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Responsibility In Macbeth's War

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In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth portrays himself as a strong nobleman during time of war. Macbeth’s responsibility for the death of a Norwegian lord in battle distinguishes him. Proudly fighting for Scotland, Macbeth leads his army towards victory. Although Macbeth exudes valor on the battlefield, his ambitious nature and manipulative wife entice him to commit murder. Upon meeting three witches and hearing their prophecies, Macbeth believes that he will ascend to the throne. These witches tell Macbeth, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis… Thane of Cawdor… that shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.49-52). After hearing the witches’ prophecy about becoming the Thane of Glamis, a title which he already holds, Macbeth resolves that the other prophecies must come true as well. Lady Macbeth then reads a letter from her husband stating that Ross, a messenger sent from the King, greets him as “Thane of Cawdor”. Since two of the witches’ prophecies occurred, Macbeth …show more content…

Lady Macbeth broaches the idea of murdering Duncan to Macbeth. Appalled and distraught by Lady Macbeth’s plight, Macbeth rejects this idea, expressing his respect for Duncan, by saying “hath borne his [Duncan] faculties so meek” (1.7.17) and that Duncan represents a loyal leader. Macbeth also states that it would be a breach of hospitality to murder Duncan at this particular moment as Duncan holds the status of guest in his home, and he wants his reputation to be as a good host. Responding to his wife, Macbeth then says, “We will proceed no further in this business” (1.7.31). However, Lady Macbeth disregards this message and uses her persuasiveness to her advantage. Macbeth, a passive character in the play, allows his ambivalence to take control over him. This leads to his neither contesting nor fighting back to Lady Macbeth’s plan of killing

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After hearing and believing what the witches had to say, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill king Duncan. However at first, Lady Macbeth tries to make Macbeth the king by handling the situation herself. She says to her husband,”This night’s great business into my dispatch, Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom” (1.5.. What Lady Macbeth is saying to her husband is that she will take of the plans regarding Duncan, and then says that after that night, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will be as happy as

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151 Words | 1 Pages

In the rest of the play, Macbeth is driven by ambition. He starts out as a brave soldier but becomes more ruthless as he tries to become and stay king. He struggles with his desire for power and his guilty conscience. He feels really bad about what he's done, and it eventually leads to his downfall.

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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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During this play, there are three Witches that tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Glamis, the Thane of Cawdor, and he will become the King of Scotland. He says he doesn’t believe the Witches because he is not the Thane of Cawdor or Glamis, there is no way they can see into the future, and there is no way he is going to become King. This all changes when he finds out that the Thane of Cawdor died and he is now the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis. Macbeth writes a letter to his wife to tell him all about what happened and what the witches told him. She soon finds out that King Duncan is coming to

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1724 Words | 7 Pages

In act one scene 7, Macbeth doubts if he should kill the king; however, his wife, Lady Macbeth, manipulates him into proceeding. It might be difficult for Macbeth, the renowned warrior, to hear his wife accusing him of cowardice. Therefore, under Lady Macbeth’s influence, as she questions his manhood, he commences the murder in order to prove to her that he is not a “coward.” This is important to note because his soliloquy shows his determination to proceed.

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578 Words | 3 Pages

After Ross informs him that he received the title of Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth feels excited. He figures that since he already possesses the duty of Thane of “Glamis, and [now] Thane of Cawdor, The greatest is behind” (1.3.117-118). Macbeth believes that the new honor confirms that he will attain the throne and proof that the witches’ prophecies are true. After his pronouncement of Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth refuses to believe Banquo’s skepticism and warning of the witches’ possible evil intentions and the developing risks of remaining faithful to the prophecies. At this point, Macbeth develops contrasting thoughts about whether he should trust that “chance will have [him] king…

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1587 Words | 7 Pages

Through the witchs’ predictions, Macbeth is able to perceive the power that

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833 Words | 4 Pages

To conclude, what the prophecies predicted influences Macbeth’s change of morality a great

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(1.3.126-128). To reinforce what Banquo says, Macbeth already knows that he is thane of Glamis. There is a battle going on, and the thane of Cawdor died, but Macbeth has yet to hear wind about it. The witches could have knowledge about this, and just told him what he wants to hear about being king

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1028 Words | 5 Pages

Macbeth commits murder for the love of his life and manipulates the people revolving around the murder of King Duncan. “I'll go no more: I am afraid to think about what I have done; Look don't again I dare not.” ( 1.2). Macbeth is the titular character and tragic hero of William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." He is a Scottish nobleman and a loyal general to King Duncan, but he becomes consumed by ambition and a desire for power.

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547 Words | 3 Pages

Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth that killing Duncan will solve their problems. Lady Macbeth says “Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor the heaven peep through the blanket of the dark" (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 23) to ensure that they will not be suspected. Subsequently, in that scene, Macbeth tells his wife to “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't...you shall put this night’s great business into my dispatch, which shall to all our nights and days to come give solely sovereign sway and masterdom. ”(Act 1, Scene 6, Line 14). Macbeth does this because her acting properly will also help ensure they will not be suspected of killing their benevolent

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699 Words | 3 Pages

In Macbeth, Shakespeare makes use of the three witches as main sources foreshadowing. In the play the witches are conveyed as "prophecies". The audience sees little of the prophecies so quick in the beginning of the scene and act of the play. When it talks about them meeting Macbeth they said they will greet him, when they show lost and won, after they will yell together. "fair is foul and foul is fair!"(Shakespeare 1)

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379 Words | 2 Pages

Before meeting the witches, Macbeth is an honorable man who won favor from King Duncan for his courage in fighting in battle. The witch’s Influenced him to do all the evil things the most of the play and it goes like this. The witches introduce the prophecies which two of them were full field. The first witch states that he will become “The thane of Glamis” in act 1, scene 3, page3 and the second witch says that he will become the “thane of Cawdor” but the third one is what changed the situation and it goes like the third witch says”All hail, Macbeth, the future king”.

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673 Words | 3 Pages

Lady Macbeth tried and attempted to fasten onto Macbeth’s inner feelings and attacked his level of masculinity. He is a easy person to manipulate once the future queen questioned his manliness. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he cannot go through with killing King Duncan, she proceeds to tell him that he is a coward. To further convince her husband to kill Duncan is the utmost importance she said that she “would, while (her unborn child) was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brains out.” (Act 1, Scene 7, Lines

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805 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth states to Lady Macbeth, “we will proceed no further in this business” (I, VII) since he almost finally decides to refuse to kill Duncan. However, Lady Macbeth uses different manipulative methodologies towards Macbeth and persuades him to consult the killing of Duncan. “So green and pale” (I, VII), Lady Macbeth even called him a coward. From the same scene, she mentions, “From this time, such I account thy love”, implying that if Macbeth cant stay steady concerning the murder of the king, then she will consider his love for her to be as similarly conflicting. Later in scene, Lady Macbeth states that if she had made such a promise as Macbeth did to her, she would “dash the brains out” of her own child as “it was smiling in her fail”.

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