Motifs in Macbeth Motif is a recurring element that gains significance as a literary work continues. In the book Macbeth, by William Shakespeare there are numerous motifs such as blood, sleeplessness, and darkness. Blood is a sign of evil and wrongdoing. After Macbeth kills Duncan he says, “He can’t wash the blood off his hands.” Macbeth says this because he has this feeling that he will always have that blood stained knowing how he feels guilty for killing Duncan. Macbeth describes Duncan as having had "golden blood," which contrasts with his own.
She is aware of the fact that many people are uncomfortable with the word “cripple”, but “wants them to wince”. Only she knows all the ways having MS has affected her and believes that “cripple” is the best word to describe her because it is “straightforward and precise”. She believes other words such as “disabled” and “handicapped” “move away from [her] condition”. Though she is not exactly lucky to have the condition she has she wants to be seen as someone “who can face the brutal truth of her existence squarely”. She has lost full use of her limbs and “refuses to…deny that [she has] lost anything” while having her disease.
This shows that his ambition and self-image of bravery wins over his virtues. After Duncan’s murder, his “partner of greatness”, Lady Macbeth, starts to fall ill and is going crazy. Her powerful personality is disintegrating, and this leaves Macbeth even more alone. Even after gaining the throne, Macbeth is still insecure about remaining on the throne, and he goes and orders a series of murders. However, all this does is add to the terrible guilt that haunts him (Banquo’s ghost) Macbeth is lonely and alone, and has nobody once Lady Macbeth dies.
This quotation shows that the impact of her behaviour has become clear not only to herself but to those around her. ‘Sorely charged’ means heavily burdened, which is very different to the carefree attitude that Lady Macbeth had to the murder earlier on in the play, and shows that the realisation of what she has done has finally caught up with her. This could suggest that the guilt was only repressed in Act 2 for the sake of keeping Macbeth calm, and now these feelings of remorse have made themselves apparent in her subconscious mind. Also, after the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth assured Macbeth that the blood would wash off their hands easily: ‘A little water clears us of this deed’. This shows that she feels after washing their hands, she and her husband will be able to forget the deed and be
Macbeth seems like an even worse person after he kills Macduff’s family for no apparent reason. Macduff has some real hatred for Macbeth, on 143 he says “Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth.” Macduff is not bloodthirsty, he just wants revenge. Because of Macduff there is a strong protagonist to fight against Macbeth. Duncan and Banquo are killed so Macduff takes their place as “the good guy”. Another comparison that is made to Macbeth is with Duncan, the old king.
Macbeth responds, in brief, as a loyal thane to the Scottish king, but the prospect unnerves him. * The audience could see Macbeth’s ambition leading him to cursed thoughts which has been greatly *enforced and twisted* by the* malicious* witches. *The caution from the first apparition causes Macbeth to start a bloody massacre across England, killing families of people who may threaten his position. After this point in the play, we see *that *Macbeth* has* turn*ed* into a ruthless tyrant* in the hope of avoiding fate*, so desensitized to humanity that even the suicide of his wife *could not arouse grief from him. * All he could muster was* “She should have died hereafter”.
When Macbeth is doubting the decision to kill King Duncan, and his wife, Lady Macbeth, responds by challenging his manhood saying, “When you durst do it, you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.” (Act 1. Scene 7. 55, 56, 57, 58) In this scene, Lady Macbeth is being very cruel and unforgiving in this act, acting more like the man society would expect Macbeth to be. In act 2, Macbeth is seen being very remorseful about his actions and decisions that led to him killing the king, generally playing the more feminine role, acting the way society would expect the female role to act. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is seen being very uncaring, nonchalant, and generally just very unconcerned with the situation and killing the king, the way society would expect the male role to play.
She plans the murder with ease, and shows very little remorse for her actions. This can be see when Macbeth says "I Am Thane of Cawdor: If good, why do I yield to that [thought of killing Duncan] whose Horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature?" This again shows how Macbeth is unwilling to commit the crime. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is, going so far as to call her husband a woman, and to call him weak in order to get him to do the task. The second difference between Macbeth and his wife is the way that they view the prophecy made by the witches.
So, naturally, because man is a sinful creature, Macbeth sets out to destroy Banquo and his family, eliminating the possibility of Banquo’s descendants becoming kings. Macbeth never imagined that engaging in such murderous and traitorous acts would play an active role in ensuring that Banquo’s descendants became rulers, as well as Macbeth’s own downfall! Ultimately, prophecy may have prompted Macbeth to act, but one cannot blame prophecy for Macbeth’s evil deeds anymore than one can claim that guns kill people. Following that line of logic, Macbeth’s downfall was, therefore, caused by his own free will. The witches may have predicted Macbeth’s fate, yes.
Unlike Macbeth she understood that to achieve something you have never done before you must become someone you have never been. This is evident in one scene where she states “unsex me,” demonstrating how she wanted to shed her femininity for a masculine demeanor and veil. Hence, when plotting to kill Duncan she used this veil of masculinity to insinuate that Macbeth was not a man if he could not go through with killing Duncan. Macbeth possessing a great deal of pride in his masculinity ended up killing King Duncan and reaping the consequences. Though their relationship was unorthodox Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can