The Tragedy of Macbeth is a well known story that revolves around the word “ambition” but this ambition isn’t always self driven by someone, but rather through the influence of someone else who maintains control of the situation. The story is about a man whose desire to be the king and have power leads to the murders of those who might stand in his way. Throughout the story we see many characters who play major parts in how one event follows another, and how some characters seem to completely have control of the events in the story. Although in Macbeth the Three Sisters and Macbeth exhibit some control over the events, Lady Macbeth has the most responsibility.
As individuals, we have a certain degree of control over our own lives and the decisions we make. While external factors such as social pressure, cultural norms, and personal circumstances can influence us, ultimately, we have agency in choosing how we respond to those factors. This is portrayed through William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, the titular character Macbeth is the protagonist, a Scottish general who receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become king. Consumed by ambition and spurred on by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. However, his guilt and paranoia lead him to commit more murders in order to maintain his power, and he becomes increasingly tyrannical as his
Readers of Macbeth can look at him from different perspectives; a troubled man who fell to the dark side, or an arrogant, power hungry man who got what he deserved at the end. Macbeth by William Shakespeare tells the story about a man who was so desperate for power that he was willing to do anything to keep it. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is considered a war hero and along with his then friend, Banquo, is called upon by three witches who tell him he will be the next king. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is a power hungry figure who convinces him to kill King Duncan, to fulfill his prophecies.
Claudius and Macbeth are each characters to be reckoned with. Both decide to murder their king and superior, whether they are actual kin or kinsmen under fealty, to place themselves upon the throne. After their initial crimes, both men handle their newfound power differently and take different measures to keep their crimes hidden. Macbeth goes into what appears to be a killing frenzy to keep his secret hidden, while Claudius acts as if his brother’s death was a tragic accident and is willing to speak about it openly. Also, Claudius marries his deceased brother’s wife while Macbeth blames the murder of the king on his own sons and takes his wife with him into the newfound royal life.
This first seed of deception planted by the new king causes almost the entire chain of events that take place in the Tragedy Hamlet to happen. All in all Claudius’s deception plays a major role in the the layout and plot of Hamlet. Claudius is a deceptive power hungry foil character in this Shakespeare play who has a great influence on the of the actions and events that led to the climax and falling action of the play.
These previous couple months have been crazy for the Danish court. Following the tragic death of King Hamlet, the new king was almost immediately inducted and then married to the widow of the former king. Though when at the funeral there were many people in a depressed mood as they mourned the previous leader. Though the most distraught person attending was King Hamlets only son, the Prince Hamlet. During the viewing he was there to comfort his mother but showed little emotion as he was terribly surprised at the death of his father.
Gothic harmonies, doll parts, puffs of mist from the mouths of Shakespearean actors, and the gore of the undead invigorate the creepy atmosphere of Macbeth at the Globe Theater. I had the pleasure of viewing Macbeth from The Pit. An experience that can be quite exhausting if your mind wanders from the action of the play to the pain in your feet. Luckily, Macbeth at the Globe sucked me in and trapped me in a world where all of my uneasiness came from the show and not from my toes.
Michael Olufunsho Fafemi Alan Rosiene HUM 2052 February 6 2018 Hamlet, The Claudius similarity and Machiavellism Shakespeare through the play Hamlet portrays many complex themes through the various characters in the play. Hamlet, the protagonist is in particular a mesh of various complexities and ideas. He is often caught in between his own opposing characteristics and these ultimately affect the course of his actions.
The Ghost, who was supposedly King Hamlet had a desire for revenge against Claudius, and due to this he heavily influenced the occurrence of the tragedy. “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). By speaking these words to Hamlet the Ghost started Hamlet’s road to vengeance, and in turn heavily influenced the occurrence of the tragedy. The Ghost was the trigger for Hamlet to act. Throughout the play Hamlet, and his actions directly caused multiple tragedies, some of which did not even impact Claudius, the one the Ghost desired vengeance on.
I do think the Ghost is Hamlet’s father and it is seeking revenge at anyone, especially Claudius, who tries to or has hurt his son Hamlet. Hamlet says that Claudius killed his own brother which is King Hamlet then married his wife, Gertrude. The ghost also says he’s “destined” to suffer in “sulph’rous and tormenting flames” until the “foul crimes done in his days of nature/ Are burnt and purged away.” (1.5.6;17-18). Although the ghost is able to be seen Hamlet is the only one that has a dialogue with it.
William Shakespeare was one of the best poet and writer in his time. He has written tons of plays that are worth investigating and reviewing from. The two well-known stories he has written is called “Hamlet” and “Macbeth”. These plays contain similar expositions and both plays are mutually involved with supernatural beings, insanity, death and tragedy. The two main characters that are very alike in the play is Claudius and Macbeth.
The characters of Hamlet and Macbeth are both tragic heroes. While tragic heroes are usually the protagonists of their stories, they inevitably fail because of one or more tragic flaws. Macbeth desires to become powerful, but he does whatever it takes to obtain that power. Hamlet, on the other hand, wants to avenge his father’s murder by killing Claudius. In both of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth the major characters commit murder to achieve their goals, which is a major factor for both of Macbeth and Hamlet’s downfalls.
Firstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet.
This is what sets Macbeth apart from Hamlet - while Hamlet delays killing his uncle because of philosophical concerns mainly due to the fact that Claudius is “fit and seasoned for his passage” (3.3.88) when he is praying, Macbeth loses all honor once he decides that power is more important than relationships and sacrifices his conscience when he murders Banquo. Before the witches have gotten into Macbeth’s head, he is a very close friend to Banquo, just like Horatio is to Hamlet. However, once the witches give Macbeth the prophecy that he will become king, and after he has murdered Duncan, Macbeth starts to turn on Banquo, remarking that, “our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared” (3.1.52-54).
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.
