ipl-logo

Macbeth Act 1 Analysis

858 Words4 Pages

Act I introduces Macbeth to the idea of power through the foresight of the witches. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a loyal general that serves the king; yet once he hears the prophecies, his transition from loyal to corrupt begins to take shape. The future the witches portray peaks Macbeth’s interests, as shown by his desire to know more which he states in these lines: “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more. /...Say from whence / You owe this strange intelligence, or why / Upon this blasted heath you stop our way / With such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you” (1.3.71-79). As time progresses and Macbeth finds the first prophecy has come true, he invests his future in the idea of being king. Initially he presumed fate would make it so, but when Malcolm is announced to be the next king, his mindset shifts into the new possibility that he himself will have to make it so. This is the first insight into Macbeth’s mind that shows corruption …show more content…

Macbeth, however, seems to only take the message that he wants to hear from each one. This results in his downfall, for he does not see beneath the mask of the witches trickery; he is blinded by his current state as powerful king, and presumes he will stay that way. The murder of Macduff’s family represents the final stage of Macbeth’s corruption. No longer does Macbeth feel guilt or shame of any kind when performing the deadliest of sins, as he sentences the family to death simply because Macduff fled from Macbeth’s ruling;
From this moment
The very firstlings of my heart shall be
The firstlings of my hand. And even now,
To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line.

Show More
Related

Examples Of Greed In Macbeth

691 Words | 3 Pages

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a testimony to the difference between greed and ambition, good and evil, and right and wrong. The story shows that when one becomes obsessed with power, they will often resort to methods of manipulation and retaliation to achieve their desired outcome. In the case of Macbeth, he is approached by the Three Witches who inform him that he will one day become Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Additionally, they inform Macbeth’s comrade Banquo that his sons will one day be kings.

Read More

Macbeth Act 11 Scene Analysis

288 Words | 2 Pages

The disturbance of order in the kingdom of Scotland was reflected in the disturbance of order in the animal kingdom as well. This is shown in Act 11 scene 4 when an old man tells Ross, “Tis unnatural, even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last, a falcon, tow ‘ring in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.” The old man is describing a scene he had witnessed where an owl had preyed on a falcon. This shows the disturbance of the natural world because falcons are bigger and more powerful than owls.

Read More

Examples Of Dishonesty In Macbeth

768 Words | 4 Pages

However he soon cracks under the pressure of the crown and makes everything not what it seems. In the cunning drama, Macbeth, Shakespeare illuminates the idea that desire and pressure left unchecked will lead to unnatural troubles and wicked endings. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is known as valiant, respectable, and truthful, but goes against his moral compass which further changes him. During act one Macbeth discovers that if king Duncan dies he will become king and is thinking about killing him when he says, “He's here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both

Read More

1.7 Macbeth Act 1 Analysis

272 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth in 1.7 is debating on the plan to kill King Duncan because the witches earlier in the play told him that he will eventually become king. Macbeth however is having second thoughts of killing the king but Lady Macbeth wants to become queen so badly she wants to kill the king herself and blame it on the king's guards because no one will suspect them. In 1.7 Macbeth states “Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself”(1.7L15) and is saying that Macbeth is hosting the king and is the one is suppose to be protecting him but it is dramatic irony because he is actually the one to kill him. He also states “...Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against The deep damnation of his taking off”(1.7L20) which is stating

Read More

Juxtaposition In Macbeth

607 Words | 3 Pages

The first Act of Macbeth focuses on Macbeth finding his true identity through the actions of everyone around him. This first starts with the three witches. They make three prophecies for Macbeth: his current status as Thane of Glamis, that he will become Thane of Cawdor, and that he will be king after that. This stays with Macbeth long after the witches are gone. At first he tries to ignore the prophecy but as time goes by he believes in the prophecy more and more, and for this reason, when King Duncan tells him hat he has decided to pass the throne to his own son, Malcolm, Macbeth becomes furious.

Read More

Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Analysis

441 Words | 2 Pages

Act 3 scene 4 Analysis Scene 4 of Act 3 takes place at Forres,The murders return to tell Macbeth of Banquo 's death Macbeth returns to the banquet only to be tormented by the ghost of Banquo which is presented in William Shakespeare 's Macbeth usage of metaphors and imagery. The Death of banquo his former best mate has Macbeth reflecting about the moments happening in his life. Macbeth states “I had else been perfect,Whole as the marble, founded as the rock”(2.4.23-24) banquo 's death has Macbeth reflection about his old self and how he used to be a strong man with free will and now he 's reduced to a man who 's easily manipulated almost like a shell of his former self. This scene establishes that Macbeth is no longer the man he used to be he a ghost of his former self.

Read More

Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5 Analysis

808 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare, in his tragedy, “Macbeth,” illustrates an intriguing narrative in which a man named Macbeth receives equivocations from witches telling him that he will become the king, sending him spiraling down a path of madness and bloodshed. Shakespeare's purpose is to relay the ideas that unchecked ambition leads to a person’s downfall and to elaborate on the vanity of human ambition through the actions of the characters. In act 5, scene 5, he assumes a somber tone through the utilization of alliteration and symbolism in order to appeal to similar feelings and experiences in his Elizabethan audience. In Macbeth’s speech from Act V, scene 5, Shakespeare evokes a bleak tone through the use of alliteration which exemplifies the theme of the

Read More

Macbeth Act 2 Scene 2 Analysis

768 Words | 4 Pages

Act 2, scene 2 is quite an important scene in Macbeth, since it marks the changes of the characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their thoughts and emotions are presented in this particular scene. It shows the different roles that they play and how much they have been influenced by the witches’ prophecies. Lady Macbeth claims to be courageous in the beginning of the scene, by saying ‘that which hath made them drunk made me bold’. She seems to be very keen about this murder and very confident, and the fact that she was alone on stage emphasises it.

Read More

Macbeth Act 4 Scene 1 Analysis

947 Words | 4 Pages

This extract is from Act 4 Scene 1 of the acclaimed play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of English literature in the history. He is famous for his poetries, quotes, tragic and comedy plays. We must assume that some of his writings on misery and warmth were a reflection of his own life experience. Love and marriage in his plays always ended miserably and symbolized as tragedies, or full of unnecessary disputes on trivial issues.

Read More

Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7 Analysis

434 Words | 2 Pages

Act 1: Scene 7 The scene was chosen, as I believe that it was one of the most important scene, it included a lot of decisions, which had to wisely chosen by Macbeth, this was the last scene where Macbeth was free, which he decides between good and evil. His mindset for not committing the murder is the fear of what would happen to him and consequences he will have to face, mixed feelings of king ship, loyalty, and hospitality, admiration for Duncan's goodness, are not, perhaps, of the highest moral character, compared to the careless lust (Lady Mabeth forcing Macbeth) which forces him on which are obviously working due to him deciding on what to do. He’s so blinded and have so much anger as he doesn't know what to do and it comes out, when Lady Macbeth enters.

Read More

Ambition In Shakespeare's Macbeth

1015 Words | 5 Pages

Macbeth is also a power hungry man who would do just about anything to achieve his goal of becoming King. When Macbeth first hears the prophecies from the three witches he instantly became invested with the journey to become king. Similar to Lady Macbeth, nothing was going to come between him and his potential power, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man. That function is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.52-55). This quote exemplifies how Macbeth’s initial solution to becoming king was murder.

Read More

Analysis Of Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7

537 Words | 3 Pages

When reading Act 1 scene 7, I was particularly captivated by Macbeth’s monologue at the start of the act. During the scene, Macbeth displays weakness and begins to doubt if he should kill Duncan. He uses complex metaphors such as a “naked newborn babe” to describe Duncan’s great power and how he will greatly regret killing him. When acting as Macbeth, I wanted to display the same fear and anger found in Shakespeare’s text. This began with emphasizing the first words of the monologue to exhibit power before later slowing down and speaking quieter in order to display angst and unease.

Read More

Internal And External Forces In Macbeth

1241 Words | 5 Pages

Macbeth’s ambition is one of the most prominent things that drive Macbeth in the play and truly becomes evident when he hears of the Witches prophecies. When the witches stop talking, he demands to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (I, III, 73-74). This portrays his excessive curiosity on the subject as well as his craving for more desirable prophecies. This ambitious nature and craving for power is also demonstrated only moments after hearing the witches, when he starts formulating a plan to kill Duncan in order to make the third prophecy come true.

Read More

Literary Analysis Of Macbeth

1013 Words | 5 Pages

Celia Beyers Tinti Period 1/5 12 April 2015 Literary Analysis: Macbeth In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, he presents the character of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is shown, as a character that schemes into making rebellious plots. She reveals the desire for wanting to lose her feminine qualities in order to be able to gain more masculine ones.

Read More

Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5 Analysis

1251 Words | 6 Pages

Lady Macbeth has many faces and the given extract shows the truest of them all. Shakespeare makes Act1 Scene 5 a striking introduction to Lady Macbeth as her words fit with the theme of witchcraft-and supernatural- as well as deceit. Macbeth is a tragedy that was thought to be performed in 1606- an era when witchcraft was prevalent. Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character and Shakespeare makes this extract so striking by using elements of language, structure and mood. Using language, Shakespeare is able to make this extract so fascinating in terms of introducing Lady Macbeth.

Read More

More about Macbeth Act 1 Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document