Preview

Pursuing Happiness

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
781 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pursuing Happiness
Human beings can give up many things to achieve happiness, sometimes they could be only be beneficial to themselves and be harmful for others. In the book, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth shows how he can do wrongful deeds such as committing murder to achieve his own happiness. Only after killing Duncan does he realize that he might have done something wrong and unjustful for the people around him, but later he murders yet another friend to keep his own happiness while disturbing others. William Shakespeare makes a great example of how people can become darker to fulfil their happiness and desires. Throughout the story Macbeth faces on Prophecies and encounters guilt but instead of embracing it he ignores it and becomes a darker person.
By killing Duncan Macbeth is named king of Scotland and achieve what he always wanted, later on he becomes suspicious of his best friend Banquo and murders him as well. Macbeth keeps on becoming darker and darker and would do anything to keep his happiness and people from interfering with him.

After killing Duncan Macbeth feels guilt for his actions and that “no ocean could ever watch off his bloody hands”. Only later on he kills his best friend Banquo because he thinks he know the truth behind King Duncan's death. The author empires how Macbeth would go really far to keep the way things are including murdering everyone that interferes in his path.
At this state Macbeth finally puts his guilt and enters his dark stage and starts to kill anyone of suspicion, as a result, Macduff’s family. Unfortunately Macbeth at this point has given up and thinks he’s lived a good enough life and wouldn’t mind to be laid to rest. William Shakespeare shows how Macbeth who was once honored to beside King Duncan has now committed great sins for his own selfishness. At the end Macbeth finally realises that he was wrong doing and only taking advantage of other people.

One of the main reasons Macbeth felt it was necessary to kill King

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    His emotional disorder leads him to do things that he does not mean. Succeeding the killing of king Duncan, Macbeth is concerned about the death and he also feels remorseful to the crime he has…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After being crowned king a friend of his Banquo becomes suspicious of Macbeth and suspects that he is the one who killed Duncan in order to become king. Once Macbeth begins to learn about it, he becomes scared that Banquo might tell someone. So he orders 3 murders to go kill Banquo and his son Fleeance who in the prophecy is to become king after…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mac Beth Essay

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is delirious with power now that he is king, and he intends to make sure he stays at the top of his mountain. He hires two assassins to murder Banquo and his son. If they are murdered than no one can destroy his power. Banquo quickly realizes that he is poisoned and pushes his assailants out of the way so his son…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth, after hearing the prophecies the three witches gave him, becomes conflicted within himself, ‘If chance shall have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir’. Ultimately, Macbeth chooses ambition over morality, but not without pressure from his wife ‘Are you a man?’ and severe inner turmoil ‘My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical’. To contrast the devious character of Macbeth, Shakespeare included Banquo, a fellow noblemen and Macbeth’s closest friend, to act as Macbeths foil. He immediately chooses morality over ambition without question and forewarns Macbeth of the Weird Sisters and their ability to twist the truth: ‘instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence’. Banquo’s undying allegiance to King Duncan demonstrations the difference between Macbeth and Banquo, and how the upkeep of morals keep us in check. After choosing power, Macbeth’s suspicion of Banquo and his role in the prophecy leads to Banquo’s murder. After killing his friend, Macbeth is plagued with guilt, and hallucinations become recurrent for both Macbeth; ‘our graves must send those we bury back’ and his wife; ‘will these hands ne’er be clean?’ This shows that ambition can lead to immoral acts when overcome by desire.…

    • 615 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leah

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth had done a lot to become king. He murdered his cousin, King Duncan and anyone else who he thought would reveal the truth that he was true murderer. He also went against his ethics. Two of the people Macbeth ordered to be murdered were his honorable friend Banqou, and Banquo’s son Fleance. Macbeth murdered Banquo for two reasons. The first reason was his fear of Banquo’s nobleness. In Macbeth’s soliloquy he states, “There’s something noble about him (Banquo) that makes me fear him. He’s willing to take risks, and his mind never stops working. He has the wisdom to act bravely but also safely. I’m not afraid of anyone but him…” Macbeth is worried that Banquo will reveal that Macbeth killed King Duncan since Banquo suspected Macbeth. Another reason was because Banqou was told by three evil witches that, “Thou shalt get kings, thought thou be none” so Macbeth figured that he should have Banqou murdered to stop Banquo…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the play Macbeth, Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches that tell him that he will one day become king. Macbeth then sets out to make the prophecy a reality by committing regicide and taking the king’s life, then becoming king himself. After he becomes king, he begins to go mad with guilt and paranoia from what he has done, yet he still commits more murders in order to keep his throne. The country is thrown into chaos after the death of the king, and Macbeth does little to nothing to keep his country in order due to his own personal issues, which causes a rebellion, led…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth’s new position as king, gives him the power to delegate his needs to other people which he uses to hire murderers to slaughter Banquo. This proves that Banquo’s life means nothing to him anymore now that Banquo’s knows about Macbeth’s involvement in Duncan’s death. Banquo’s statement of “thou hast it now-king, Cawdor, Glamis, as the Weïrd women promised, and I fear thou played’st most foully for ‘t” shows Banquo’s realization of Macbeth’s involvement in Duncan’s murder but by the time he does it is too late for salvation. This worries Macbeth because his lies are catching up to him and they threaten to take his crown. The thought of killing Banquo once a never come to plight now seems as the only solution to an ever growing problem. Banquo’s ending set forth Macbeth’s notion of the crown leading to happiness. This murderous action, even though not directly taken by Macbeth, even more so painted Macbeth in a murderous light that will follow him on his path to…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In preparation for Banquo’s orchestrated murder, Shakespeare elaborates on Macbeth’s current state of guilt and desperation for reassurance to vindicate his heinous actions. In the midst of experiencing overwhelming compunction for killing Duncan, Macbeth fears that the outcome only “scotch’d the snake, not kill’d it” and fails to eliminate all threats to his supremacy (line 15). Duncan’s assassination provides a mere momentary and fleeting solution to complications as Banquo’s children’s possible preconceived heir remains a significant danger. With efforts to satisfy his ambitions, Macbeth justifies Duncan’s death by claiming that a grave fairs better than his own situation of being eternally tortured in “restless ecstasy” (line 24). Banquo’s…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Ruthless Quotes

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is King Duncan’s cousin, a courageous warrior and a loyal nobleman. He comes back from the battle against the Norweyans with his new title, Thane of Cawdor, since he defeats the former Thane of Cawdor, the traitor. He then meets with the three weird sisters and the sisters tell him about his “bright” and “successful” future, the sisters tells him that he will become king and Banquo’s descendants will become king. This awakens Macbeth’s inner ambition and leads to Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth becomes more and more ruthless and selfish after each crime he commits, and in the meanwhile, he falls deeper and deeper and eventually hits the ground and could never come back up again.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Power In Macbeth

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He also came to realize that Macbeth was the one that ordered his family to be killed. “… Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still.” (V.vii.19-21) Macbeth is a malicious character who wishes evil to others. He admits to this at the end of the play. Macduff admonishes Macbeth to openly face his consequences. Macduff is truly hurt from the loss of his family and wants Macbeth to die by his own hands. “Once caught by the devil’s bait, only at the end is he able to express his inward state openly in outward appearance.” (Davidson 53) Macbeth openly admits that he is a hopeless tyrant living a worthless life. His deeds came back around him in a way that the evil he did to others started to punish him. From Lady Macbeth’s death to his own, Macbeth lost everything due to his greed. Instead of being a holy king, Macbeth chose to follow the path of evil by initiating a trial of murders. Macbeth’s courage contradicts itself because in Act I, Scene II he was praised for his bravery while in Act V he is a hopeless king fighting for his life. He came to realization that his life came to a bitter end. Ultimately, Young Siward’s death was more significant than Macbeth’s, because he died fighting for others while Macbeth fought for himself. After all, Macbeth’s only goal was to keep his position of the throne away from all,…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banquo is killed strictly for the reason that he has a suspicion that Macbeth killed Duncan. He could get Macbeth into trouble and ruin his future. The witches’ prophecies describe how Banquo will be a father to a future line of kings. Macbeth hearing this, believes it is a threat at him and uses his urge for power to set out for the killing of Fleance. Macbeth says, “To leave no rubs nor botches in the work—Fleance, his son, that keeps him company, Whose absence is no less material to me Than is his father’s” (Shakespeare). This quote is describing how Fleance’s life is just as equal as Banquo’s. He believes in killing Fleance because he is a threat to him. Macbeth wants no chances for another person to come into power. Therefore, Macbeth wants to be safe and chooses to kill more people. The ambition Macbeth has becomes clear during this chain of events because he is paranoid at losing the power he urgently wants. Cassandra Nelson says, “Once he hears the weird sisters' prophecy Macbeth becomes so consumed by his desire for power that he becomes a tyrannical and violent monster who ultimately destroys himself” (Nelson). She is referencing Macbeth listening to the prophecies given to him. As soon as he hears what the witches have to say, he acts immediately in any way possible to keep his power. Nelson is also hints to the fact that ambition is Macbeth’s tragic flaw and leads to his demise. Macbeth is so power hungry that he is willing to do anything possible to stay on the throne. Ambition is shown when he kills Banquo and attempts to kill Fleance because they threaten his…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mental Illness In Macbeth

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is unimpressed that Macduff has abandoned him and fled to England to persuade Malcolm to fight against him. He orders to “seize upon Fife...and all unfortunate soul that trace him in line”. In essence, Macbeth’s paranoia results in him being more psychologically unstable, but this time about losing his crown rather than being caused by guilt. Also, the witches’ prophecies slowly begin to envelop, causing him to repeat the words for a false sense of confidence. However, Lady Macbeth ultimately gives in to the burden of internal guilt that was previously hidden prior to the sleepwalking scene in Act 5, Scene 1 and commits suicide. In Macbeth’s soliloquy discusses the futility of life, on account that it is meaningless, “signifying nothing”. These words highlight Macbeth’s acceptance of defeat and that all the power he’s acquired mean nothing anymore. During the final scene, the insane Macbeth reiterates witches’ prophecies on the fact that he is invincible. Contrastly, Macduff states that he was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”. Therefore, Macduff’s final words result in Macbeth’s inevitable realization of…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth succeeds in his assassination, but is not happy about becoming king, the guilt begins to drive him mad and he launches into a string of other killings or various characters. Lady Macbeth too is driven insane by the weight of their deeds, and the violence spread by the two of them eventually results in both of their deaths.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambitions both drove them to murder Duncan and his guards so that Macbeth could become the king. Then Macbeth’s ambition begins to get the best of him, and he becomes paranoid. Macbeth becomes so paranoid that his future as king, he hires assassins to murder Banquo, a man who he fought along side with, and his son. After Macbeth goes to the witches for more predictions, they tell him to beware of Macduff. Macbeth already felt betrayed by Macduff because he went to go fight with Malcolm, and out of his rage and ambition he hires the assassins to murder Macduff’s family. After Macduff learns about his family’s murder he is intent on getting revenge on the tyrant, Macbeth. Everyone had too much ambition in this play,and it led to terrible…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Brave Macbeth

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Explanation Two: Macbeth finally gets in control of his indecisiveness. This is when he decides to Kill Macduff’s wife and children and anyone who comes in his way.…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays