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Macbeth Essay Examples

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Recommended: Impact of guilt on lady macbeth and macbeth

Lauren Finley
Ms. Finley
Honors English ¾ A1
31 January 2022
Macbeth Literary Analysis Final
A theme of the modern world is everyday people are affected by the actions of others. This theme is seen in literature from both today and the past. An example is Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The protagonist is often affected by minor characters within the story. Macbeth is a Scottish play about a lord, Macbeth, that later becomes king through prophecy and murder. Minor characters such as the Witches, Malcolm, and Banquo play parts in driving the story forward and changing the plot within the play.
First, the Witches contribute to the actions taken in the play by creating prophecies to manipulate Macbeth. Macbeth has just returned from war when he is greeted …show more content…

In this quote, the effect of Malcolm leaving is seen by the reader. “The son of Duncan, from whom this tyrant holds the due of birth, lives in the English court” (Shakespeare, 3.6.28-29). The tyrant discussed in the quote is Macbeth. Malcolm alters the action within the play by escaping from Scotland with his brother before they can be murdered. This not only allows Macbeth to be the new king because he is next in the line of succession but lets Malcolm survive so that he can later support Macbeth's murder. Malcolm is crucial to the plot because without his part there would be no way for Macbeth to get the crown. This would cause the Witches’ prophecy to be untrue and allow Macbeth to live at the end of the …show more content…

During a dinner party, Macbeth is visited by Banquo’s ghost causing the other characters within the scene to start to notice how he is distressed by the apparition. One of the guests proclaims “Gentleman, rise. His Highness is not well” (Shakespeare, 3.4.63). Macbeth's reaction to Banquo’s death is the first display of guilt that is witnessed by others. Earlier in the play, Macbeth orders three different murderers to kill Banquo and his guilt over being the cause of his friend’s death manifests into Banquo's ghost hauntingly staring at him. The rest of the party starts to notice that Macbeth is perturbed. Lady Macbeth, his wife, has to cover for him and this fuels the distaste they have for one another. This proves that Banquo affects the plot because without him Macbeth would not have shown his guilt and, therefore, tensions between the Macbeths would not have

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This leads him to raise an army,and go fight Macbeth. Malcolm may have committed treason and abandoned the throne in a time of need, many people may view this as treason, and yes it was, but, this does not make him a bad person. He chose life over death at the expense that he would have to leave the throne so that he could be safe. This is treason against the throne because he fled to England but, if you were Malcolm and knew whatever he knew at the time would you have stayed. Malcolm showed courage returning to Scotland even though he could be potentially killed at any time with the intentions to retake what was formerly supposed to be his.

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First Malcolm has to calm everyone down. He has to stop people from fleeing the country. He has to somehow tell the people of Scotland that since he is now the new king that no one has to worry that they will be hurt. He has to be able to tell everyone that Macbeth is gone and he wont be the new king anymore. Maybe some people do not even know that Malcolm

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1956 Words | 8 Pages

With Macbeth being a general in the Scottish military, he had major influences on people and their daily lives. After the murder of King Duncan, Banquo’s suspicion of who committed the murders arose around a single suspect, Macbeth. Knowing that Banquo most likely knew the truth that Macbeth killed King Duncan, Macbeth went back to his evil ways with ease. Through his attendant, Macbeth summons three murderers. Shakespeare introduces the murders with stage direction “[Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers]” (Shakespeare, 363), in which Macbeth he uses Banquo as bait in order to gain their graces and loyalty “That it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self: this I made good to you in our last conference, pass'd in probation with you, how you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments, who wrought with them, and all things else that might, so half a soul and to a notion crazed, Say 'Thus did Banquo.'”

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1294 Words | 6 Pages

Thus, he's the one making the final decision of his course of action. As stated in Document A, Macbeth aside expresses, “The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step/ On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,/ For in my way it lies.” This reveals Macbeth's true intention, showing that he sees Malcolm as an obstacle and has the choice of eliminating his obstacles to achieve the position of King.

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Characters Macbeth Protagonist, becomes antagonist Tragic hero: fatal flaw (ambition) leads to his death Scottish general and Thane of Glamis → Thane of Cawdor → King of Scotland Courageous warrior, but ambition and self-doubt causes him to be easily manipulated Witches’ prophecies encourages him to make unethical choices Psychological effect from his murders: starts to abandon his morals completely to insight further violence Lady Macbeth Encourages Macbeth to murder Duncan for the crown Manipulative, ruthless Foil for Macbeth: Emphasizes the flaws in Macbeth’s character as the story progresses Lady Macbeth eventually feels guilty about murdering Duncan while Macbeth descends further into darkness Psychological effect from Duncan’s murder: starts to hallucinates and goes insane until she commits suicide Three Witches Antagonists, villain archetype Servants of Hecate, referred to as the “weird sisters” Manipulative: uses knowledge of the future to ruin other people’s lives Allusion: prophesying Fates in Norse and Greek mythology Banquo Courage and noble general, Macbeth’s former best friend His children are prophesied to rule Scotland Foil for Macbeth: While Macbeth betrays and murders people to make his prophecies come true, Banquo maintains his integrity despite his

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796 Words | 4 Pages

Malcolm, son of Duncan and soon to be king, shows detailed character development from his actions and speeches for his country Scotland. These actions and speeches foreshadows how Malcolm’s leadership will benefit the country but were overlooked by many because of Macbeth’s influence on Scotland. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, shows the actions of Macbeth and how his presence diminishes the royalty of Scotland. Macbeth also shows the actions of Malcolm and how he will deal with Macbeth and what he is doing. Macbeth’s influence as king forced many to believe that the Scotland’s future will fall.

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402 Words | 2 Pages

However, since Macbeth is king of all the land opposing him would be treason. Yet Malcolm continues with his plan and forms an army that goes to attack Macbeth. Macduff ends up killing Macbeth himself. Moreover, Malcolm takes the throne for himself. Power and authority shifts once again.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

We can infer that Malcolm would be a good king because he is like his father in many ways. He is a loyal trustworthy person this is shown when he performs the loyalty test. Malcolm proves that he will be loyal to Scotland because he joins Macduff and they have an army to combat Macbeth and take back Scotland. "Macduff, this noble passion- proof of your integrity - has wiped all black suspicions from my soul and satisfied my mind as to your truth and honor"What Malcolm says above proved that he would be a good king because unlike Macbeth he is looking to work with people who have integrity and this shows that he truly cares. While in comparison Macbeth just wanted to be king to say he was king and get what he wants.

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426 Words | 2 Pages

In a dramatic turn of events, Macbeth willingly steps down from the throne, renouncing his power and acknowledging the rightful succession. Malcolm ascends to the throne as the new king, surrounded by the united forces of Macbeth's former allies and his own supporters. Although the land has been scarred by the bloody reign of Macbeth, Malcolm, guided by Macduff's wisdom, initiates a period of healing and reconciliation. Together, they strive to restore order, rebuilding the country and addressing the grievances of the

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672 Words | 3 Pages

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare set in Scotland about a murderous and vehement king who spirals on a path of destruction as he suffers from the consequences of determining his own fate. The predominant theme portrayed throughout the play is honor vs. loyalty. This is represented through the identification, actions, and quotes of numerous characters. To introduce the theme of honor vs. disloyalty, the characters Banquo and Macbeth exemplify traits that are equivalent with the moral of the story.

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1113 Words | 5 Pages

Macbeth is a tyrant during his rule, manipulating the minds of the people and using murders to clear out anyone that stood in his way, so that he can stay in power. Malcolm worries about the state of Scotland as he exclaims, “I think our country sinks beneath the yoke./ It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash/ Is added to her wounds. I think withal…” (Shakespeare 4.3.49-51). Malcolm notices the true state of Scotland under the rule of Macbeth, as he has forcefully gained his

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752 Words | 4 Pages

For in [his] way it lies” (). At this moment, Macbeth is contemplating how he is going to become king, according to the prophecy he heard from the witches, if Malcolm is going to take the throne and is considering killing Malcolm. This is important because the fact that Macbeth even has the thought of

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From time to time in the play, Macbeth, we as the audience saw a plethora of changes, from the king Duncan 's horrid murder as well as Lady Macbeth going mentally insane. Above all, I felt as though the character who has grown tremendously would be the late Duncan 's son Malcolm. Malcolm, in the beginning of the play, Macbeth, was very afraid of being accused of his father 's death (along with his brother) and fled to England. While in England, Malcolm tested Macduff, who is an honorable and loyal friend, to see if he could trust him.

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646 Words | 3 Pages

The motivation for Malcolm to become king is proven when he leaves to save his life and gain the support of the king of England, which will bring him closer to overthrowing Macbeth, and gaining the throne. Likewise, Malcolm`s ambition to become king is seen when he convinces Macduff to get revenge in Macbeth for killing his family. Malcolm is so overcome by his desire and goal, that he encourages Macduff to take ``great revenge/ [and t]o cure the deadly grief`(4.iii.253-254) of losing his family. One can clearly interpret that although Macbeth and Macduff are just recently informed of the killing of Macduff`s family, Malcolm is once again filled with motivation to overthrow Macbeth, instead of grieve for theA man`s ambition and desire influence his decisions in life. This is seen when Malcolm’s motivation in the play Macbeth by Shakespeare is his desire to be crowned king to get back his father’s throne.

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1021 Words | 5 Pages

The Tragedy of Macbeth incorporates character development to present William Shakespeare’s motive; throughout the play it allows the audience to see the message the play relays. The play is a tragedy and it specifically shows the tragedy of humans as they self destruct. There is a use of literary devices to create different aspects of each character allowing them to portray different images of themselves that wouldn’t be noticed initially. Compared to how the audience views each character in the beginning of the play, the image develops into something new as different aspects are revealed. The characters and their continuous changes become the essence of the play.

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