ipl-logo

Macbeth Essay

614 Words3 Pages

In “MacBeth” written by William Shakespeare, MacBeth experiences many different emotions throughout the play. The main character, MacBeth, undergoes different conflicts throughout his story; he was a very well-respected war hero, but used his title to his advantage. MacDuff, who was MacBeth’s enemy and the main antagonist in the story, experiences many of the same feelings MacBeth does. Their wants are similar, which drives them to carry out some of the same actions. For which MacBeth experiences guilt from all of the murders, pressured to carry out certain tasks, and fear for the possibility of being exposed for all the wrongdoings he has done. In the play, MacBeth feels guilty of all the murders he has committed. To start, MacBeth feels guilty …show more content…

Act 2, Scene 2 shows how MacBeth feels guilty for murdering Duncan and his guards by MacBeth hearing knocks on his door. In conclusion, MacBeth shows guilt from hearing and seeing things. Mainly in the first couple of scenes in the play, MacBeth experiences pressure from his wife to commit some of the murders he carried out. To begin with, MacBeth is pressured by his wife to kill Duncan. It states in the text, “You must look like an innocent flower, but act as evilly as the serpent underneath it. Preparations must be made for Duncan’s stay. You should leave me to carry out this night’s business, which shall allow us in the near future to reign over the kingdom. Shakespeare 1.5 - "The 'Sea'" 65-69)” This quote shows how demanding Lady MacBeth is. Lady MacBeth uses MacBeth to do all of the dirty work, so she still looks innocent. In addition, MacBeth feels pressured by the Witches to fulfill their promise of him becoming king. MacBeth feels this way because by the witches telling him what they see in his future, he feels the need to live up to those expectations. To summarize, MacBeth feels pressure from others to do what they want him to

Show More
Related
635 Words | 3 Pages

In Shakespeare’s Elizabethan tragedy, Macbeth, Shakespeare utilizes the motifs of blood and sleep to demonstrate the effects of murder ultimately illustrating the power of guilt. The play begins with the three witches telling Macbeth a prophecy that he will one day become king. With this information, Lady Macbeth plots the murder of Duncan for her husband—who is anxious—to become king. However, they realize there are more people in the way, and they start killing more and more people. Malcolm and Macduff see what’s going on and flee to England to think of a plan to get rid of Macbeth.

Read More
551 Words | 3 Pages

Methought, I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’”. This shows guilt because Macbeth says this right after killing King Duncan with the dagger and now he really feels guilty about killing King Duncan. Lastly, this is how guilt is shown in

Read More
986 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth's first initial thought after hearing the prophecies of the three witches, he wonders if this fate will come to him naturally or if he must take action in order for the prophecies to be fulfilled. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth has no intentions of doing wrong, he is a simple minded individual with no violent thoughts. Macbeth later says “I'll go no more: I'm afraid to think what I have done” in Act 2 Scene 2, Document C. After Macbeth kills King Duncan, Macbeth is ashamed and does not want to come into terms with the horrific deed he just committed. Macbeth's greed slowly gets the best of him, but after the murder we see Macbeth's good conscience coming through as he is suffering from paranoia and fear of what it means to have done something horrific. In Act 4 Scene 1, Document D, Macbeth makes the comment, “but yet I make assurance double sure,.thou shalt not live.”.

Read More
750 Words | 3 Pages

But because his thoughts immediately turn into actions it show’s he is guilty and has no issue ruthlessly killing an innocent family of a coward that fled to another country. In Act 2, Scene 2, when Macbeth was confessing to Lady Macbeth of the killing of King Duncan. In Act 2, Scene 2, when Macbeth was confessing to Lady Macbeth of the killing of King Duncan. He was deeply regretting what he did. Here Shakespeare writes,” But/ wherefore/ could not I pronounce 'Amen'?/ I had most need of blessing, and/ 'Amen'/ Stuck in my throat” (Shakespeare.2.2.30-32).In this snippet of Macbeth, Macbeth is guilt-ridden after killing King Duncan and is confessing his regret to Lady Macbeth and is trying to say how he needs a blessing and he doesn't deserve to live.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth feels extremely guilty after he murders Duncan and feel as if the

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

Lady Macbeth is left to deal with her guilt on her own and ultimately it becomes too much for one woman to bear. Lady Macbeth shows signs of guilt soon after King Duncan’s murder. He reveals that her “desire is … without content” (3.2.5), reflecting that her murderous deed was not worth lacking peace of mind, displaying her guilt for killing King Duncan and early signs of depression. Later in Act Five Lady Macbeth is seen sleepwalking because she cannot sleep with all the guilt that has built up in her conscious. Lady Macbeth while sleepwalking is “washing her hands” (5.1.26) trying to wash away the blood from the murders.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a play that mainly focuses on one common theme of insanity. Macbeth gradually becomes plagued by intense guilt as his desire for power drives him to attain his goals by any means necessary, including committing murder. He kills Duncan in cold blood in order to become King, has Banquo killed by three murderers because he wishes to maintain his position as King, and finally, he has Macduff’s family slaughtered. Each of these occurrences takes place because of Macbeth’s will to be King, or they are a result of his guilt. Nonetheless, they are all completed of his free will, which is what causes him to deteriorate mentally.

Read More
824 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded

Read More
1337 Words | 6 Pages

The witches, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and other characters seem to act one way, whether it be good or evil, but their intentions are usually impure and meant to harm others in order to benefit themselves. Macbeth’s guilt is caused by the foul play the witches involve themselves in. If not for their prophecy, Macbeth would have never known of his fate and would have gained the kingship without involving murder, leading to his guilty conscious. The use of Supernatural elements is added to the plot of the play in order to show readers what led to Macbeth’s downfall, and what contributed to his guilt. His guilt arose from the

Read More
1263 Words | 6 Pages

Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red” (Shakespeare II.ii.60-63). William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a powerful piece of literature that delves into the dangerous consequences of uncontrolled ambition.

Read More
527 Words | 3 Pages

Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the ideas of the consequences of immoral actions and their impact on people’s minds by presenting the shift of the tragic hero ‘Macbeth’ from a loyal and brave hero who wins battles for the king to an evil tyrant who is dominated by his ambition and suffers from guilt. The themes of appearances versus reality, manipulation, and ambition are the main themes of Macbeth used by Shakespeare to demonstrate his ideas. Throughout the play, the concept of ambition in the story of ‘Macbeth’ has been described as the flaw of the tragic hero ‘Macbeth’.

Read More
578 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s timeless play “The Tragedy of Macbeth” the dagger scene is a pivotal moment. Showcasing Macbeth's slow descent into madness and the prophecy taking over his mind. However, over the years with the creation of many new movies, each director/author likes to put their twist on the scene, trying to portray his descent into madness. Each film illustrates different themes highlighted by certain directorial choices, cinematography, and character performances. In Act 2, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," the dagger scene unfolds as Macbeth, consumed by his ambition and the witches’ prophecy, holds onto the idea of murdering King Duncan to achieve his destiny.

Read More
654 Words | 3 Pages

He commits the murders of Duncan and Banquo, although he was goaded and provoked by his wife, and becomes foolhardy and over confident when misinterpreting the Witches’ prophecy. He is driven into madness and hallucinations by the terrible deeds he has done, seeing visions of ghosts, and blames himself (partially correctly) for the suicide of his wife. He is almost relieved when the army arrives at his gates, thinking that he is still unstoppable through all his tragedy. However, his main fault was to listen to the voices telling him to murder, mainly his wife, and carry through with the acts even when his own mind told him not to. Therefore Macbeth, too, is a guilty party in the tragedies that take place in

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

W. Clement Stone once said, "Desire is the starting point of all achievement." But as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would soon know, great achievement is either earned by great work or clever deception. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have common traits like a deep-rooted strive for ambition. Still, their faults and consequences lead to them having inverse character paths. Macbeth at the beginning was a man of pure and simple ambition.

Read More
632 Words | 3 Pages

First of all, Macbeth feels guilt throughout the play when he kills the king. After when Macbeth kills the king, he gets very emotional and

Read More

More about Macbeth Essay

Open Document