Theme Themes In Macbeth

Lady Macbeth, and even Macbeth himself both share the hope of being King and Queen of Scotland. The only difference is that only one of them is willing to complete a horrible act to achieve that dream. Yes, Macbeth admits that he would like to be King, stating in lines 7-12 on page 20 (scene 4) that,” … Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires…” Although Macbeth agrees that being King would be great, he understands that murder is not the way, because of the three Weird Sisters’ predictions. If the title of Thane of Cawdor was bestowed upon him mere minutes after the witches’ foreseeing of it, then what is to stop the predictions of Macbeths’ kingship. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth falls victim to the darker side of ambition, letting it cloud her mind and judgement, leading to a plan that most normal people would never even consider. The examples presented in just the first act go to show how ambition can completely control one’s thoughts and actions.

Recall the story of Snow White. The girl took a bite out of an apple because it looked delectable. Little did she know that it would knock her out and put her into a deep sleep. Think about the tale of Aladdin. He found this magic lamp which was to bring him an immense fortune, but his greed got the best of him and it ended up consuming him in the end. The Lion King, a young cub was exiled after his father’s death, only to return years later and take back his rightful throne. In Hercules, an evil god was given a prophecy by three fates and forced them to come true which resulted in his own undoing. Macbeth shares a template with a plethora of tales and stories, many of which have gained popularity in the Walt Disney Franchise. Whilst these narratives and the play may have different overall storylines and characters, the vital themes and character framework remain very similar to the core ideas of the 16th-century play.

Initially, Macbeth’s emotional and physical journey begins with the prophecy that the three witches had told Macbeth about. Once the witches tell Macbeth that he will become the future king, his ambition become prominent as it is shown in the same scene as the witches when Macbeth says “Why do I find myself thinking about murdering king Duncan?” (21). So, right after the witches tell Macbeth that he will become king he already has this ambitious feeling of needing that power and doing whatever it takes to get it. However, at this point in the book Macbeth still is fighting the urge of wanting that power. To continue, in the next scene Macbeth finds himself becoming more consumed by the thought of becoming king that while with

Macbeth’s desire to become king and take the crown from King Duncan ends up hurting him more than helping him. Initially, Macbeth was against murdering King Duncan and didn't think he could do that to his very own king. Lady Macbeth believes that her husband will not go through with his plan however he does end up killing him. She states “Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full of of the milk of human kindness. As he kills the King he starts to see things like the floating dagger and that seems to make him extremely

In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth undergoes many emotional and psychological changes. Shakespeare uses motifs and numbers to show Lady Macbeth is stoic and unrepentant in the beginning, but becomes desperate for death by the end because she is frantic and overcome with guilt.

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.

Throughout history, writers have developed a plethora of literary devices.  This allows them to essentially spice up their writing, or make it more interesting to the reader.  One of the most commonly used and talked about literary devices is theme; theme is a specific idea or lesson that an author is trying to get across.  Just a few examples are, ambition, guilt, things may not always be what they seem, or even nature verses the unnatural.  In fact, these are common themes used by one of the greatest play writes of all time, Shakespeare.  All throughout arguably his most renowned play, Macbeth, we see Shakespeare use each of the four previously listed themes.

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.

Another flaw of Macbeth’s readers can learn from was his internal conflict and jealousy of anyone who could possibly come in between him and crown. Macbeth was often threatened by other people who could possibly take the crown from him. The first time the reader can see this jealousy arise was when Macduff said, “Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter, Prince of Cumberland;” (1.4.38-39). Macbeth’s first reaction was to fear the whole family line of Macduff. This intimidation lead to one of Macbeth’s most careless destructive decision when he

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

I,Malcolm, let Macbeth do anything to be king. While I watch him ruin his legacy.Macbeth proves his loyalty to Duncan by serving him. Macbeth states, " the service and the loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself(I.iv.25) To avoid being taken advantage of, Macbeth must demonstrate that he is not weak. He fulfills this by taking the cowardly way out and murdering Duncan King of Scotland. He acts out because he is jealous and feels as if he deserves to be king. At this point once Macbeth displays that he is no longer loyal to his once King of Scotland, who said " for brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name"(I.ii.95). A disloyal Macbeth cannot accept the promotion to thane of Cawdor, so he get greedy and does the unthinkable. Macbeth says, "Let not light see my black and deep desires: the eye wink at the hand yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done to see"(I.ii.50-53). These words reveal Macbeth's deep desire to be king, after King Duncan announces that his son Malcolm will be the one to take the throne after him.

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 Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires.” (1.4.55-58). The prophecy foretold by the witches promised that Macbeth would eventually become king. However, they never explicitly say how he would gain that position. What this reveals to us is that Macbeth’s lust for power overshadowed his duties as a loyal follower to his own people and King Duncan. Once he obtained the throne, it is shown that Macbeth is willing to do anything he possibly can to keep his spot in the throne, even if it means murdering more people. “Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” (4.1.158-160). At this point, Macbeth’s ego and confidence has risen so high that even if someone were to threaten his spot as king, he could care less if he were to murder Macduff’s wife and

In William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and John Steinbeck ‘Of Mice and Men’, both writers similarly present the idea of falling from nobility through their leading women. Shakespeare's play ‘Macbeth’ entails a complex array of characters, his most notorious female characters are Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Rather than a play, Steinbeck wrote a novella based in the mid 1930s during the great depression. Initially, Curley’s Wife is portrayed as a seductive character but as the novel, progresses, we see her change into a lonely and depressed individual. The reader starts to see her more sympathetically, which Steinbeck may have done to enhance the depth of the tragedy. This

Despite his fearless character in battle, Macbeth is concerned by the prophecies of the Witches, and his thoughts remain confused, both before, during, and after his murder of King Duncan. When Duncan announces that he intends the kingdom to pass to his son Malcolm, Macbeth appears frustrated. When he is about to commit the murder, he undergoes terrible pangs of conscience. Macbeth is at his most human and considerate when his masculinity is ridiculed and degraded by his wife. However, Macbeth has resolved himself into a far more stereotypical villain and asserts his manliness over that of his wife. His ambition now begins to spur him toward further horrible deeds, and he starts to disregard and even to challenge fate. Nevertheless, the newfound resolve causes Macbeth to move onward.