Macbeth Essay The play Macbeth revolves around the events that occur once Macbeth hears the witch’s predictions. These predictions were told to both Macbeth and his beloved cousin Banquo; this will play a major role in the future. Macbeth was told that he would be Thane of Cawdor as well as being Thane of Glamis and later on would be King, while Banquo was told that his children would be kings. Later on, when Banquo dies, Macbeth is told three new prophecies that would further influence him. These change Macbeth and start to make him do actions that would normally be out of the ordinary.
Betrayal Leads to Bad Decisions Betrayal is something that will have negative consequences. William Shakespeare shows different ways of consequences in “Macbeth”. At the beginning of the play Macbeth and Banquo, two captains, are loyal to King Duncan. After receiving predictions from three witches Macbeth they betrayed each other when they didn’t expect it. Macbeth betrays King Duncan because the witches told him he will become king.
?If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me.? (1 3) Did it happen because of fate or did Macbeth make it happen? The witches tempted Macbeth to kill the King, however, it was his own ambition that led him to do that terrible thing. Macbeth, even though he was uneasy, he chose to kill King Duncan and ascend to the throne of Scotland. ?Nothing is but what is not.?
Narrative Point of View - Shakespeare put the play in a 3rd person point of view. He focuses mainly on fate and free will with the witches palying on the part foreshadowing Macbeth choices. Shakespeare proves us it's liable due to Macbeth choices on his own freewill that he killed Banquo which the witches said nothing about the death of them rather he is still going to be king wihtout their death. 8. Theme- Fate vs. Free Will- .
From then on, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth entered into a life of evil. . Without the witches’ prophecies telling him that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. As a result of these prophecies, Macbeth's curiosity was aroused and he wondered how he could become King of Scotland. At the beginning of the play, he was loyal to the king.
The first evidence of Macbeth distancing and isolating himself from his friend is at the beginning of the play, when they are told the predictions by the witches that Macbeth “shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.50). Banquo attempts to tell him that these predictions will only invade his mind with evil thoughts, saying that, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/ in deepest consequence” (1.3.123-126). In this, he tells Macbeth that he should not listen to a word that the witches say, because they will tell the truth, but they will twist it in order to achieve their evil deeds. Macbeth distances himself from Banquo, as will not listen to his good friend, and decides to listen to the evil beings instead. Macbeth, after becoming King and plunging further and further into evil, orders for Banquo to be killed, as in the mind of Macbeth, Banquo has gone from his dearest friend to it being that, “There is none but he/ Whose being I fear” (3.1.54-55).
Although others played a role in turning Macbeth into the tyrant he became, it can be argued that this never would’ve panned out the way it did if the witches had never appeared. As stated before, the three witches appeared before Macbeth and made the prediction that Macbeth would one day be king. An ever ambitious soldier, this is all it took to get Macbeth pondering the idea of regicide and take King Duncan’s place on the throne of Scotland. If regicide is what the witches meant, that’s debatable, but it did plant the
“All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.52-53) Macbeth would have never thought of killing Duncan if the Witches had never given him the idea of him being King. The Witches plan an evil atmosphere every time they show up. They gave Macbeth the temptation of being something above everyone else, and gave him the ideas of betraying his surroundings. After Macbeth when to go see the Witches for them to tell him his future from the apparitions, it showed Macbeth’s downfall.
After Duncan’s burial, it was discovered that Macbeth had been pronounced king. In the beginning of this play, nobody thought Macbeth was capable of co committing murder. Nevertheless, his wife forced evil into his mind. Without Lady Macbeth, Macbeth would not have been able to kill Duncan. Therefore Lady Macbeth played a big role in influencing her husband to become king and gain power in regretful
The Witches are responsible for what happens to Macbeth Although Macbeth does take actions that lead to his downfall, I believe that he is not totally responsible for what happens. Although he takes the action that leads to his downfall, he perhaps would not have done this if the witches had not told him that he would be king in Act 1 Scene 3. I believe that it is the witches are more responsible for Macbeth's downfall than he is. In Act 1, Scene 3, the witches tell Macbeth that he is thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor and that he "shalt be king hereafter". Immediately after hearing the witches prophesise that he will be king, Macbeth thinks that he must kill the current king to become king himself.