Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic play which tells the tale of Macbeth, a decorated and respected hero who spirals into darkness because of his greed and willingness to do anything to achieve ultimate power. Debates have raged over the ages about the role of supernatural elements in the downfall of Macbeth. During the course of the play, there are many interesting sections which could be concentrated on due to the suspense and the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the witches, the visions, the ghost, and the apparitions is a key element in making the concept of the play work and in making the play interesting. Throughout Macbeth there exists confusion as to what is real and what imaginary, and, for the most part, it is Macbeth himself who is confronted with these confusions.
Explore how Shakespeare’s use of stage-craft and imagery convey Macbeth’s morale decline from noble hero to bloody tyrant. Through the imagery of blood and deceit, and the use of supernatural, Shakespeare explores the morale decline of Macbeth. The stagecraft at the opening with the use of supernatural hints at the morale decline to come. Macbeth’s first appearance is staged to show his corruptibility. Banquo is juxtaposed to show how an honest man would react to fair-surrounding predictions.
Macbeth – A Tragic Hero? “Macbeth” by Shakespeare tells the story of a high birth who ends up bringing about his own downfall. Macbeth is led behind the curtain by his own urge to possess power. First, he is a hero, then a villain, then a human being feeling regret. Is Macbeth a tragic hero?
I could just imagine MacDuff coming in demanding to see Macbeth, fierce and angry. The tragic qualities of the play really do contribute to the larger message because it shows how in the end you will only lose if you do not play fair. In the story,
It could be that he has damaged himself so that he is unable to feel empathy for others - or that the evil is innate. Macbeth displays some very evil characteristics - selfishness, coldness, obsession and cold-blooded murder. Shakespeare explores the degree to which he alone is responsible, and how far others contribute to Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare's greatest exploration of the problem of evil. Evil is positioned both within and without. The witches are objective figures but Macbeth's first utterance in act 1, scene 3 suggests that he shares a similar thought with the witches.
Thus, they take advantage of the power he gave them. This ultimately leads Macbeth to the deterioration of his pride as a man, influences his decision to murder, and his downfall as a leader. In Macbeth, the three witches are shown to harm Macbeth’s pride. They claim to know Banquo and Macbeth’s fates, for they predict: “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier.
When the witches foretell his Kingship, Macbeth’s immediate reaction is a wish to know more, immediately believing the prophecy, “He seems rapt withal / stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (I, iii), a stark contrast to the virtuous Banquo, who instead immediately becomes wary of the “instruments of darkness” and wonders whether they had “eaten on the insane root” (I,iii). In addition, when the second prophecy became a reality, Macbeth immediately thinks of murdering Duncan despite the Witches never advocating doing so. However, Macbeth is horrified at the imaginings that spring to his mind, showing that at this point he still has a moral conscience. “I am of Cawdor: / If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose image doth unfix my hair” (I, iii, 143-145). Nonetheless, despite
In act 1 scene 3 the three witches foretold that Macbeth would become Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. If not for the prophecies Macbeth’s curiosity and ambition to become King might never have begun in the first place, however when hearing the prophecies of becoming king, horrible imaginings of murder came across his mind. As it gets further into the play Macbeth increasingly relies on the prophecies given by the witches, this lead to the murder of many people and slowly corrupted Macbeth near the end of the play. The manipulation and influence of Lady Macbeth was also a factor of Macbeth’s becoming more and more evil. When Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter, she is afraid that Macbeth is not evil enough to do what he must to get the crown.
Webster’s dictionary defines tragedy as, “a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror.” A tragic hero, therefore, is the character who experiences such a conflict and suffers catastrophically as a result of his choices and related actions. The character of Hamlet, therefore, is a clear representation of Shakespeare’s tragic hero. As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King.
Macbeth is a famous play by William Shakespeare. This tragic play begins with a loyal and honorable hero of Scotland. However, Macbeth's character changes gradually throughout the play. Lust for power caused him to make sinister decisions that created despair and sinful madness. The ambition for power lead Macbeth to doubt, confusion and guilt.