Shakespeare does a magnificent job by using Macbeth to show the terrible consequences that can result from an unchecked ambition and a guilty conscience. Those elements, combined with a lack of strong character, distinguish Macbeth from Shakespeare's other tragic heroes, such as King Lear and Richard III, both of whom are strong enough to overcome their guilty conscience. Before Macbeth murders Duncan, he is plagued with anxiety and almost does not go along with the plan. It takes his wife, Lady Macbeth's persuasion in order to complete the plot. When is about to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a dagger covered in blood floating in the air, representing the bloody course he is about to take.
Macduff abandons Lady Macduff eventually leading to her death portraying a weak image of marriage that looks as a foil to the strong marriage of the Macbeth. However, both marriages end up failing; yet separation from the wives, respectively, could save/ saves the husbands. Listening and staying with Lady Macbeth started the inevitable downfall of Macbeth, but separation could have led to a prosperous, powerful life for Macbeth. Immediate separation from Lady Macduff allows Macduff to kill Macbeth. Therefore, I would argue that in Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s denouncement of marriage suggests women hinder the true, righteous nature of men; consequently, showing the inferior nature of women.
People do not want to admit when they are defeated, just like Macbeth in this scene. The subject matter in Macbeth seems to be the desire to be great at any expense, and the panicky world that one can create for them when they try to achieve greatness at all costs. Denial is present as well as a lack of regard for anyone but Macbeth and his desires. Wives and sons are killed just to avoid something that is not certain. Only at the end do the witches’ predictions come true with the defeat of Macbeth.
Macbeth Essay Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a play, which highlights individual’s thirst for power and the unethical paths many take to achieve their goals. The final scenes draw the dramatic tale to a close and cease the constant stream of murders. The audience observes the re-establishment of themes within the final scenes such as guilt, restoration of harmony, and good defeating evil. These along with significant events change the mood of the play consequently altering responders’ overall interpretation. Guilt is constantly seen throughout the play Macbeth driving the characters to question their morals.
That all changes when he returns home after telling his wife what had happened. She says “ Make thick my blood/ Stop up th’access and passage to remorse” (1.5 33-34) Lady Macbeth is the one who encourages Macbeth to become King. Now that they both believe that Macbeth is going to become king, there is nothing that will get in their way. Soon after, Macbeth decides that one of the only ways that he is going to become king, is to kill the current king, Duncan. He realized that the plan might not be reasonable and he started to second guess himself.
With the witches’ prophecies mulling over in his mind, and knowing that he was not the successor of the throne, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. With the support and persuasion of Lady Macbeth, he kills King Duncan and gains his kingship. When Banquo makes his vow to find out who killed Duncan, Macbeth knew he had to silence him. After Macbeth is named king, he seeks out hired murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. Macbeth does this because he is afraid that Banquo will get in the way of his new title and Fleance, because he is prophesied to be king.
Hamlets anger, which stems from his mother marrying Claudius, bears him serious thoughts of suicide. This results in an attempt at a religious and moral sin which shows a weakness in his character. Hamlet shows some moral sense when he decides not to kill himself due to religious beliefs, which is a paradox that leads to Hamlet’s downfall. His statement “thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain” (I.V.102-103) establishes his tragic decision to let nothing stand in the way of his vowed revenge assuring the death of Claudius, a longer life span and the immunity of punishment towards his mother. As act III begins, the reader sees Claudius’s plot against Hamlet progress.
At first Macbeth agrees, but later Macbeth is having second thoughts on his decision. But Lady Macbeth is sure that being king is what Macbeth wants and that this is the best for both of them. So in response to Macbeth’s uncertainty, she manipulates him by questioning his manhood and his love for her. At one point she wishes that she were not a woman so that she could do it herself ‘‘Unsex me here’’…/’’come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall’. Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overriding all his objections, when he hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he must commit murder to prove himself.
Throughout the play Lady Macbeth is the driving influence behind Macbeth and the immoral path that he chose to follow. To put it simply Lady Macbeth started the rot and persuaded the hesitant and indecisive Macbeth to “be a man” and do the deed of killing Duncan. Macbeth initially decided to “proceed no further” in the matter of killing Duncan because he had been kind to him of late bestowing the position of Thane of Cawdor on him. She responds to this by saying that if he can lose his ambition so readily, his love for her must also be changeable. Then she insults his masculinity and questions his courage.
He generalized them into a stereotype based on their double-sided nature of appearance vs. reality. Christianity brought about the downfall of men, as they feared the consequences of their sins in the after-life. Hamlet is stuck in a quandary between his encoded belief that he is straight, and his sincere feelings of scorn for females and affection of males. Hamlet is reluctant to kill his uncle, because he is a man and as much as he wants to kill him, he is only emotionally at liberty to attack Gertrude, a female. Societies expectation created “madness” and prevented the pursuit happiness as there was no freedom of individuality.