The way Macbeth reacts to the witches is similar to a situation when a person is under peer pressure. Macbeth’s circumstances are similar to those of peer pressure because both are situations involve something or someone that tries to provoke the mind to an action by persuasion or pressure, etc. Peer pressure does not make a bad action okay, it is not a viable excuse, and there comes a point where one’s own conscious comes into play. The same goes for Macbeth’s situation; the witches’ influence does not justify what Macbeth did. It compares to a person explaining how he would not have done something if it were not for peer pressure.
These men are praised by many which is what led to their conceited temperament. This attribute of Macbeth is shown as he is given his second apparition by the witches.... “Laugh to scorn the of power of man, for none of women born shall harm Macbeth” (IV.i.89-91). As Macbeth is told this it is a huge boost of confidence giving him the feeling that he is invincible as though one could touch him. The insight that Macbeth is given from the witches seem to be so true that he relies only on what they have spoken, and does not try to figure out there true meaning and understand what they mean. Macbeth simply just let his ambition blind him.
His ambition, a flaw which Macbeth possess, was the only thing plus Lady Macbeth that kept Macbeth from turning the other way and not choosing to kill Duncan. The witches merely told Macbeth what his
In this quote Macbeth is saying why should he stop with just being the thane of Cawdor, why not achieve even more greatness; the greatness that the witches promised him. This quote gives us the first glimpse into Macbeth’s goals and thoughts. Macbeth doesn’t just stop with hearing the witch’s prophecies once; instead he seeks out their advice again and tries to learn more about his future. This helps to assure him that the goals he’s achieved will be safe and won’t be taken from him. When Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth he says, “I will, to the weird sisters: / More shall they speak,” (3.5.134-135).
Further to this, it would also depend on at which point in the play we are making our judgement. For example, Katherina may be offending against her society’s expectations about women at the start of Taming of the Shrew, but does not necessarily do this towards the end of the play. It could be argued that in Much Ado about Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Katherina as offending against their society’s expectations of women – the expectation that women should be submissive and act somewhat inferior to the male members of society; this also includes the view that women should not be outspoken. One of the only female characters who speak in the first scene of Much Ado is Beatrice, which portrays her to the audience as an outspoken character, and in this way she would be offending against her society’s expectations of women. Beatrice is a woman who openly defies both the courtly and bourgeois traditions of this time, ‘No, uncle, I’ll none: Adam’s sons are my brethren; and, truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred’, (II i, 431-55) in this speech to Leonato, Beatrice explains why
We are unaware of the witches plans regarding Macbeth but it is clear that they are planning to meet him to unleash evil in the play at that is what witches do. King James was particularly interested in Witches and even wrote a book on it. Shakespeare opens Macbeth with a scene that introduces the witches
At the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth was feeling triumphant after coming back from the war and had no intentions of gaining more power than he already had, but when the witches found Banquo and himself they all greeted him and addressed him in different titles, witch 1 said, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.” This makes him think that the witches know somewhat about him, then witch 2 says, ‘All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.” Macbeth not knowing that he is yet the Thane of Cawdor thinks that they must be lying but then a bit after the witches leave he finds out he is in fact the Thane of Cawdor and makes him think that the prophecy witch 3 made, “… That shalt be king hereafter!” is true. This shows that Macbeth never had full control of his desires even at the start of the play; the witches influenced him. Then later on Lady Macbeth pushes to him to pursue his desires.
In Macbeth one of the key themes which Shakespeare shows is Ambition. Ambition is the one thing which turns weak minded people like Macbeth from a loyal, good hearted general to a murderous, cold tyrant. This theme is represented through a variety of dramatic devices and characterisation techniques. Shakespeare makes Macbeth an easy victim of ambition. Macbeth himself quotes, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting Ambition, which o'er-leaps itself and falls in the other."
Trying Brutus Friends, Romans, Countrymen! Lend me your ears! Throughout William Shakespeare’s historical play, Julius Caesar, there is an omnipresent sense of questioning deriving from the play’s most controversial character, Marcus Brutus, and his sense of honor, or more, whether he has any honor to speak of. The debate concerning Brutus’ possible antagonism and inherent hubris isn’t unfounded by any means; however, the evidence of his honorability seems to outweigh anything supporting his lack of it. It is likely that without the presence of Caius Cassius, Brutus never would have even considered murdering Caesar, a man among his most beloved friends.
Lady Macbeth, unlike Macbeth is cunning, does not show any remorse and knows exactly where she wants to be. Lady Macbeth takes advantage of this situation and convinces Macbeth to take part in the beginning of these murderous acts. Questioning his manhood and convincing Macbeth that it is the right thing to do, although he knows it is morally incorrect, we, as the audience are placed to feel sympathetic towards him as she is using him for her own selfish reasons. “Look not like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under it” is the beginning of his facade that Lady Macbeth creates, yet is dramatic irony and how appearances are deceptive. Before the vicious acts and insanity jumps in, Macbeth expresses his moral dilemma and how he is extremely confused.