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
He commits murder and puts his entire kingdom in danger. Still, many of his evil acts are committed while he is under the influence of the Weird Sisters and Lady Macbeth, who are often considered to be the true villains of the play. At the end of the play, Macbeth realizes the evil he has committed and seems to feel sorrow for such. Because of this realization Macbeth is often viewed as a tragic hero, for tragic heroes almost always recognize the errors they have committed by the end of their stories and seek, in some manner, to atone for them. Macbeth is indeed a bit too complex to be categorised as a villain or a hero.
They both have various similarities and differences and these comparisons say a great deal about both of their characters. Now, a key difference between Banquo and Macbeth is that Macbeth is already obviously a representation of the Machiavellian concept. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, in this case, the prestigious title, King. As soon as the three witches give him his prophecy, he is engulfed with the hunger, the desire of power. Due to this unrestrained burst of ambition, Macbeth turns to darkness and he begins to act on his thoughts even though when Banquo asks if he ever thinks about the witches’ prophecy, he denies it all.
MACBETH HANDS ESSAY Inbal Amit Period 5 12/16/10 In the tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare explores the human conscience’s handling of guilt and the consequential behavior. In a setting close by to England, Scotland, Shakespeare sets the tale of Macbeth within a not uncommon premise of acting treacherously in order to gain power, a theme recurrent in Shakespeare’s tragedies. The plot is not what makes Macbeth such an amazing play however, it’s the in depth analysis psychological of dealing with guilt. Throughout the play Shakespeare depicts Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s guilt through powerful symbolism. To show how guilt can haunt and distort the human conscience beyond recognition, Shakespeare uses the motif of permanently stained hands.
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 third witch says, ‘There to meet Macbeth’, this intertwining of Macbeth reflects the relationship which will be made between him and the witches, and the evil which is going to be involved in Macbeth’s life. The arrangement of meeting place shows their target for the forces of evil, and their thorough planning of making an appointment to lure Macbeth to destruction. This scene symbolises the witches as a representation for temptation, therefore foreshadowing Macbeth’s potential human weakness to be susceptible to temptation, before we are even introduced to Macbeth himself. Shakespeare presents Macbeths character as brave and fearless in Scene 2; without Macbeth being present. “Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps and fixed his head upon our battlements”, this quotation is said by the captain, who is commending Macbeth for defeating the leader of the rebel army.
Driving ambition is the outright desire to achieve a certain goal, regardless of any possible consequences. Macbeth’s ambition is commonly seen as so dominant a trait that is defines the character. Throughout the play Macbeth displays the fatal flaw within his character that is at fault for the tragic chain of events within the play, which ultimately lead to his death. Macbeth displays signs of his driving ambition right from the start of the play when he first meets the witches and explores it further when he contemplates and commits the murder of Duncan and kills Duncan. Ambition has an immediate effect on Macbeth right from the start of the play.
In Act I Scene III, Macbeth shows murderous thoughts of killing Duncan. Line 57, “great predictions/ of noble having… That he seems rapt withal… Line 140, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical.” These two quotes are of ambition for the throne, these thoughts are mere expressions of his inner evil. His thoughts are purely of himself, without any interference from Lady
Student Teacher ENG3U Year Macbeth: The Theme of Equivocation According to the Oxford Dictionary equivocation is “a way of behaving or speaking that is not clear or definite and is intended to avoid or hide the truth”. In other words saying parts of the truth and leaving out others. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth the theme of equivocation is portrayed through the witches, the characters, and the apparitions. In the play Macbeth, the witches introduce early on the theme of equivocation through their prophecies. This is illustrated when the witches say: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, /Hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.12-13).
In my opinion, the vision of evil in this play is powerfully presented through the characters of the witches. The “weird sisters” can be seen as supernatural embodiments of evil, as their actions always involve the cruel misleading or suffering of their victims. I think it is significant that the first characters we meet in the play are in fact the witches, as this shows the prevalence of the theme of evil. Early on, we realise that the witches have a great deal of power over events; they have a supernatural knowledge of the future and control over the elements. However, they use their powers for evil purposes, wreaking havoc in the lives of whoever they meet.