How does Shakespeare present ideas of good and bad in the play 'Macbeth'?
How does Shakespeare present good and bad in the play Macbeth?
This essay will study and confer the vast number of contradicting ideas of good and bad evident in the play Macbeth.
To commence this, the first scene to be examined is Act one, scene four lines 50-51. Here, Shakespeare intentionally presents Macbeth for his true colours. His objective of becoming king is exposed to the audience when Macbeth remarks ‘stars hide you fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’. This personification implies evil; there are numerous reasons behind this, the prime being that there is an evident contradiction between Macbeth and another key character who simultaneously presents good in the play. When King Duncan rejoices Malcolm becoming king, he hails ‘signs of nobleness like stars shall shine’. The opposing ideas of stars between the two display the differing characteristics. On one hand, Duncan wants the stars to shine brightly, much like the ‘nobleness’ of his subjects. Furthermore, this also implies a religious significance as light is associated with God and all things holy. Duncan is described to be chosen by God this is because it was a popular belief in the Elizabethan era that Kings were given the divine right. Duncan represents good in the play, to support this further, when King Duncan suddenly dies, it is said that ‘angels are bright still though the brightest one fell’. This is significant as it not only implies that Duncan is as pure and virtuous as an angel, it also foreshadows that the good is slowly diminishing and that evil spirits are beginning to dominate.
In opposition to Duncan, Macbeth desires for the stars to ‘hide’ their ‘fires’. This insinuates that Macbeth is afraid of God and he does not want his dark side to be exposed to God because he is afraid of the consequences. This also reveals to us that Macbeth is wary of Duncan for the attribute he possesses which makes him superior to Macbeth. Resultantly, Macbeth claims that he is a man
This essay will study and confer the vast number of contradicting ideas of good and bad evident in the play Macbeth.
To commence this, the first scene to be examined is Act one, scene four lines 50-51. Here, Shakespeare intentionally presents Macbeth for his true colours. His objective of becoming king is exposed to the audience when Macbeth remarks ‘stars hide you fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’. This personification implies evil; there are numerous reasons behind this, the prime being that there is an evident contradiction between Macbeth and another key character who simultaneously presents good in the play. When King Duncan rejoices Malcolm becoming king, he hails ‘signs of nobleness like stars shall shine’. The opposing ideas of stars between the two display the differing characteristics. On one hand, Duncan wants the stars to shine brightly, much like the ‘nobleness’ of his subjects. Furthermore, this also implies a religious significance as light is associated with God and all things holy. Duncan is described to be chosen by God this is because it was a popular belief in the Elizabethan era that Kings were given the divine right. Duncan represents good in the play, to support this further, when King Duncan suddenly dies, it is said that ‘angels are bright still though the brightest one fell’. This is significant as it not only implies that Duncan is as pure and virtuous as an angel, it also foreshadows that the good is slowly diminishing and that evil spirits are beginning to dominate.
In opposition to Duncan, Macbeth desires for the stars to ‘hide’ their ‘fires’. This insinuates that Macbeth is afraid of God and he does not want his dark side to be exposed to God because he is afraid of the consequences. This also reveals to us that Macbeth is wary of Duncan for the attribute he possesses which makes him superior to Macbeth. Resultantly, Macbeth claims that he is a man