In Macbeth, Shakespeare encompasses many different themes throughout the entirety of his play. A few of these themes brought to light in his play are ambition, guilt, how things are not always what they seem, and nature versus the unnatural. Now, while these have different meanings for each theme, they all come together to create a well-rounded play. What are the meanings of these themes? How can we see how Shakespeare depicts these? Well, throughout his play, many quotes can be seen as examples of the many themes.
To begin with, Shakespeare uses the theme ambition in which he shows how having too much ambition leads to destruction of others as well as the one with the ambition. This can be seen when Macbeth is talking about his prophecy given by the three witches that states he will not only become Thane of Cawdor but also will reign as the King of Scotland. Macbeth states "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and fall on th' other (Act 1 scene 7 lines 25-28)". When Macbeth says this, he shows that nothing can stop his ambition from getting what he wants, which is the throne. He is saying that by having ambition, people do not let things happen on their own, but speed up the process by taking it into their own hands.
In the theme of guilt, Shakespeare shows not only how it is consuming and can lead to the destruction of ones' self, but also how it can cause one to do good. This is seen when Macduff and the
There are many different themes displayed in Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth. Many of these themes play with nature, the supernatural, and fate. From ghosts to horses eating each other the play uses symbolism, language, and characters to portray these themes. During the play the audience learns of several themes such as ambition, guilt, fate versus free will, nature versus the unnatural, and how things are not always as they seem.
Throughout his play, Shakespeare uses a wide variety of themes in order to convey the sense of evil. These themes are omnipresent, and well implemented into the text, as they allow the reader to visually imagine the different occurrences, and how they might lead to a sense of evil throughout. The themes included consist of appearance and reality, guilt, ambition, violence and tyranny and order and disorder. Several quotes are weaved into the text in order to express more clearly the theme Shakespeare is attempting to convey. The themes all come together to enhance the dark symbolism of evil, and how it is actually conveyed.
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
As we finished reading and analyzing the story of Macbeth, we have found out his ambition which is the pursuit of power. Macbeth's ambition led him to his own downfall and have done things that is out of his characteristics. Macbeth's ambition represents a universal human pursuit of power because they will do anything to an extent to obtain power, they can be encouraged by someone to take action to get what they desire, and it can lead them to their own "downfall".
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shakespeare’s plays all contain themes that are still relevant to our lives today. Macbeth is no exception. Here Shakespeare utilizes an extensive variety of themes throughout the context of the play and how the characters exploit their actions towards each other. The main theme of “the Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition” is dealing with a blind lust for power capable of anything while the parallel theme of “Guilt and Remorse” deals with the effects of bad deeds on the deepest innards of human nature. Both can be found widely amongst the current generation and therefore are still
At the start of the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is shown as a man with great ambitions for himself. This is shown through beginning through several lines spoken by Macbeth. E.g. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other”. This quote tells the audience that the character Macbeth only driving
In William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", the theme of the play is portrayed by Macbeth's vaulting ambition. In his first encounter with the witches, unlike Banquo, Macbeth is stirred by their haunting prophecy and demands to know more: "Upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you." (1.3) Macbeth's ambition continues to boil when he becomes Thane of Cawdor, along with Lady Macbeth's pressure, he proceeds to commit regicide whilst admits through fear: " I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other." (1.7) However, his desire does not stop but only grows stronger.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Shakespeare Act I Scene I 12-13). The Weïrd Sisters utter these lines in unison in the first scene of the play. Shakespeare thus establishes the backdrop for a story full of paradoxes and mysticism. Not all is how it appears to be. Deceit and betrayal take center stage in the play, paving the way for Macbeth’s ascendancy to kingship, and eventual downfall. Good versus evil is present in nearly every scene. As in most literary works, the author develops different themes expressed in various ways. Symbolism is often the most effective way to express central themes. In Macbeth, Shakespeare creates contrast to effectively strengthen the overriding message of good versus evil.
With these few words Macbeth from Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Macbeth, slowly starts losing his mind after the murder he committed of Duncan. His theme of guilt reveals the outcome of wrongdoing for selfish reasons in the play, and how characters slowly lose their minds because of guilt. What other themes are revealed in the play? How do we recognize these themes throughout the play? In Shakespeare's Macbeth, dynamic themes of guilt, justice, and fate exhibit the author’s message to spectators.