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The play macbeth characters analysis
The play macbeth characters analysis
The play macbeth characters analysis
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Macbeth had ambition to become king of Scotland, but this did not turn out positive for him. Duncan macbeth's first cousin became King instead, and Macbeth was one of his thanes. Macbeth knew that King Duncan was a good person and king. He has been doing everything right for Scotland. Macbeth had this
Macbeth knows that if he kills Duncan, he gets the satisfaction in being king. Once Macbeth receives the position of “Thane of Cawdor” for his bravery so easily. “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my sir”(1.3.143-144). So he begins to think that since he received this higher position with doing nothing, then maybe doing nothing can crown him king. Although he was a very nice person, down deep he wanted to become king.
Macbeth (full title The Tragedy of Macbeth), believed to have been written between 1599 and 1606 by William Shakespeare. Throughout its multi-year history, Macbeth has remained one of Shakespeare’s most enduring and popular plays. Half the length of Hamlet, it is the shortest of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Macbeth sustains the title of “an intensity of tragedy” stated by numerous scholars, which never lets up from the play’s dark beginning to its ambiguous conclusion. The stage history of Macbeth has been masked in mystery and superstition over the years and adaptations have incorporated that.
The fact that Macbeth believes the witches’ prophecies are not evil nor good foreshadows how he will go on to kill any other person standing in his way to more power. His ambition blinds his mind to make him even think about ruthlessly committing a murder. This forceful way of gaining power will only lead Macbeth to become a “tyrant” in Scotland and his “fantastical” desires of killing Duncan and receiving the crown will lead Scotland to failure. Under Macbeth’s rule, Scotland seems to be in a terrible condition. With distrust among the people, there is tension all within the country, as Macbeth’s totalitarian regime had rendered the prosperity of Scotland.
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.
The “Macbeth Curse” refers to the mistakes that occur during the show. The belief goes that William Shakespeare included substantive black magic spells in the play. Any actors who have a role in the play risk the chance of having evil brought down on them. Since it is bad luck for an actor performing in Macbeth, they refer to the play as “The Scottish Play.” In Macbeth, there are multiple scenes that include physical action.
“If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir” (Shakespeare 144). Macbeth, a loyal subject to his king has an encounter that will change his fate with an ultimate effect on his free will. They claim three predictions, Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and later crowned King but Macbeths lineage will not maintain the throne. After this supernatural confrontation, Macbeth questions this loyalty which will ultimately lead to his new fate carried out (LitCharts 1). Fully capable to act upon his own free will, Macbeth instead is driven by fate to his destruction which gives further insight of his character advancement.
Fate is a prediction of someone’s life and the internal and external forces playing a role in that person’s destiny. In Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”, Macbeth is a victim of his prescribed destiny. Three witches, the people closest to Macbeth, and most importantly, his own ego and actions, determine his prescribed destiny. Three witches appear to Macbeth after King Duncan finds out he is betrayed by the Thane of Cawdor.
A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events.
The ideas of fate and freewill have been debated on for years. Citizens of the twenty-first century often believe that life is a combination of fate and personal choices. The truth is, the question has gone through all of our minds whether we know of it or not. Are our lives predetermined or do we pave our own paths? To this day, when something goes wrong in my life, my parents often tell me “it was meant to be.”
One of the most critical ideas surrounding tragedies is fate and destiny. The idea that an individual’s life is predetermined is associated with many great works of Shakespeare, and transcending through stories, if human beings have free will. If all humans carry free will, does that mean that all humans are responsible for their crimes and inhumanities. Undoubtedly, both topics are explored through the play, but Macbeth corrupts himself with his own destructive actions. The Tragedy of Macbeth stems from the fearless, hero of Scotland who then turned into a ruthless king who will kill anyone he sees as a threat.
Macbeth had become everything that he had ever wanted to be which was the king of Scotland and when the witches told him that someone else was going to take his crown he went to extremes to try to keep them from doing that which was eventually what lead to him dying. The witches had told Macbeth that the sons of Banquo would take his crown so he decided to have Banquo and his son killed Macbeth said, “Our fears in Banquo stick deep/ And in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared”(3.1.49-51). Macbeth did everything he could to protect his crown, but that is eventually what lead to his downfall and his death. He killed his best friend Banquo which was when his ambition had gone to far and was the beginning of his decline.
Have you heard of fate? Do you believe in fate? Well in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, fate plays an important role in Macbeth’s life. Fate is something that unavoidably befalls a person.
Fate Versus Free Will In Macbeth Fate versus free will is a theme well known throughout literature and in life as well. Is life controlled by fate, or are people’s lives dependent on the choices they make? In Macbeth, Shakespeare emphasizes the idea of fate vs. freewill, indicating that both elements play a role in the lives of individuals, as well as society as a whole. The main character, Macbeth’s, life is a combination of fate and his conscious decisions. The witches in Macbeth can control the fates of many, but only to a point.
and obtains the title, which trigger an arrogant and self-absorbed thinking leading to madness and finally, death. The play seems to bring up the question, whether Macbeth is fully responsible of his own destiny, or under control of fate. In the first glance, the play seems to take rather fatalistic direction, meaning that we are powerless to make decisions as they are inevitably determined by supernatural power (Hugh 1)) It is due to the presence of supernatural forces throughout the whole play that systematically fulfills the prophecy; therefore the witches represent the idea of fate in the play. However, Shakespeare seems to rather intertwine fate with free will and perhaps even promotes the second philosophy as the play evolves.
