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Examples Of The Corn Maze In Macbeth

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Going to a corn maze with friends on a fall afternoon can be a great activity. The high stalks of corn surround the wayfinders as they struggle through the seemingly impossible-to-navigate course. However, after a while, everyone finds themselves turned around, arguing which turn to take next, and before long, someone pulls out the map to plot out a route toward the finish. Corn mazes are entertaining, enjoyable activities, but without companions or a map to guide an individual, this scenario changes. Without knowing their location and without having others nearby to discuss how to go about solving the problem, one can quickly become confused, and find themselves helplessly wandering through the maze.
Although set in a vastly different context, the tragic hero in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth illustrates a similar progression of helplessness, however, unlike a corn maze, Macbeth is never able to locate the finish; there are no maps to guide him; he is indeed trapped. Although Macbeth is tempted by the witches and commits an evil act, temptation alone is not responsible for his fate. Macbeth continues to carry out evil acts because he has no one to turn to for advice or counsel. Like an individual trapped in an unsolvable maze, Macbeth’s disappearing relationships led to a state of helplessness which ultimately led to his downfall. For the purposes of the remainder of this essay, a definition of helplessness is necessary. Helplessness is an undesirable state of being that

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