A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. This person is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force to doom and destruction or at least to great suffering. If Macbeth is a tragic hero then Mrs. Campbell is a horrible teacher, it's just doesnt add up! Macbeth has no heroic qualities at all, he has psychopathic qualities, he murders his own uncle just to be king. Although he does undergo suffering he doesn’t learn from it and he makes his wife suffer so much that she kills herself. Macbeth is obviously not a tragic hero he is a tragic maniac.…
William Shakespeare’s tragic play ‘Macbeth’ depicts a tale of a honourable Thane and his unethical raise to sovereignty, to his untimely destruction and death. Lady Macbeth’s ambition and greed was instrumental in her husband, Macbeth’s moral downfall, however it was not the only factor that contributed to the outcome. Macbeth himself and the deception and manipulation presented to him by ‘wired sisters’ drove Macbeth to his own downfall. It was the witch meddlesome prophecies that lead Macbeth down the destructive and murderous path and that fuelled Lady Macbeth’s ambition and greed. Macbeth must also be held responsible for his own actions that created…
Shakespeare’s masterpiece of a play, ‘Macbeth’, carefully depicts that Macbeth’s character was not ruined by fate but rather by damaging errors in his personality. Macbeth’s dangerous quality of ambition brings about his downfall as well as his treachery against his king, his tyranny and also his imaginativeness that eventually lures him into the murder. Although Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth’s decisions were greatly influenced by other characters in his text, it was Macbeth that ultimately decided to listen to these influences due to the many faults in his character.…
Over the course of the play Macbeth the main character, Macbeth, advances the plot by believing the prophecies given by the witches’, trying to kill the king, attempting to kill people who could be king, wanting more prophecies, and struggling to stay king of Scotland.…
Macbeth’s lacking sense of morality reveals that humans, and humanity as a whole, can not be categorised into good or bad morals, but is a balance of both aspects. The effect inhumane actions have on an individual’s sanity is illustrated throughout Macbeth, as he loses the capacity to feel human emotions as a consequence of his actions. Macbeth’s ambition is the cause of his downfall, and the main reason he committed his treacherous acts. Humanity is a fragile system in which each singular being must be accountable for their own actions. Macbeth’s flaws pertain to the notion that human nature is a complex being, and cannot be categorised into something as simple as right or…
“Of all Shakespeare's female characters Lady Macbeth stands out far beyond the rest — remarkable for her ambition, strength of will, cruelty, and dissimulation” (Traits of Lady). Lady Macbeth is usually viewed as an interesting character because of her notable traits. Her cruelty, cunning, and manipulation certainly contribute to one’s fascination with her. However, equally intriguing are Lady Macbeth’s notorious views she possesses. The unyielding views Lady Macbeth holds on manhood, womanhood, and guilt greatly affect her life.…
A knight’s moral code, that is taken by heart, is to always protect and serve. The Tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare is a tragedy about how a knight is stuck in between loyalty and ambition. Three witches tell Macbeth he would become Thane of Cawdor and later king. Once Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth pressured by his wife, begins to see his future as king, but realizes he has obstacles in the way. Pressured by Lady Macbeth, the three witches, and his ambition for the throne, Macbeth commits murder under trust and treason.…
Review: Macbeth a visually striking period piece for the modern viewer We all wrote an essay about it in high school; Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is so widely read that it’s surprising Justin Kurzel’s newest film is the first notable cinematic adaptation since Roman Polanski’s in 1971. Kurzel’s take on the Scottish play is a spectacle of haunting violence; he takes advantage of the cinematic medium and crafts a stunning aesthetic. As an adaptation, the film offers an imaginative reading of the familiar narrative of the eponymous Scottish general (Michael Fassbender, sure to draw a crowd at the box office) and his infamously manipulative wife (Marion Cotillard, art-house ace). However, in its attempts to be visually striking, much will seem to have…
In many great pieces of literature, secondary characters play important roles in developing the main character and the story’s themes. In William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, the author uses many different secondary characters to develop Macbeth’s and the play’s themes. This will be shown through the analysis of three secondary characters: Duncan, Macduff and the Weird Sisters.…
Throughout the play the audience may have blamed the witches or Lady Macbeth for Macbeth’s eventual passing, but people overlook the fact that it was Macbeth who chose to do the crimes. The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, shows the life of Macbeth, with him becoming king by doing the worst crime of the land. Macbeth murders his best friend, Macduff’s family and also damages Macduff’s castle. All of these actions that Macbeth commits results to high treason, leading to his death. Macbeth’s death was brought onto himself with the help of the witches when they tell him that he has the chance of becoming king. Macbeth changed his mind so that he commits these crimes, on his own. After that meeting…
Macbeth's tragic flaw is his infatuation with becoming a high power, and refusing to disappoint his lady by being a "coward". Lady Macbeth's definition of being a coward, is playing fair instead of playing dirty. Lady Macbeth insists he is a coward, and he will not become of the high power if he does not play dirty. When he shows his disinterest in playing dirty, Lady Macbeth manipulates him by telling him he is not being a man. Because of Macbeth's infatuation with becoming of high power, and his infatuation for sowing his lady he is not any less of a man, he plays dirty. "No more Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth". Duncan, one of Macbeth's friends who…
This passage in Macbeth is important as it shows the feelings the three witches’ prophecies caused to Macbeth and is important because it seems from Macbeth’s reaction, these feelings will play an important role in the rest of the play. “Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme!” at first he 100 percent believes he will be king because the first two prophecies from the witches came true. There’s foreshadowing in these first 3 lines as it is portraying to us that he will be king in the future, Macbeth and the audience just don’t know how or when. “This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good” shows his temptation for power. From the line “Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill” to the line “Are less than horrible imaginings” shows how he then becomes trapped in two minds if the last prophecy is a bad or good thing. He basically already decided he’s going to be king but taking in the fact he might do something horrible to achieve it which portrays a dark mood that will overshadow the play. Another reason why these 8 lines are significant because it shows his personality changed into a more questioning and doubtful person who is tempted by the idea of power which might be a sign that the three witches are succeeded in their plan to transform Macbeth in to a more evil person. The last 4 lines in the passage are really where it tells us the direction Macbeth is leaning towards too. Even though his body is telling him that he shouldn't be thinking about murdering King Duncan, he can't help himself. “And nothing is but what is not” which is a paradox related to the words of the witches in the beginning of the play "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," which means good is bad and bad is good. This might mean that Macbeth has opened himself up to an evil like the witches and is willing to kill the King if he thinks he’s the one who has…
In act two scenes two Shakespeare creates tension with Language, themes and stage direction. As the plot unravels both the audience and Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience suspense. He can portray this suspense through language; he uses one syllable words and imperative verbs. Tension is very important in act two scene two because it portrays the full effect the murder has on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare also uses Sounds and actions to amplify the suspense creating more tension.…
Much more than the other elements, the Witches introduce an element of supernatural mystery and fear into Macbeth. As Coleridge says, “as true a creation of Shakespeare’s as his Ariel and Caliban” and “wholly different from the representation of witches in the contemporary writers, and yet presented a sufficient external resemblance to the creatures of vulgar prejudice, to act immediately on the audience.”…
Physical description and traits: They’re first described as “bearded” by Banquo and seemed “not human.” They are old, lame, and pale. They’re the three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies.…