The Theme Of Themes In William Shakespeare's Macbeth

The book Macbeth written by Shakespeare. Macbeth takes you through twists and turns but also teaches a very important lesson that people should take away form it after they read the book. Also shows many different themes such as Guilt, Nature v. Unnatural, Things are not what they always seem, and Ambition.

The three witches have told Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor as well as becoming king. Macbeth believes that the witches predictions will come true because he has just been announced the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is very confused. The tone of this soliloquy is one of bafflement. In fact, he proclaims that the witches’ fortune “cannot be ill, cannot be good” (130). Given that Macbeth had been told about being king, he’s had terrible thoughts about murdering Duncan which “unfix [his] hair” and “make [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs” (135,136). Macbeth does not want to kill his friend, yet he still desires to become king. It is very ironic that his emotions and mind-set towards Duncan who is his “friend” has changed because of the fortune that the witches have given Macbeth.

“HUGH, YOU ARE GUSHING BLOOD!!!” Our heads spin around to see bright, red blood all over his shoes, feet, and the boat. The sight of blood immediately made my stomach drop and put everyone into an instant frenzy. Blood causes people to react because of the stir of emotion it causes, and the same can be said for imagery. Authors of all types of literature use imagery as a tool to engross their readers and make their senses come alive, specifically Shakespeare. In all of Shakespeare’s work a key instrument he uses is imagery; he uses it to make the reader feel connected and that the work he/she is reading is three dimensional. In one of Shakespeare’s plays, Macbeth, he especially uses imagery. The word “blood” is used over 40 times and the person who says “blood” the most is Macbeth. As the play progresses Macbeth kills more and more and becomes wrapped more tightly in the web of evil. Shakespeare uses the theme web of evil, through imagery to show how the increasingly immoral actions of Macbeth make him unable to escape his consequences.

The three witches make three initial predictions. The first witch says, "All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis", the second witch then goes onto say, "All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor", the third witch then says "all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter". They also tell Banquo that his sons shall become King. The prophecies have a lot of influence over Macbeth. The witches are clever in coming to Macbeth at the right time and in what they said. They chose exactly the right moment to approach Macbeth. He is full of triumph and fresh from the fighting ad killing. He is at a particularly vulnerable time to have his head filled with thoughts of becoming king and fame. He says to Banquo "… Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix to my hair, and make my seated heart knock on my ribs, Against the use of Nature." The text states clearly that Macbeth has murderous thought in his mind that are prompted by the prophecy, "Present fears, are less than horrible imaginings: My thought, whose murder is fantastical shakes so single state of man." It is an important point, it shows his reaction that someone has read his mind. The Witches are actually speaking Macbeth's innermost thoughts. Does this

A motif is a repeating symbol that takes on a figurative meaning. A motif can be an object, a color, the weather, or even an idea or a concept. Motifs are usually used to establish a certain mood or a theme, and they have a symbolic meaning. For example, in a fairy tale, some motifs would be: the handsome prince, the wicked witch, talking animals, and magic fairies. Another example would be the song “Beasts of England” in Animal Farm by George Orwell, and it is a motif that mainly serves as propaganda to the animals. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, motifs are seen all throughout the book, like the motif of blood and how it represents guilt. The motifs of blood, sleep, and birds affect the character development and relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

He goes from fighting in war to Thane of Cawdor, then works his way to King. Free will is what determines what happens in Macbeth’s life and leads to his death. The first example of Macbeth’s free will is when he decides to murder King Duncan. When the witches tell Macbeth he will be Thane of Cawdor and one day the King of Scotland his excitement begins to emerge. He writes a letter to Lady Macbeth his wife, telling her that he has now become Thane of

     Once Macbeth possessed the power of being Thane of Cawdor he began to exhibit more greed. He has just been given such a huge responsibility and once he was given new power, he craved more; especially when he stumbled upon the witches. He liked the power that he had and wanted to gain more, no matter what he has to do to get it. Macbeth had an encounter with the three witches and they had told him that he will become the next king. Although the witches did say this it did not mean that it was certain, it was just a possibility. But when Macbeth realized the opportunity for power he knew he wanted to become the king. This passage was in part of the letter that Macbeth wrote to Lady Macbeth: “Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it came missives from the King, who all-hailed me ‘Thane of Cawdor,’ by which title, before, these Weird Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’” (1.5.6-10). . It seems as if the power and greed now had full control over him, he is doing things that he wouldn’t do when he did not have all this power. This is the first time that we see this side of Macbeth, the side of him that is greedy for power and is willing to kill the king to do so. In the beginning of the play the thought of being Thane of Cawdor never even crossed his mind, and by no means being

Macbeth's feels that his destiny is to become King and rule with all the power that goes with kingship. The three witches on his way back to the kingdom, prophesied that he would rise to kingship. They said "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis" (I, 3, 48), and then as the thane of Cawdor "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor" (I, 3, 49). At this point in the play Macbeth had just become thane of Glamis, and the thane of Cawdor is still alive. Then, the witches greeted Macbeth as the King of Scotland saying "All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter" (I, 3, 50). This is the point in the tragedy where Macbeth starts to think as a villain. If the witches had never greeted him as King on Scotland, then he would probably never have contemplated killing Duncan in the first place. At first, he believes that he will need to kill King Duncan. Though at the end of Act 1, Scene 3, he thinks that perhaps he doesn't need to do anything to become the king saying "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir.", showing he is a man of honor and morals. Then, Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecy in his letters and decides immediately for him that King Duncan must die, showing Macbeth's doubt. An

Despite the manipulation from Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is the one who ultimately makes the decision to murder King Duncan in order to become king. When Macbeth is given the title of Thane of Cawdor and the witches’ prophecies come to him, the thoughts of murdering King Duncan to become King emerge in Macbeth’s mind. Macbeth has mixed-feelings about the prophecies and asks himself, “Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings: my thought, whose murder yet is

The works of Shakespeare have transcended the ages. They remain as highly regarded today as ever, and will likely remain an invaluable teaching tool for years to come. Shakespeare employed multiple themes throughout his writing career. One of his more popular plays, Macbeth, has a very clear and defined theme. The story of Macbeth focuses not on crime but sin.

Shakespeare's story Macbeth is a very interesting story involving a lot of characters and a lot of lessons to be learned. It was written for King James I of England in order to appease his belief that he was the true heir to the thrown of Scotland. This is where the play takes place. Shakespeare took historical facts and created a tragical fiction. Through this fiction, we learn lessons through the themes of guilt, fate, ambition, and things are not what they seem.

In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth evil is conveyed in many ways through characters, themes and settings. Many themes are explored in detail contributing hugely to the sense of evil with characters being used along with these themes to create evil within the characters. These themes and characters are shown in different settings at different times consequently affecting the mood and atmosphere of the play.

Every one of Shakespeare 's plays are heavily imbedded with motifs. A motif is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature. (motif) I chose to examine the play Macbeth. It is a very intense play full of violence, betrayal, and even the supernatural. It is well known to be saturated with themes and motifs that are repeated throughout the play. These motifs are important because they often foreshadow events on the play. They also create a atmosphere that helps shape the events of the play. I am going to focus on two motifs that seem to play a heavy role in the storyline of Macbeth. The two I have chose to focus on are the motifs of blood and nature. Since Macbeth is know for its violence blood is a very important part of the play. Nature also is representative of things to come and upsetting the natural balance of things. These are only a fraction of motifs that are present in this tragic play.

The first thing that Macbeth's desire leads him to do is to kill King Duncan. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth goes to the three witches and they tell him a few things. “First Witch- All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / Second Witch- All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! / Third Witch- All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”(Shakespeare 1.3.49-51) The three witches’ prophecy to Macbeth is that he will move up from his current position and that he will become king soon. With this information in mind, he realizes that he really wants to become a king as soon as possible. He will do anything to make that prophecy come true. He will do anything to make that prophecy come true. He even decides to kill his king, however, it was not an easy choice to make at first. “We will proceed no further in this business. / He hath honored me of late, and I

Macbeth heard the prophecy of him being Thane of Cawdor and King. He was determined to make that prophecy happen. Macbeth tells his wife that he does not want to kill King Duncan anymore, (Act I Scene VII line 33) Macbeth tells her it is his duty to keep King Duncan safe while he is in his home. His wife then talks him into doing the deed by telling him to, “Screw his courage to the sticking place”.