Many of Shakespeare’s characters in “Macbeth” were complete hypocrites; they manipulated and tricked innocent others into believing that they were friends and then killed them. This play demonstrates that people are not always what they appear to be on the outside and not everyone can or should be trusted. The people that you may think are your closest and dearest friends may turn out to be your biggest enemy. Lady Macbeth is an extremely hypocritical and manipulative character. She may very well be the underlying cause of all evil in the play; she tricked King Duncan, used her husband, and made her guests believe that, rather than feeling guilty for his crime, Macbeth was sick.
“(1.3.47-49) These three lines are extremely crucial to the play because it gives Macbeth his beginning thoughts toward receiving the throne. Shakespeare made the witches deceive Macbeth and Banquo who begin to believe they are invincible and have much to look forward to. This proves misogyny in Shakespeare because it ultimately put the witches to blame for all the horrible events in the play. Shakespeare also portrays his misogyny through Macbeth as he belittles the witches by saying, “How now, you secret, black and midnight hags.” (4.1.47) In Shakespeare’s era, chivalry and respect toward women was big. By having a character in his play say this to three so called women, seems
To what extent can Lady Macbeth and the witches be held accountable for the actions of Macbeth? In the dramatic play ‘Macbeth’, written by William Shakespeare, showed us that the King of Scotland, Macbeth was being played and controlled by the people he trusted the most, his own wife, Lady Macbeth and the witches. His wife, Lady Macbeth was very evil, selfish, cunning and manipulating and the witches misguided him with their prophecies, which resulted him losing his sanity and making very bad choices. Therefore, even though Macbeth was greedy and ambitious himself, Lady Macbeth and the witches were to some extent accountable for Macbeth’s actions. What happened to Macbeth was a combination of events that lead him to believe that one day he would be King.
Emotions Overpowering Affect Why is it that humans let out emotions get the better of us and basically restrict our free will? In his play, Macbeth, Shakespeare writes about a character, Macbeth, coming to power through the vile act of murder enticed to him by his wife. Sinful actions have been connected with being overwhelmed emotionally several times throughout the play. There comes a point when a free willed decision can cause certain consequences whether bad or good and one can be judged on how they deal with the result. Some may try to fix the problem and put it behind them while others get too caught up and cannot stop their actions anymore for it is needed to keep them safe.
But it isn’t just a role reversal in her behaving as a man might. Lady Macbeth is more indecent and conniving because she has maintained her manipulative feminisms which ironically diminish her husband, making him appear weak and without resolve. In the end when she finally confronts her own conscience to know how horrible she has been, the Lady collapses, disintegrates and disappears. How awful. Over and over and over again Lady Macbeth challenges her husband’s manhood and his will to kill and seize Duncan’s throne in Act I:
His decisions are, however, to some extent, made under the influence of Lady Macbeth, who manipulates him in every way to guide him to success. The witches and their prophecies play a significant role in Macbeth’s downfall. Throughout the play, the witches deceive and fool Macbeth by giving equivocal prophecies, evoking his inner desire for power and swaying him to take evil action. They exploit his ambition from the very beginning, telling Macbeth he will be “Thane of Cawdor” and “King of Scotland” without specifying when or how. This, along with the proven credibility of their first prophecy – Thane of Cawdor – awakens Macbeth’s hidden ambition and triggers his desire to fulfill the last prophecy – King of Scotland, giving him the thought of killing Duncan, “Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair” (Macbeth, I,III, 45) and thus, providing the first stepping stone towards his demise.
‘That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap…’ As the play develops his ambition for power increases and to obtain his power he will step over those who become a threat to him. ‘The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.’ Macbeth himself is too horrified to see what his doing himself, but his ‘black and deep desires’ controls him. Shakespeare shows the reader in the play Macbeth how greed is an extreme form of ambition. In the play Macbeth we see how the witches are manipulative and deceiving. Deceiving and the manipulation of one can have a great impact on people’s minds and thoughts.
/ Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.” (IV.iv.20-23). This proves the influence Lady Macbeth had on him, for him to be so altered and uncaring at the end of the play is merely the result of all the pressure and mental abuse she put on him while convincing him to become so destructive and
When she hears of the witches prophecy that Macbeth will become King she is power hungry. She says “ Alack, I am afraid they have awaked, and ‘tis not done. The attempt and not the deed confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready; He could
After Lady Macbeth read Macbeth’s letter about his fortune that was foretold by the 3 witches, she conducted a deadly plan to kill King Duncan and persuaded Macbeth into following her plan so that Macbeth will become King. Macbeth fell seduced into Lady Macbeth’s plan because of his ambition to become King. Macbeth’s ambition to be King was the greatest factor of his deterioration. Macbeth’s ambition alone was not a strong enough motive to kill Duncan, but with the other two key factors: the 3 witches’ prophecy and Lady Macbeth’s manipulation this aroused his ambition. Without Macbeth’s ambition his tragic flaw could not come into place.