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Macbeth Self Respect Essay

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How does an individual's injustices affect their self-respect? Most people in their life strive towards the goal of gaining respect for themselves. The feeling of being perceived as valued by society and yourself is a challenge that only some get to truly experience. In the story “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, we see how Macbeth’s ambition for power ultimately diminishes his self-respect and his values. This ambition causes Macbeth to commit a series of murders and injustices which results in his demise. As Macbeth becomes deeper entrenched in his actions, he begins to lose his self-respect and loses sight of what his morals and values truly are. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a loyal and honorable noble. He is well-respected …show more content…

Due to his recent successes in battle, he is promoted to Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan. However, we first see signs of Macbeth’s internal flaws when he is told by the witches that he will become the King of Scotland and that Banquo’s children will become kings. This seems to set off a fire in Macbeth as he begins to take the witches' words to heart, while Banquo chalks it up to just some typical nonsense. Macbeth ends up talking to his wife, Lady Macbeth, and she is very keen on the idea of Macbeth wanting to become king. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan in order to fulfill the prophecy of him becoming the King. At first, Macbeth is frightened at such a horrifying idea. This shows that Macbeth still had a sense of what his morals and values were. However, due to Lady Macbeth’s ability to prey on his internal flaws and Macbeth’s susceptibility to manipulation, Macbeth gives in to her …show more content…

At this point, he is still respected by his peers and seems fit for the job. However, Macbeth starts to feel the weight of his actions and the guilt of his crimes starts to pile up. This is shown through the lack of sleep that is starting to develop in both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth also starts to become frantically paranoid as time goes on. He perceives everyone as enemies and starts to resolve his issues with murder. This begins when Macbeth starts to become extremely defensive toward his throne and decides to hire murderers to kill Banquo and his kid. This is due to Macbeth’s insecurity about the fact that the witches stated that Banquo’s descendants will be the future kings and not his. This shows another crack in Macbeth’s morals as we see how this fear and jealousy have built up inside of him. This murder is one of the most significant points in the play as this marks Macbeth’s point of no return. Up to this point, every action that Macbeth has done can be justified to some extent. Each action like the murder of Duncan has benefited him in some way. With the murder of Banquo, there is no inherent benefit that Macbeth gains from killing him. It shows Macbeth's insecurities on full display and from this point on, he is no longer the same loyal and valiant Macbeth we knew at the start. His actions after this murder only get increasingly more brutal and his reputation is

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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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When the story begins, Macbeth truly is a “peerless kinsman” to the king (1.4.66); however, as the story progresses others refer to him in this way only because they are oblivious to his true desire” (Balwan 3). As Balwan states, Macbeth has as significant change due to the so call “power” of being king. While Macbeth transitions to a new form of character, he isolates himself from Lady Macbeth. As the power increases, Macbeth is determined to kill.

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Macbeth is courageous physically but mentally, seems a little apprehensive and hesitant. In Act 5 Scene 5 lines 27-28, “Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Macbeth finally comes to this realization of his stupidity to listen to his wife and what she had to say about the disastrous murder plans of Duncan. It is only towards the end of his fateful reign that he finally realizes what a behemoth she has turned him into. This is apparent earlier in the play in Act 1 Scene 7 lines 48-49 when Lady Macbeth states, “What beast was’t then that made you break this enterprise to me?”

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In Shakespeare's play "Macbeth," the theme of honour and certainty is explored through the struggles of the characters to maintain their sense of self-worth and find a sense of security in a world that is constantly changing. Macbeth's struggle to restore his honour, Lady Macbeth's attempt to rid herself of guilt, and Banquo's fight to maintain his integrity are all examples of the importance of honour and integrity in the face of adversity. Macbeth, the play's protagonist, initially enjoys a high level of honour and respect as a brave warrior and loyal subject to King Duncan. However, his ambition leads him down a dark path, and he becomes consumed by his desire for power. In his attempt to become king, Macbeth murders King Duncan and others, which compromises his honour.

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His bloody path starts with the assassination that led him to more power. As Macbeth’s power grew, he became more corrupted since he was forced to murder any person that threatened his throne. Thus, the murdering was a point of no return. His first victims were the Chamberlains who were blamed for the murder of Duncan, thus he had to cover up his crime. Macbeth fears the truth could be exposed also remember the witches’ prophecy, that Banquo’s sons will be kings, he plots Banquo and Fleance’s murders to secure his throne.

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His capricious and malicious acts prove how naive and vile he is as a person. Macbeth even attempts to kill Banquo to prevent any trace of his nature from making him, a “fruitless crown.” Macbeth states, “Must lave or honors in the flattering streams, and make our face vizards to our heart, disguising who we are,”(3.2.45). With such desperation, Macbeth is willing to include other people in his premeditated murder. By having Lady Macbeth be part of his plot to kill Banquo, Macbeth reveals two things about himself: That he does not value those around him, even if they are his loved ones, and that he places his personal success over all aspects of his life.

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Additionally, it also accentuates the unjust nature of Banquo’s murder later on. This is due to the fact that unlike Macbeth, he remained true to his reputation until his death. The night that King Duncan is scheduled to visit Macbeth’s, Lady Macbeth warns him to act normal to avoid suspicion and

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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

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Within "Macbeth," William Shakespeare depicts a striving soldier in hopes of gaining power. When three witches reveal to Macbeth their vision of the future of him as king, Macbeth leaves his morality behind to achieve such a position. Macbeth turns from an honorable man to a lying tyrant that raises havoc within his people, as a result of his fierce ambitions; hence, Shakespeare's overall theme of the consequences of ambition. To begin, Macbeth's careful and moral way of life takes a harsh turn as he handles the overbearing guilt of murder. His ambitions ultimately drives him to ignore all of the warning signs, which eventually lead to his downfall.

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Those who work diligently in the face of a problem work harder and remain humble in order to overcome the issue at hand. Others who are power hungry, however, remain selfish and greedy. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth, the Macbeth’s were modest and worked hard for what they wanted- which was power. When it is achieved, the power consumes them and controls their actions. Adversity causes Macbeth to work harder and use the help of the other men around him, yet when he ultimately acquires the power he is searching for, it goes to his head, causing him to act in violence by murdering those who he believes stand in his way.

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He becomes increasingly paranoid and begins to see threats to his power everywhere, leading him to commit even more murders. The murder of Banquo and his son, and the slaughter of Macduff’s family, are evidence of his descent into evil. Macbeth’s actions throughout the play demonstrate the idea that evil is not simply a state of being but rather a conscious choice. Macbeth knows that his actions are wrong, but he chooses to ignore his conscience and continue down the path of evilness. This choice is what ultimately leads to his

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This good side of Macbeth eventually deteriorates, however, as he fights for power and kingship by killing not only King Duncan, but many others. He ends up as a much hated king who is eventually killed. The character of Macbeth shifts from a favourable, loyal person to one that is destructive and consumed by power. This idea is analysed by Shakespeare by the way of his power in his marriage, how he involved himself with the witches, and how willing he was to do things. The first way that Macbeth’s change was shown in the play is how strong he was inside of his relationship with Lady Macbeth.

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