Macbeth betrays King Duncan because the witches told him he will become king. He also betrays his friend Banquo because the witches gave him predictions that can affect Macbeth. The three weird sisters betray Macbeth because he wants things to go his way. In “Macbeth”, Shakespeare demonstrates that betrayal is lead by unreasonable decisions that cause bad consequences. Macbeth
Early in the tragedy, Macbeth is introduced as a courageous, valiant solider. Soon after, Macbeth encounters three witches who tell him he will become king, “All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter,” (I, iii, 53). It is at this point that he first considers murdering Duncan so that the prophecy can be fulfilled. However, it does not take long for Macbeth to question the matter, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion,” (I, iii, 144), he says in a state of confusion.
- Act 1, Scene 5, lines 59-60 * "It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night/ like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear-" Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 52-53 * "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?/ Deny thy father and refuse thy name,/ Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,/ And I'll no longer be a Capulet." Act 2, Scene 2, lines 36-39 * "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 46-47 * “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!/ Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,/ Who is already sick and pale with grief/ That thou her maid are far more fair than she.” Act 2, Scene 3, Lines 2-5 * “Her mother is lady of the house/And a good lady, and a wise and virtuous./I nursed her daughter that you talked withal” – Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 126-128 * “My only love has sprung from my only hate!/Too early seen unknown, and known too late!/ Prodigious birth of love it is to me/That I must love a loathed enemy” Act 1, scene 5, Lines 152- 155 * “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy./Thou art thyself, though not a Montague./What’s a Montague?
The remark made by Banquo and the title of Hecate states that Shakespeare intends to use repulsive-looking women, mistakenly having beards, to render that women are predominately evil. Instead of using evil wizards with even longer beards, Shakespeare omits the fact that men are generally the cause of hostility because of their aggression. The witches’ supernatural powers give them a higher, more dangerous rank than men because they control the fate of the characters and their prophecies come true. They meet up with Macbeth hailing him, “Thane of Glamis” then “Thane of Cawdor” and “… shalt be king hereafter” (I. iii. 46-48).
They are very mischievous and play upon the weaknesses and ambitions of Macbeth. The witches prophecies spark Macbeth’s ambitions, just as the witches knew they would. They make Macbeth question Banquo when they prophesies that Banquo’s offspring will be king. “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater./ Not so happy, yet much happier./Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:/So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!.” This leads Macbeth into ordering the murders of Banquo and Fleance. The witches then manipulate him to believe he is immortal by telling him “laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” (Act 4, scene 1 lines 86-88).
In Macbeth’s as well as Shakespeare’s thinking, all people in this life are just bad, stupid actors- shouting and running about and generally making a lot of noise and fuss but not much sense, and then they die anyway and become completely meaningless. With another metaphor, he considers his life is not different from an idiot's tale which is full of bombast and melodrama, but without meaning. Shakespeare may be so depressed when he wrote these final lines that he considers life as walking shadow and not real enough. In my opinion, when writing these lines, Shakespeare want to send us a message that life is something that we have to take as it comes and it is unpredictable, when being brought to life we have to accept it and to necessarily beautify it. The naked truth is
(1.3.71)” Banquo also doubts the intension of the witches, he believes that evil always tells one part of the truth in order to earn one’s trust and lead him to destruction. Banquo warns Macbeth, ”But ‘tis strange./And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/ the instruments of darkness tell us truths,/win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/In deepest consequence. (1.3.124-128)” On the other hand, Macbeth ignored his friends warning and believes in what the witches say. He is over whelmed by his ambition to be king, he said to himself,”Glamis, and the thane of Cawfor!/The greatest is behind. (1.3.118-119).””Two truths are told/,as happy prologues to the swelling act/of the imperial theme.
The witches are possibly linked as the “charms” seem to influence Macbeth and he begins to echo “foul and fair”. Whenever Macbeth seems at his most inhumane he uses rhyming couplets for example, “knell that summons…to heaven…hell” is used before killing Duncan in act 2 and “fight…heaven…find it out to-night” before killing Banquo in act 3.
In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, the pride of Torvald blinded Torvald, and gave him a sense of manhood and superiority over Nora throughout the play until his pride was put to the test, and in doing so, revealed a weak and desperate man. Throughout most of the play, the pride of Torvald gave him a sense of superiority over Nora by the way he spoke to her in a superior way. Torvald made it seem as if she was a child. For example, He called Nora by pet names, “My little skylark” (1040), “My little Squirrel” (1040), and “My little song-bird” (1056). In each name, Torvald used the word “little”, as if to belittle Nora emotionally and intellectually to show his power and superiority over her as if she was his child instead of his wife.
If ill/ Why hath it given me earnest of success/ Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor./ If good, why do i yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ And make my seated heart knock at my ribs” (Shakespeare 23). Macbeth declares that he is unsure if it happened by chance or if the Witches had predicted it. Are the witches trying to present Macbeth with a thought that if he wants it or shows an interest that he can obtain it? It is not written, but with an argument, I believe that when