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The Witches Influence On Macbeth

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Macbeth bears the responsibility for the death of Duncan, his king, his kinsman and his guest. Macbeth was sucked in by ambition and fooled by his own conscience. Lady Macbeth may be a catalyst to Macbeth 's actions, but Macbeth is ultimately powered by his own ambitions and the prophecy of the witches. The witches ' prophecies have a powerful effect on Macbeth. Banquo asks him "why do you start and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair"(Act 1 Scene 1) . Banquo does not know why Macbeth is discombobulate even when he knows he will be King. What the witches say really affect Macbeth 's mind, especially the prediction that one day he will become King.. Macbeth 's mind is the first sign of his ambitious nature and the first indicator …show more content…

In his asides, Macbeth mentions that he has done all he can do and says "greatest is behind". The word "behind" is significant because suggests disingenuous behaviour by which Macbeth obtains the crown. Macbeth questions Banquo "Do you not hope your children shall be kings" indicating that he seems worried about the prediction the witches had made almost as though he is flustered by the thought of the prophecy coming true. Clearly, Macbeth 's ambitious nature is taking over his normal nature as he wants to hear more from the witches "strange intelligence". Thus, the witches ' words have caused him to have a concerned mood. Even though Act 1 Scene 3 was the first meeting of the witches and Macbeth, the witches can be seen accountable for Macbeth 's tragic fall because the witches ' influence him in a negative manner, to a point where he sees Banquo and his Son Fleance as an obstacle. Thus, it is his ambitious nature that leads him to …show more content…

Lady Macbeth contributes towards Macbeth 's downfall as she is seen to be alluring, particularly in encouraging Macbeth to kill the King. She too is sure that murder is the only solution to make the prophecy come true, but she also believes that he is "too full o ' the milk of human kindness". Lady Macbeth uses the metaphor of "milk" (being a pure drink) to show that Macbeth will "catch the nearest way" to become the King of Scotland. Macbeth does not lack ambition,however he is squeamish about the methods used to become the leader. In Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth decides to cancel the plan of murdering king Duncan, Lady Macbeth uses several techniques to in order to convince him to carry out the plan. She asks him, "was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?" She uses the metaphor of alcohol to imply that Macbeth 's courage is the result of alcohol and not real vigour. Macbeth is a strong warrior, so by insulting him, she is taking a shot at his manliness. Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of being too timid and "afeard" to trigger his ambition. She also accuses Macbeth of being "green and pale". Green in this context refers to 'coldness ' and 'sickness ', making Macbeth feel very small and weak. Thus, Macbeth is accused of being a coward. Macbeth can not fight against his wife, hence he decides to go ahead with the plan. In the bible, it was Eve who persuaded Adam to eat from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil after being tempted by the devil in the form of a

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Foil Characters During King James I’s reign in 1606, William Shakespeare wrote one of his darkest tragedies, Macbeth. The story begins with witches mentioning a character named Macbeth, who fought in war along with Banquo. As they run into each other in Act I, Scene III, the witches make prophesies to them that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland whereas Banquo will be the father of the future Kings of Scotland. These prophesies serve as a major impact on Macbeth’s behavior which will foil that of Banquo’s because of his corrupt response to making them come true.

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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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" He no longer confides in his most trusted confidant showing his descension into paranoia and obsession with control. The natural order of the universe is disrupted when they murder the king and chaos it unleashed. This is shown in the aftermath: Macbeth hallucinates, Lady Macbeth

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Lady Macbeth does not portray the expectations of a jacobean woman as she belittles and emasculates Macbeth to gain what she desires. As Macbeth expresses his fears through the regicide of the king, Lady Macbeth through her metaphor in “Was the hope drunk Wherein you dress'd yourself?” compares Macbeth's hope to a living dress that was drunk and she rhetorically questions if the dress was only feeling so brave because it drank too much. She further goes on to ask how he slept, and asks if he woke up sick with a hangover "Looks so green and pale" and that is the reason why he is questioning himself. According to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is ambitious but is far too ‘kind’ to do what it takes to murder duncan.

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This points out that the Witches are adept at using indirectness and half-truths to deceive Macbeth. There prophecies, which can be open to interpretation, lead him into making fatal assumptions. Showing irony again, even Banqo acknowledges the Witches' use of honest trifles, and their ultimate goal of betraying and leading them to deal with the consequences. Thus, while Macbeth played a role in his own demise, the witches are accountable for the tragedies that took

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(1.3.51) When Banquo notices Macbeth’s excitement about the prophecy he is told, Banquo can’t help but be a bit nervous. He realizes that there is a chance Macbeth could be king. By acknowledging this, he recognizes that Macbeth is going to try and do everything in his power to become king now, ultimately letting fate control his actions. Furthermore, after the witches’

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Throughout the opening of the play, Macbeth changes his personality consistently, giving readers to interpret him as a mixed character with no real development. Macbeth throughout the story shows his ambition to be king. During Act 1 Scene 3, the witches grant a prophecy to him and Banquo. However, Macbeth is not satisfied and is still hungry for more power. In Act 1 Scene 5 it is said “Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it.”

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He commits the murders of Duncan and Banquo, although he was goaded and provoked by his wife, and becomes foolhardy and over confident when misinterpreting the Witches’ prophecy. He is driven into madness and hallucinations by the terrible deeds he has done, seeing visions of ghosts, and blames himself (partially correctly) for the suicide of his wife. He is almost relieved when the army arrives at his gates, thinking that he is still unstoppable through all his tragedy. However, his main fault was to listen to the voices telling him to murder, mainly his wife, and carry through with the acts even when his own mind told him not to. Therefore Macbeth, too, is a guilty party in the tragedies that take place in

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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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Macbeth’s desire for control stimulates his violent behavior. He is willing to do anything to anyone who tries to get in his way, and lady Macbeth is to come up plans and make sure they go as planed, and is willing to do anything to keep her husband Macbeth as king even if it means murder after murder. Macbeth starts to get to violent and decides to hire people to kill certain people who are a threat. Lady Macbeth is not aware of these plans and finds out about them and is overwhelmed. In the banquet scene Macbeth is aware that Banquo was killed and soon sees an apparition of him.

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One reason that Macbeth is afraid of losing his crown is because Macbeth knows that his children will not follow in his footstep and become king. Macbeth fears that the weird witches

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Her ambition is not only for herself but also for Macbeth. Nevertheless, with all her fervor, she wants him to be as strong as her. “Make thick my blood./Stop up the access and passage to remorse,/That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose/Come to my woman’s breasts,/And take my milk for gall” (1.5.44-49). Lady Macbeth never wavers in her goal.

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From honored soldier to murderous tyrant, Macbeth killed his way into power. He was informed of his “destiny” and stopped at nothing to achieve it. He had multiple chances to rethink his actions. He didn 't however, he kept on his march to power leaving only himself to blame. Macbeth is the only one to blame for his actions and ultimately, his death.

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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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Lady Macbeth goes on to say that she would rather “[h]ave pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, [a]nd dash’d the brains out” than betray a promise (I.vii.l.57). This statement is full of emotional appeal; the detail that Lady Macbeth goes into definitely plays a role in Macbeth changing his mind. The emotional appeal that Lady Macbeth brings into her argument makes it more effective, but her plan is the final component that ultimately convinces Macbeth to kill King

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