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The Bean Analytical Essay

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"The Bean" by Anish Kapoor invites contemplation on the themes of power and control and the ways in which they can lead to a distorted view of the world."The Bean" is a bean-shaped shiny sculpture made of stainless steel, located in Chicago's Millennium Park. It is designed to distort and change the reflections of its surroundings, creating a kaleidoscope-like effect that shifts and changes as viewers move around it. This garbled view of reality can be seen as a metaphor for how power and ambition can corrupt one's perception of reality. When viewing oneself or the cityscape on the surface of "The Bean," the reflections are twisted and warped, creating a surreal and dreamlike experience. This can cause the viewer to question their perception …show more content…

A quote that portrays this is: "Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee" (2.1). The question "Is this a dagger which I see before me?" shows that Macbeth is aware that what he is seeing may not be real. However, his desire for power has pushed him to such an extent that he is willing to embrace even the possibility of a supernatural weapon to aid him in his dark deeds. The phrase "come, let me clutch thee" shows how far he has fallen into madness and how deeply he is willing to embrace his twisted ambition. Furthermore, the imagery of the "bloody" dagger is symbolic of the bloodshed that Macbeth will soon cause. It foreshadows the murders that he is about to commit and reinforces the idea that his quest for power has warped his perception of reality. The dagger is also described as having its "handle toward my hand," which can be interpreted as a sign that Macbeth feels he is being led towards his gruesome fate by his own desires. This shows how Macbeth's thirst for power has blinded him to the consequences of his actions and how he is ultimately consumed by his own ambition. Another example of this is the quote: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes” (4.1). This quote, spoken by one of the witches, is significant because it reflects the moment when Macbeth's ambition reaches its pinnacle, causing him to perceive a distorted reality. This quote suggests that Macbeth's obsessive ambition has clouded his judgment and he is no longer able to discern between what is real and what is not. The phrase "something wicked" represents the growing sense of danger that Macbeth feels as he becomes more and more paranoid. The quote highlights the fact that Macbeth's ambition has led him to perceive the world in a distorted way, causing him to become increasingly isolated and consumed by

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Macbeth is a well trained soldier who seems like he’d be a great leader and lots of people look up to him which makes him powerful. “All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, be king hereafter”(Act 1, Scene 1). This quote is showing what Macbeth will become in the future and why people will respect him and his power. People are too scared to stand up to King Macbeth because they are afraid of what he’ll do and the confidence he has with his power is dangerous. “The power of man for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”(Act 4, Scene 1).

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The first way Macbeth shows this Motif is when Macbeth sees a floating dagger pointed at him. For instance when the narrator says, “Is this a dagger I see in front of me, with its handle pointing toward my hand? Come, let me hold you”(Act 2 Scene 1). What this means is that Macbeth had the drive to kill King Duncan in his sleep.

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Macbeth Act 2 Motif In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the sleep and dream motif is associated with anxiousness and the feeling of insanity which show a dark and tense mood. The motif sleep/dream can also link to the feeling of insanity which show a dark, tense, and frightening mood. When Macbeth is talking to himself in his chamber and is thinking about killing Duncan, “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand?

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For starters when Macbeth says, “In the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly: better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace that on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstacy” it proves that the theme that the feeling of guilt can destroy one’s quality of life is true. This is because Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are now envious of Duncan because whilst dead he is finally at peace and they aren’t at peace even whilst having what they wanted in the fear of danger. Plus the quote shows how macbeth is being tormented by his actions (the murders more specifically) which brings the topics of morality(?), guilt and paranoia. Because of his increase of power Macbeth could be feeling more paranoid as he is being tormented by his mind so he could start to think that he is being targeted. Another example of metaphor is when he says “O, full of scorpions is my mind dear wife!”

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This quote illustrates how Macbeth's ambition is so strong that it clouds his judgement and ultimately leads to his downfall.

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The voices he hears that threaten: “Macbeth shall sleep no more” indicate a relationship between guilt and madness. Therefore, the manifestation of the dagger suggests that he feels guilty because of his attempt to murder Duncan. There are three major transitions of thought. First, he contemplates about the dagger’s existence; the second is the invocations of dark images; finally, there is the bell that cuts off Macbeth’s contemplations. The transitions between topics indicate that while Macbeth feels guilty for the murder, his determination makes him ignore

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Before Macbeth was about to kill Duncan, he was hesitant about committing the act but he had to go through with it then he sees a floating dagger and he asked himself “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee… Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight?” (Shakespeare 2.1.44-46, 48-49). We can see that Macbeth sees a floating dagger and he tries to grab it but it isn’t there, which shows that he’s not in his right mind right now.

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In act two scene one Macbeth sees the dagger floating and it leads macbeth to turn violent. Macbeth says,” I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not before… It is the bloody business which informs thus to be mine eyes”. (II,i,57-61) Macbeth is thinking about murdering duncan so it makes him see a floating dagger.

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Greed for power leads corrupt leaders to pursue power through ruthless and violent ways, putting their countries in an unstable state. Macbeth commits murders and violent acts to earn his absolute power, but his corrupt mindset of yearning power leads to instability in the Scotland. After hearing from the witches, Macbeth admits that, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical/ Shakes so my single state of man/ That function is smother'd in surmise /and nothing is but what is not.”

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Furthermore, the influence of evil also plays a vital role in the degradation of a character's sanity and humanity. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a valiant and noble character, however, because of evil he becomes an illogical and insane character. When finalizes his decision to commit regicide, he visualizes a dagger and says “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.

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Macbeth would envision a dagger before him asking himself “is (that) a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand”(act.2 scene.i). The dagger was a metaphor for his ambitions and motivation to make himself king with the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth. After King Duncan was killed, Macbeth felt he was evil at that point where he “belief(ed) he (was) to evil to blessed by god”(act.2 scene.ii). The guilt he felt would drive him to the point of madness and brought into question if he was human after that or something that could not be redeemed.

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Right before Macbeth carries out the plan he imagines that he sees a dagger floating in the air before him “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my

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Come, let me clutch thee. I have not seen thee, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressedèd brain? This shows that Macbeth had morals at this point in the play and was thinking about what he was doing.

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In act 2 scene 1 of “Macbeth”, Macbeths frame of mind shows signs of unstableness and illusions through literary devices and language. In the dagger soliloquy, Macbeths describes a dagger that he could not see. He claims that it is there when in reality the dagger was a figment of his imagination. “Come, let me clutch thee: — I have thee not, and yet i see thee still, Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight?

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Macbeth’s ambition is one of the most prominent things that drive Macbeth in the play and truly becomes evident when he hears of the Witches prophecies. When the witches stop talking, he demands to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (I, III, 73-74). This portrays his excessive curiosity on the subject as well as his craving for more desirable prophecies. This ambitious nature and craving for power is also demonstrated only moments after hearing the witches, when he starts formulating a plan to kill Duncan in order to make the third prophecy come true.

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