elements within their respective stories. Macbeth focuses on the corruption of unchecked ambition and greed for power, Hamlet considers the corruption of power and the repercussions of action in the pursuit of true knowledge and justice, and The Tempest outlines the exploitation of magic on others, or the use of others for gain by a person of power, and the illusion of justice. Through the use of the supernatural, Shakespeare provides an external driving force that highlights internal ideas or desires, and provides insight into the character 's mindset throughout each storyline.

Macbeth is the epitome of an all time classic play written by genius and legendary playwright, William Shakespeare. Macbeth also holds the distinction that among his surviving tragedies, also called Shakespearean tragedies, it happens to be the shortest play. Macbeth is written on the exploits of King Macbeth of Scotland and tackles core themes such as the lust for power and betrayal by trusted people.

William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is one of the most dark and powerful of all his tragedies. With Macbeth’s downfall due to his ambition and madness, it is a timeless piece. In this play the Weird Sisters, more commonly referred to as the three witches, are the source of the play’s problems. But there is a common debate about them, being whether the witches cause men, namely Macbeth, to commit crimes or do they only present possibilities to them. The witches most definitely cause men to commit crimes through their use of apparitions, prophecies, and their promises to Macbeth of power, thus awakening his own ambitions and evil.

Whenever mankind knows that there is something better in store for them in the future, they begin seeking out the quickest way to that goal as soon as possible, as depicted in The Tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare. He acquires two prophecies from the witches, one already come into being and the other, becoming king, yet to occur. He fights menacing urges but eventually succumbs to them; thus, throughout the play, Macbeth transforms from an honorary soldier in Scotland to a ghastly tyrant. Macbeth becomes power hungry because of the prophecy, and as a result, decides to kill the current King Duncan to fulfill his hunger. Shakespeare employs eye and hand imagery to explore the psychological consequences of sin that devour Macbeth’s sanity and transform him into an unstable, psychotic ruler.