Macbeth Violence Essay

In the play Macbeth, Macbeth displays many instances where he shows himself as being violent. Macbeth states that he will be violent until the end. In the play, Macbeth asserts, “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked. Give me my armor.” (Shakespeare 5.3) When Macbeth implies this, it shows that he won’t be backing down until he’s dead. This reports that Macbeth believes he can only be around a violent nature. In the article, “Macbeth’s Rites of Violence” Cohen adds, “Macbeth’s use of violence is the measure of his depravity. It sinks, even lower in its use of lies, subterfuge, and sublimation, acts that are necessary to his survival as moriarch” (Cohen 57). Cohen insists that Macbeth’s actions of violence have become who he is as a person and that violence has become second nature to him. Macbeth stands his ground for what he wants and doesn't let anyone push him around, which means whenever somebody protests against him, he isn't backing down without a fight.

Macbeth claims he has a lot to hide and he is willing to kill to become the king. In Macbeth, Macbeth implies, “Stars hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires.” (Shakespeare 1.4) Many of the people in the play believe that Macbeth is innocent, because of the way he portrays himself to others. Under all of the lies, the truth will prevail in time. In the article, “Macbeth’s Rites of Violence”, Cohen states, “Violence, I have argued, is formalized and controlled by ritual. And this play discovers form and shape through the marriage of ritual with its most violent moments (Cohen 62). Cohen emphasizes in his article that violence is learned from practice over time. This relates back to Macbeth because he learned over time that using violence is the easiest to get what he