While the obvious theme of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is ’vaulting ambition’ it is also a play about the deceptiveness of appearances‚ beginning with the witches’ couplet ending Act 1 Sc 1: Fair is foul‚ foul is fair Hover through the fog and filthy air The fact that they are witches automatically implies evil and wickedness so their plan to meet with Macbeth suggests that they and perhaps Macbeth himself are up to no good. When they do greet him they greet him by two titles we know he has:
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In my view‚ Lady Macbeth is far worse than Macbeth. Although they both think of murdering King Duncan as soon as they hear the witches’ prophecies‚ Macbeth thinks more about what he may or may not do‚ whereas Lady Macbeth immediately appeals to evil spirits to give her the strength to kill Duncan. When Macbeth first hears the prophecies‚ and when the first 2/3 of it comes true‚ he does think of killing the king‚ but also‚ towards the end of Act 1‚ Scene 3‚ he thinks that perhaps he doesn’t need
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of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is that if we let our ambition go unchecked by morale constraints we may make decisions that we regret. From Macbeth we learn the human tendency to seek for things that we should not. This matters today because people want more than they have. The play of Macbeth is the story of a general in the king’s army. After returning from a major battle he lets his ambitions go unchecked and murders the king. After his murder of the king Macbeth finds himself committing
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The Loyalty of Masculinity In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth the main theme of loyalty is explored throughout the play by main characters. Loyalty can be defined as faithfulness or unwavering devotion to a person or cause. Duncan‚ Banquo‚ Macduff and Macbeth are all essential characters who are given opportunities to express their loyalty‚ however it is the different ways in which these characters choose to be loyal or disloyal that shape the play as a whole. It is the character’s loyalty and/or
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Macbeth: Macbeth A Tragic Hero In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare‚ we discover that Macbeth is a tragic hero. Macbeth is very ambitious‚ courageous‚ and a moral coward: all these things lead to his tragic death at the end of the play. At the beginning of the play‚ Shakespeare defines Macbeth as a hero very clearly. From the courages in defense of Scotland is significant in the opening scene. However‚ he is very ambitious to be king. At the beginning of the play‚ he was loyal
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Much like Macbeth did to Duncan‚ Banquo and the whole land of Scotland in order to gain power and become Thane of Cawdor and eventually King. Macbeth betrayed Scotland‚ but he wasn’t the only one at fault. Lady Macbeth and the three witches took a role in the destruction and betrayal that went on in Scotland. Also‚ Macbeth shows his betrayal by befriending Duncan and Banquo then plotting against them and killing them in order for him to become Thane of Cawdor and King. Finally‚ Macbeth shows his
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In the tragedy‚ Macbeth‚ William Shakespeare employs various rhetorical devices to demonstrate Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s switch in traditional gender roles‚ which arise from the consequences for each character’s actions and speech. Plotting to murder Duncan in order to succeed the throne‚ both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth switch traditional gender roles through their actions and speech. The switch in roles exemplifies inverted gender and social roles during their era. After Macbeth discovers the
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art‚ and Cawdor‚ and shalt be what thou art promised. Yet for I fear thy nature; It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (Shakespeare 1.5.12-15). Lady Macbeth is the bad influence Macbeth has in his life that persuades him into killing King Duncan and rushes into being King. Before Macbeth became paranoid after the brutal death of King Duncan‚ he was a worthy captain of the kings army. “The service and the loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself. Your Highness’ part is
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Golden Macbeth * Do you sympathize with Macbeth? Why or why not? Considering whether or not to feel sympathy for Macbeth can be based upon whether or not you think Macbeth has any control of his own destiny. If you think of Macbeth as a pawn in his own game‚ then you can feel sympathy. He is controlled by the witches‚ who promise him the crown‚ at exactly the right time when he has just been "promoted" to Thane of Cawdor. The witches give him something else to strive for. Macbeth is also
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as Macbeth drives himself insane trying to claim the throne. He hears that the Thane of Cawdor died and he could become king. The Thane of Glamis develops an ambition to be king and kills Duncan‚ who is already the king. Killing Duncan drives Macbeth insane‚ and eventually‚ he loses all feelings towards life or death and goes numb. Since Macbeth’s ambition is to become king he is willing to do anything‚ but because of this‚ he begins to go psychotic by the end of the play. Macbeth’s ambition to
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