In Act One we meet our main character, Macbeth. Macbeth is a noble, valiant warrior and loyal commander of King Duncan’s army. When we meet him he is returning from a battle in which he led is troops to victory and personally slew a traitor of the King. Though brave and strong, the reader does not get the sense that Macbeth is much of an independent thinker. On the way back from battle, Macbeth and his fellow nobleman, Banquo, are stopped in their tracks by 3 hideous witches. In their exchange, the witches tell Macbeth that he is to be Thane of Cawdor and later King, and tell Banquo that his children are to be Kings. Banquo questions what just happened and is skeptical of what he was told asking if he might have eaten a root that makes him hallucinate, while Macbeth is much more excited and shouts after them “Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more..”(1.3.73). Before they can ask any questions, the witches vanish. {{This is more of a summary. You need a specific thesis statement in your introduction}} …show more content…
After telling his wife of the witches and their predictions, Macbeth is urged by his wife that he must take the chance he has been given and kill King Duncan in his sleep. Lady Macbeth tells her husband to man up: “when you durst do it, then you were a man; to be more than what you were you would be so much more the man,” (1.7.56-58) and do what he said he would do. Lady Macbeth seemingly takes advantage of her husband’s confused mental state and obvious impressionable nature to persuade him to kill the King. She doubts his ability to complete the task on his own yet she is unable to do it herself. {{Connect this back to the
Lady Macbeth implies that Macbeth is less of a man because he won't murder Ducan in order to become King. When Duncan comes to their house for dinner Lady Macbeth things that it is the best time to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth enters and tells her husband that the king has dined and that he has been asking for Macbeth. Macbeth declares that he no longer intends to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, outraged,
After she read the letter that her husband addressed to her she said, "Hurry home so I can twist your thinking with my sharp words toward the obstacles that stand in the way of your crowning, a rise to greatness that destiny and the witches have promised" (I.V.24-29). She had a sneaky plan to murder King Duncan. Lady Macbeth didn’t see a problem or anything wrong with killing King Duncan; she only saw it as a way to gain more power and a way to take over the throne. Lady Macbeth called upon the evil supernatural spirits to help get her in the frame of mind to peer pressure Macbeth into doing what she wants and says. She said, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty. "
Comparison and distinction between Macbeth and Banquo Macbeth and Banquo are two main characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. While the two men do initially have some similarities, they also are very different. In the play courage, ambition, and loyalty play major roles in how the characters Macbeth and Banquo behave and react. Both Macbeth and Banquo present all three of these behaviours at one time or another during the play.
Macbeth’s mental condition begins to dwindle as time goes on, starting with the murder of Duncan. At first, Macbeth is seen as a soldier that everyone aspires to be, strong, brave, and compassionate about his duties to the king. In act one scene two, Captain says, “...For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-...” This shows that he is a likeable person who has only the objective of serving his king. After meeting with the witches and hearing his prophecy, Macbeth starts to think about what it would be like to be king of Scotland.
To what extent do two characters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth demonstrate courage? Two characters who demonstrate courage in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ are Macbeth and Banquo. Both characters, to a great extent possess physical courage. However, Macbeth’s moral integrity vacillates whereas Banquo’s honourable courage is steadfast.
The truth is, Lady Macbeth has not been assisting her husband but rather controlling him instead. Lady Macbeth would frequently bring Macbeth down and manipulate him into feeling like nothing without being King, this is shown when she says, “When you durst do it then you were a man; And to be more than you were, you would be so much more the man.” (Shakespeare, 1.7 49-52). Each time Macbeth questions the logistics of killing King Duncan, Lady Macbeth applies harmful manipulation tactics to push Macbeth towards regicide, suggesting that his worth as a man is tied to his willingness to seize
Lady Macbeth tried and attempted to fasten onto Macbeth’s inner feelings and attacked his level of masculinity. He is a easy person to manipulate once the future queen questioned his manliness. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he cannot go through with killing King Duncan, she proceeds to tell him that he is a coward. To further convince her husband to kill Duncan is the utmost importance she said that she “would, while (her unborn child) was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brains out.” (Act 1, Scene 7, Lines
After informing her of the witches’ prophecy, she quickly devises a plot to assassinate King Duncan. Macbeth attempts to back out of the plan, but his wife mocks him and challenges his sense of pride and manhood. Because of this, he decides that he must go through with it. Her own ambitions and greed led her to do this, but ultimately it would be both of their downfalls. If he had continued to refuse, and never killed the king, it also would have changed his
In act one scene 7, Macbeth doubts if he should kill the king; however, his wife, Lady Macbeth, manipulates him into proceeding. It might be difficult for Macbeth, the renowned warrior, to hear his wife accusing him of cowardice. Therefore, under Lady Macbeth’s influence, as she questions his manhood, he commences the murder in order to prove to her that he is not a “coward.” This is important to note because his soliloquy shows his determination to proceed.
The prophecy tells him he will become king. He then decided to kill the king to become king himself. Macbeth writes to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her what the witches told him (Shakespeare pg. 31). Macbeth’s wife is very excited about this news and she pushes him to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s conscience is telling him not to kill the king but his wife is putting him down and insisting on him killing the king.
Lady Macbeth persuades and manipulates Macbeth by pointing out his insecurities successfully and pressuring him into murdering the king. Along with this, Lady Macbeth also questions Macbeth’s manhood and masculinity when he does not want to carry out the plan when she says “When you durst do it, then you were a man;//And to be more than what you were, you would//Be so much more the man” (Shakespeare 1.7.49-51). By saying these things, Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to believe that murdering the king will be his redemption from being a
In Macbeth, Act 1 scene 3, there are examples of imagery. Figurative imagery: (Figurative imagery is created by using "figures of speech" such as metaphors, similes and personification. Through the usage of figures of speech, there is an indirect description by comparing one thing to another) Literal imagery: It creates a mental impression through the use of language that appeals directly to the senses by describing a thing, a person, a feeling or an experience.
Macbeth calls her his “dearest partner of greatness”, which indicates they have a close relationship, and he considers her equal to him. “Lady Macbeth must act and think "like a man" because good women are by definition subservient, and can exert no recognizable authority.” When there is the idea of murdering King Duncan, she takes control of the situation. She calls on the evil sprits saying, “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full, of direst cruelty.” She needed to be male in order to kill Duncan because it was believed only men could commit murder, since women were too dainty to do
Banquo notices Macbeth in a daze after hearing of his rise to power. Intrigued at how Macbeth is in such a state, Banquo asks the witches that if they can truly “…look into the seeds of time,” to speak to him as well. He says to them, “Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear, / Your favours nor your hate,” (I. iii. 60-61).
They told Macbeth that he was going to be king, and told Banquo that his children were going to be king. With the knowledge that there is a possibility to become king, along with the selfish human nature, noble Macbeth was easily swayed by this prophecy. At first, Macbeth’s conscience took care of his ambitions, he was afraid he would betray the king, because he knew that he was “his kinsman and his subject” (1.7.13). However as the three witches continue to encourage Macbeth with carefully chosen words, he eventually pushes his conscience away and committed crimes that were dishonourable. Macbeth, easily controlled by his ambitions, loses his noble and heroic title in fear of losing his power.