In scene 1 act 7, Macbeth leaves the table and attempts to talk himself out of killing Duncan. Macbeth gives himself many logical reasons as why not to commit the murder, such as Duncan just gave him a promotion, why kill the man who just promoted you. But then Macbeth states that if he knew he wouldn’t get caught then he would do it. Then, Lady Macbeth enters the scene, and this is where the murder plan materializes. Lady Macbeth challenges him, saying that he is not a man.
Macbeth is solely responsible for the murder of Duncan. However, his decision to kill the king may have been influenced by others. There are various characters that I feel could have induced Macbeth into killing the king. At the beginning of the play, three witches arrange to meet Macbeth, upon the heath, after battle. Macbeth and Banquo went to battle intent on winning.
Discuss how the characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Duncan are established in Act I by using textual evidence to support your points. Macbeth: “return to plague the inventor” Macbeth is a person that knows what he must do but is doubtful of it. He is the war hero and got news of his promotion by the witches, who also said he would be promoted further. To make their prophecy come true he must kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth: “unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty” Lady Macbeth is the “true” evil.
The devil, or the evil spirits, take up many disguises, one of which is through Lady Macbeth. Our tragic hero does not realize that every murder will come back to haunt him. We begin to see the slippery slope Macbeth slides down as he promptly kills his best friend, Banquo, and attempts to murder Banquo’s only child, Fleance, without any outside influences. He was content killing his closest ally because he worries about the witches prophecy that “the seeds of Banquo’s kings, rather than so, come fate into the list, and champion me to the utterance…” (III.I.70-73). Even when you believe Macbeth cannot be any worse he slaughters Macduff’s entire family when he hears Macduff has fled to England; he said that he would “give to the edge o’the sword his wife, babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line”.
“(168) This novel gave the idea of suicide to the Monster which was inflicted upon being denied by everyone and not knowing his spot in humanity. As the Monster read “Paradise Lost” he connected to having a war with his creator, and believes that he was Victor’s “Satan”. Thinking in the role of Satan, the Monster kills Victor’s family, just like Satan took away God’s angels. The novel “Plutarch’s Lives” gave the monster some input on life. “The patriarchal lives of my protectors caused these impressions to take a firm hold on my mind; perhaps, if my first introduction to humanity had been made by a young soldier, burning for glory and slaughter, I should have been imbued with different sensations.” (170) The Monster finally found his reason for being on earth and he believes he found his spot in humanity.
His authority drove him mad; he started to kill the innocent like the family of Macduff for no reason. Besides taking away lives, he showed no remorse when his wife died: “She(Lady Macbeth) should have died hereafter,”(Act V, scene v). Macbeth's ambition for power clearly caused him to neglect morals/ethics; even the slightest sense of humanity diminished within his ambition. His ambition for power caused him to perform these heinous actions. Superceding ethics and morals because of ambitition is not limited to English literature; history has a few gruesome examples of its own: Adolf Hitler, known for conducting one of the
Macbeth Motif Essay In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth the thane of Glamis is easily mislead by the prophecies of the three witches. After one of their prophecies becomes true and he becomes the thane of Cawdor he is fooled into believing the rest of the prophecies. Macbeth willing to do anything to gain the throne of King Duncan commits many murders. He kills anyone that gets between him and his ambition of the throne. His greedy and power hungry wife, Lady Macbeth, assists him in devising plans to kill King Duncan and seize Scotland.
Abigail new the punishment for the crime of witchcraft was hanging and carried out her accusation so that she and Jon could “dance upon her grave together.”(Act 3) John Proctor is also charged with witch craft; he had a choice of lying about consorting with the devil or keeping his integrity. John Proctor died a positive role model for the community and his children, and went to death with his soul and integrity. Similarity, In “Macbeth” individuals are killed for greed of power. Macbeth makes foolish decisions that lead him to paranoia, grief and his downfall. “Where our actions do not, our fears do make us traitors.” (Act IV, Scene 2) Macbeth’s downfall is attributed to a sense of over-confidence and ambition Macbeth’s destruction.
Macbeth now kills without thinking or lifting a hair on his arm. This is clear in Act 4 scene 2 when Macbeth sends for the murder of Lady Macduff and her son. This marks the moment of Macbeth’s utter madness, he no longer is killing for political gain or to get rid of an enemy, but simply out of the desire to do harm and evil. However, Lady Macbeth’s guilt drives her to utter madness in a different direction. She now sleepwalks and always has a delusional belief that she has blood on her hands.
Tragedy is said to be further represented in Shakespeare’s use of opposites or antithesis. Suggested in Romeo’s oxymoronic prophetic- “Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love. Why then, O brawling Love! O loving hate” (I i.162-164) Along with omnipresent motifs of light and darkness, youth and age. Overall this scene of opposites is set within context of the lovers that are opposites in family caught in a feud that ultimately leads to tragedy.