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Macbeth by William Shakespeare was a very powerful play and it dealt with a very complex character. Macbeth was a Scottish Lord and he was brave, ambitious, easily manipulated, ruthless and evil. Eventually all these traits led to his downfall. The play revolves around Macbeth and his ambition to be King of Scotland. Eagerness and ambition led him to kill King Duncan.
It has shown me that ambition can be destructive not only to the person with ambition but also to those around them. It was made clear by Shakespeare that Macbeth's most important characteristic was his bravery. We become aware of this bravery though other characters. In Act one, Scene two the first reference to his bravery was made by the Sergeant; For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name This shows us that he was admired and respected. Again in scene two another reference was made to Macbeth and Banqo's bravery by the Sergeant, cannons overcharged with double cracks They were compared to a double load of ammunition. It was as if they were worth more than any other two soldiers as they were both so brave and fought so well.
With Macbeth and Banqo in their army it seemed there was no chance of failure. In scene two we are also shown how ruthless Macbeth could be, we are told how violently Macbeth ripped open a man from the naval to the jaw. Till he unheard him from the nave to the chops This shows us his bravery as well as how violent he could be. At the beginning of the play his ambition also began to shine through. Three witches on a heath promised Macbeth three things. He would be Thane of Games, Thane of Cawdor and eventually the King of Scotland.
His ambition and greed began to show as he orders the witches, Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more. He was interested in what they had to tell him. He thought no more of it until a messenger arrived with news for him. Duncan wanted to reward Macbeth for his hard work in the battle so gave him the title of Thane of Cawdor.
The second promise had come true. So Macbeth began to fantasize about the prospect of becoming king. I think this was quite a dangerous thing to happen as when he fantasizes he believes it will happen and was almost in a world of make believe. Not only was Macbeth ambitious but also he was easily manipulated. I think that was something in his personality, which was an extremely dangerous.
The person who can manipulate him easiest was his wife Lady Macbeth. We see how ruthless he and his wife combined can be. Macbeth tries to tell his wife that he would not kill the king but she calls him, A coward. She twisted his way of thinking and by the end of the scene he decides to kill the king.
This shows how strong she was as she has power over him and she can get him to do things for her. To a certain extent he measured himself against her, I think he competed with her to see who had the strongest will. Through his soliloquy we hear Macbeth's thoughts. Is this a dagger I see before me, The handle towards my hand?
Come, let me clutch Thee: He imagined a dagger in front of him but every time he tried to take it, it vanished. I think this could also be a sign of guilt as he knows what he was about to do was wrong. From his thoughts we know he felt guilty and this was because he was a brave solider who felt if he killed the king it should be in battle. Although he was a very evil character, there were times when his conscience caught up with him.
Macbeth knew killing the king was wrong and in his soliloquy he listed reasons why he should not kill the king, First, as I am his Kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed He saw these as good enough reasons not to kill the king. Macbeth also went on to say that Duncan was a very good king who trusted him. Macbeth thought that the deed would not only be destructive to the king but also to himself and he knew what he was doing was wrong and I think that was why he was so evil. As in every Shakespeare play the main character has a flaw and for Macbeth this flaw was his Vaulting ambition. In the end I think that it was his ambition, which led to his death. After the killing of the king, Macbeth seemed to be consumed by guilt.
It was clear throughout the scene how much he needed his wife. I think they chose to marry each other as they both saw strong traits in one another that they did not have. The guilt he felt is emphasized further by the voices he hears, Methought I heard a voice cry sleep no more! Macbeth feels that it was the act of a coward to kill an old man in his sleep and also that his bravery was no longer real as he had sunk to such a low level. The one thing he could rely on, his bravery was also tarnished by guilt. The fact that he hears voices is also another sign of guilt.
Macbeth is traumatized on the inside and relies on Lady Macbeth to sooth his fears, Will all these great Neptunes ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this is my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red. I think this speech symbolized the fact that the guilt he felt was so overwhelming. Lady Macbeth makes him stronger and pulls him together, My hands are of your colour, but I shame To wear a heart so white. She again called him a coward and this gave him the strength to carry on as normal because being called a coward was the biggest insult he could take. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth became progressively more evil.
As he had started to kill he felt there was no point in stopping and he finds it easier to kill again. The next murder takes place within hours of the first. Macbeth kills the guards. He said he did it as an act of rage but it was really so he could silence them and stop them from protesting their innocence.
Even though he silenced the guards he did not feel secure with his crown, To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus. I think he saw Banqo and his son as the biggest threat to his crown. He wants Banqo and Fleance dead. He felt if Fleance did not die he would be wearing a fruitless crown, They had upon him father to a line of kings Upon my head they place a fruitless crown. Banqo was his friend and he was willing to destroy him all for his ambition. I find this murder cunning as this was the only one that Macbeth does not commit but instead hires murderers to do the deed therefore disassociating himself from it.
The tactics he used to persuade them to commit the murder was something I found to be quite ironic as he manipulated them just as his wife had him. He twists their way of thinking and told them Banqo was responsible for all their past problems. Lastly he called them cowards. Again Macbeth began to show signs of guilt as he knew what he had done was wrong. He hallucinates and he imagines the ghost of Banqo at the feast and I think his reaction to this is somewhat surprising for someone who seems a cold-blooded murderer. Avaunt!
And quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Lady Macbeth and the guests at the banquet were bewildered by his behaviour. His wife then covers up for him once again, Think of this, good peers, But as a thing of custom: Instead of learning from the guilt and reforming, he turns to evil, the witches for advice, I will to-morrow- And betimes I will to the weird sisters: I felt this was a powerful moment as he sought out the witches whereas before he found them by chance. I think this was an important turning point as he was searching for the evil in them and the evil in himself.
After his meeting with the witches I felt he became more ruthless. The witches tell him to beware Macduff meaning his original suspicion of him was confirmed and he decided to do something about it. The castle of Macduff I will surprise; Seize upon Fife; give the edge of the sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls. Macbeth wanted everyone connected with Macduff dead. He sent murderers who set fire and destroyed Macduff's castle and all its occupants. I think he hoped Macduff would soon find out and would see what Macbeth did as a warning.
What Macbeth did was the act of a dictator as he was destroying anybody he imagined as a threat. The second promise was one which Macbeth thought could not fail, Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth. Macbeth soon finds out that this promise is a trick. The third and final promise he was told was that he would not lose his crown until Birnam wood comes to Dunsinaine.
The next day the wood was seen from the castle battlements and Macbeth is informed, he then realised another promise was falling through. At the end of the play Macbeth's bravery was restored. The end scene consists of Lady Macbeth's death and the final battle. I feel that his reaction to his wifes death is very hollow. They had been so close to each other yet he could not shed one tear.
She should have died hereafter; He was very cold and this was the point where we saw their strong bond broken. Macbeth was then told Birnam wood was moving towards the castle. At this point he knew that the castle would be destroyed, Ring the alarm-bell! Blow, wind! Come, wrack! At least well die with harness on our back.
In the end Macbeth faces Macduff. Macduff tells him that he was not born of woman but by caesarean. His bravery is restored and he fights on. He knows he will die and he wants to go out fighting. I have some respect for him here as he fights on even when he knows his time is up. In the end Macbeth is destroyed by this own ambition and I have little sympathy for that.
My opinion of Macbeth moved from one of utter disgust to one of admiration, as he is so brave at the end. However, I despised his ruthlessness as throughout the play he killed innocent people for no other reason than ambition.
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Research essay sample on Kill The King Thane Of Cawdor
