From the earliest starting point of analysis Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a character who relishes the concept of devising defiant plots. As indicated by Lois Tyson, ‘women [invest] themselves… in the accomplishments of their husbands and sons’. Lady Macduff, the quintessential example of…
Macbeth Essay Examples and Topics
by William Shakespeare
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Macbeth
Macbeth Ambition
William Shakespeare
The Alternate Path to Ambition Through the Macbeth Play
454
The play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare showcases a multitude of different characters with distinct traits, ambition standing common to most. Most let their ambition and desires take over however, a character that prioritizes his conscience over his ambition is Banquo. Banquo is shown to…
Book Review
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
The Similarities of Macbeth and Holinshed's Chronicles: Theme of Holinshed's Chronicles
409
“Ambition beats genius 99% of the time” ~Jay Leno. That’s why we are here to take a look at two examples of that 1%. Macbeth: the fictional character in the Shakespearian play “Macbeth”, and Pablo Escobar: the most notorious and well-known drug lord of the…
Macbeth is a tragic character from William Shakspeare’s Play Macbeth. The Macbeth literary analysis explained how the main character Macbeth, transforms from a war hero to a murdering villain. Macbeth Killed King Duncan became the new King of Scotland. His behavior makes him a tyrant….
Macbeth portrays feelings of uncertainty and anxiety when he asks the question “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash blood Clean from my hand?”. This quote shows Macbeth talking about Duncan’s blood on his hands, Duncan’s blood symbolised guilt; foreshadowing the events later on in the…
The reasons and effects of Macbeth turning into the king is the perfect example of a character’s trait leading them to fail as king. Macbeth’s trust for the witches and him taking it all into his own hands so he would have the power over…
In this scene Shakespeare has tried to portray Macbeth in two different ways, one being cold hearted and the other showing signs of care and wanting his wife to rest from the pain of recalling the night of King Duncan’s passing. The opening line of…
Macbeth as a powerful, tragic hero that is easily led. In the novel, Macbeth, we observe the development of Macbeth as a character. In the beginning he is seen as a powerful and noble leader who develops into a man filled with fear, guilt and…
Macbeth
Novel
William Shakespeare
Lady Macbeth as One of Shakespeare's Most Renowned and Frightening Female Characters
438
Playwrights frequently utilize a character’s entrance and exit from a play so as to urge viewers to judge the characters choice and behaviours. In William Shakespeare’s violent, tragic play, Macbeth, he cautions the viewers of the risks of unrestricted ambition as the Macbeth changes from…
Macbeth
Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
Fate and Responsibility Through the Love Story of Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth Play
449
Shakespeare’s famous Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth were set in the medieval times where the stars were interpreted to tell the fate of someone by people. Shakespeare shows the themes of fate and responsibility many times in both plays. Romeo and Juliet is a love…
Often unchecked power has a negative effect on people and could cause corruption leading to one’s own destruction. Macbeth by William Shakespear, is a malevolent play depicting the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who were corrupted by power. In the beginning of the play,…
Even though an individual makes several mistakes is it still possible for them to be a victim of his own character? In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakesphere, Macbeth is a victim of his character, however he was not a victim of…
Macbeth
Novel
William Shakespeare
Psychological Effects of Political Ambition in Macbeth by William Shakespeare
413
“Macbeth” is a tragedy by William Shakespeare; it is thought to have been first performed in 1606. Macbeth dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Gender roles of the play “Macbeth,” have caught…
Where can an individual draw a line between passionately pursuing a goal and being overly-ambitious? Every successful character has one thing in common, a strong desire for success. The hunger that fills their minds to accomplish the extraordinary is what differentiates them from others. However,…
Decisions all people have affected their lives; and in the play, Macbeth, we perceive how Macbeth’s poor decisions joined with desire and absence of character can have unfortunate outcomes. This isn’t specific to Macbeth’s decisions as we view how choices can have a noteworthy negative…
Date
1623
Author
William Shakespeare
Type
Plays
Genre
Literature
Major Characters
The main characters in Macbeth are Macduff, Banquo, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, and Malcolm.
Based on
Macbeth is based on Holinshed’s Chronicles published in 1577. The Holinshed’s Chronicles describes British history in several volumes. The first one was published in 1577 and the second in 1587.
Symbols/motives
- Blood symbolizes guilt and murder
- Light and darkness symbolize good and evil
- Weather to symbolize tone
- Water purification symbolizes cleaning or removal of guilt
Influence
Macbeth gets easily persuaded due to his lack of judgment. He convinces himself not to kill Duncan but retracts fast after Lady Macbeth convinces him otherwise. The play is a reminder to the people who lack self-principles. They can develop them and live a different life.
Plot
Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become a king in Scotland. Lady Macbeth encourages him to kill King Duncan so that he takes his throne. Convinced, he carried out the plan but, in the confusion, he kills many more people. There is civil unrest as citizens fight to overthrow the new king. Due to this, more people die.
Why is this topic important?
The quest for power can be dangerous if not kept under control. Macbeth desperately wanted to be king but it only resulted in a civil war and more deaths. The play teaches people that the desire for greatness is good but if it lacks good principles, it becomes destructive.
Main Ideas
Every individual should develop ambition. However, behind the ambition, there must be constraints. Lack of constraints is destructive in many ways. In ordinary situations, Macbeth is a good general who thinks well about his country but when he becomes obsessed with the desire for power, he becomes a different man.
Key Quotes
- King Duncan: “Which bloody man is that?”
- Banquo: “The current fears are lesser compared to horrible imaginings.”
- Lady Macbeth: “The milk of human kindness.”
- Macbeth: “This is a sorry sight.”
- Macduff: “One fell swoop.”
Interesting facts
- The original Macbeth killed the original Duncan in 1040
- After Macbeth killed the real Duncan, he ruled the land for 17 years and was killed by his stepson Lulach the Idiot. He reigned for a year and Malcolm III became king.
- The day Macbeth died is like the very same day he became king.
- If you mention the name Macbeth in a play, you are supposed to walk in circles three times anticlockwise after which you must spit or speak a rude word
Why should this topic be used?
The topic has multiple lessons to be learned by the audience. The golden rule of life that “Do to others what you would like done to you” is real in this play. Macbeth kills Duncan to take the throne. He is killed by his stepson who takes his throne. The step-sone is killed by Malcolm. If Macbeth had listened to his conscience, such a trend of murders could have been stopped.
Arguments for
- Fate is tied to free will. There is a series of fates versus free will that follows the line of kings in Scotland. It starts with Macbeth and progresses to the third king from him.
- The three witches gave word to Macbeth that he would be king but they don’t tell him how. He doesn’t wait for the right time because fate was upon him.
- Macbeth is unable to make strong decisions. Even though he decides not to kill Duncan, his wife convinces him to kill.
Arguments against
- Macbeth had to kill Duncan to fulfill fate. From the trends that follow Macbeth down to his step so and Malcolm, it is evident Duncan had to face the same fate. The best person to fulfill it was Macbeth.
- Lady Macbeth’s influence was catastrophic but she was only playing her role of an advisor to her husband. However, Duncan had a right to say no to the advice but he didn’t because he could not have fulfilled his main purpose.
