Macbeth

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, he explored many different issues, such as ambitions and appearance and reality. Many clever techniques were used to present these themes, for example contrast imagery and the use of characters.

For presenting the theme ambition, Shakespeare used contrast in the character Macbeth. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is a good person. Lady Macbeth described him as being “too full of the milk of human kindness”. This image of a mother always caring for her child shows that Macbeth is a loving and kind person who always cared for others. But after the witches’ prophecy of him becoming the Thane of Cawdor came true, he started to change.

With the encouragement from Lady Macbeth and the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth’s ambition started to take over him. “Crown my thoughts with act.” This image of decorating, improving his thought by crowning it with act, shows that Macbeth will not stop at anything to accomplish his goals. At the end of the play, Macbeth changed completely, from a royal thane, to a tyrant, a Devilish Macbeth. “This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongue.” This image shows that people hated Macbeth so much that even saying his name is like a curse. By contrasting using contrast in Macbeth, Shakespeare is able to show how horrible ambition can be, and how it could change a person completely.

Another important theme in this play is appearances and reality. This is presented by irony in Lady Macbeth; she thinks of hear self differently to who she really is in reality. “Unsex me here, fill me full of direst cruelty.” She says this because she believes that she could strip herself of her femininity and human kindness and avoid her conscience.

After the murder of Duncan she said “A little water will clear us of this deed, what is done is done.” Making it sound as if though it wasn’t a big deal. This is then contrasted with how she really feels when she said “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”. This the antithesis of what she said at the start. So with this example, Shakespeare shows us that a person often says one thing on the outside, but thinks really differently inside.

Another example used to illustrate appearance and reality is when Lady Macbeth talks about “Be the serpent under the flower.” The serpent symbolizes evil and deception, while the flower symbolizes all the pleasant qualities of a person. She also said, “let our faces be visors to our heart.”

The visor is something that could be used to cover the face, while the heart symbolizes the true feelings of people. These phrases are very good examples for describing Lady Macbeth. When Duncan comes to Macbeth’s castle, she seems like a very courteous, cordial hostess, but actually she was already making preparations for his murder. So through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare tells us how people can never be trusted and that appearances are often deceiving.

As you can see, Shakespeare explores many issues in this play, presenting them with several clever techniques. Like contrast in Macbeth to show the effects of ambition, irony in Lady Macbeth to show that people often say things differently to what they really mean, some times even deceiving themselves and imagery of the serpent showing how people could never be trusted.

Words are the basic elements of the English written language. With words, one can say precisely what one wants to say, a skill that Shakespeare has mastered. In Macbeth, he carefully chooses each word so as to say exactly what he wants to say, and often leaves these words open to the reader’s interpretation.

One such carefully chosen word is the word “slave,” a simple word meaning “someone entirely under the dominion of a person or an influence” (Random House, 674). Although this word appears only four times within the play, it’s importance should not be underestimated. Every time that Shakespeare chooses to use the word “slave” he is using it to show a “slave of ambition,” an important symbol within the play.

The first use of slave in the play comes when a war-wounded soldier comes to deliver the message to the king of Macbeth’s defeat over Macdonwald. He refers to Macdonwald as “the slave,” which is the perfect name for him (Shakespeare, Macbeth I.ii.20). One would have to be a “slave of ambition” if he thinks that it is acceptable for him to try to overthrow his very own king and center.

Furthermore, it is extremely ironic how Macbeth is the one who defeats this slave in act one, but then becomes one himself in act two. After performing a heroic deed and making what was “foul” (Macdonwald’s rebellion), “fair,” Macbeth goes and makes what is “fair” (Duncan’s Kingship), “foul,” thus making him a slave like Macdonwald (1.1.11). Also, in using this word, the reader comes to learn much about Macdonwald.

We first of all learn that he cares mainly about his own personal gain, for he desires kingly power. We also learn that if he had actually succeeded in stealing the throne, he would not have made a good king, for a good king can never be selfish or stray from the center the way that he does. In using the word slave Shakespeare actually puts into the reader’s mind a concept that runs throughout the entire play; you cannot be selfish or stray from the center if you are king and still expect to be a king in the truest sense of the word.

The second time Shakespeare uses the word “slave” in Macbeth is when Banquo yells to his some Fleance, “Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!”(III..16). In this use of the word, the reader is meant to think that Banquo is talking to Macbeth. After he tells his son to get revenge (on Macbeth no doubt), he yells “O slave!” as a way of saying, “you ‘slave of ambition’, I can’t believe I trusted you.” Banquo knows that he has made a mistake by trusting Macbeth. All of his sleepless nights and hunches were right; Macbeth has done the evil deed of killing Duncan his king. Therefore we can see Banquo as a slave as well, a slave of his own trust for an over ambitious friend.

The third use of “slave” comes to the reader in a very sarcastic speech given by Lennox to a Lord (III.vi.13). Lennox calls the two guards of Duncan’s chamber on the night of his death the “slaves of drink and the thralls of sleep (III.vi.13). At first glance, it seems as if Lennox is condemning the two guards for supposedly killing Duncan. But when read in the context of the entire speech, Lennox is actually saying that the two guards were too drunk and asleep to have killed their king.

Furthermore, he finds it odd how Macbeth killed the only two men who could say anything about what went on that night. Thus we are meant to see Macbeth as a “slave to ambition,” which makes good sense, for he killed Duncan, Banquo, and is striving to kill Malcolm, Donalbain, and Fleance.

Therefore, if Macbeth is a “slave to ambition” he will not be able to be a good king, which we see in the Lord’s response to this speech. He tells the reader that the kingdom does not have mean on its table or sleep at night. This proves to the reader how Macbeth’s ambition has caused him to focus on his own personal gain instead of focusing on what he should, his kingdom. Therefore, the fall of Macbeth is foreshadowed, because a king can never be selfish and expect to hold his kingdom for very long.

The fourth and final time that Shakespeare chooses to use the word “slave” comes when Macbeth hears of Macduff coming to defeat him (V.v.37). It is different from the other uses of slave in the fact that in this one the one using the word is the slave himself. After a messenger tells him of the moving Birnam wood, Macbeth calls him a “Liar and slave!”(V.v.37). Although the word seems to be out of context in this instance, after a careful look at it, one sees that it is actually a perfect word.

Ever since Macbeth killed his king, he hasn’t been able to trust anyone. Also, he has been so far from what is true for so long that he is not able to understand and accept it. Thus when the messenger tells Macbeth of the moving woods, he believes that the messenger is a “slave to ambition,” for it appears to be an ambitious move to try to lie to a king. In actuality, this messenger is not ambitious at all, he is simply delivering a message to his king. But because Macbeth is so far from the “center” by the end of the play, he is not able to see this man’s true intent. Therefore, Macbeth is the real slave; a “slave of his own ambition” and of his distorted thoughts.

Although Shakespeare uses the word “slave” only 4 times in Macbeth, it is still a pivotal word that puts into the reader’s mind a key symbol of the play, the “slave of ambition.” Through his use of this word, Shakespeare tells us that ambition causes deterioration. By the end of the play. Macbeth was obviously deteriorating both physically and mentally.

As the reader knows, this downfall began once Macbeth killed King Duncan, and therefore is a product of his ambition. Also, through his use of “slave,” Shakespeare teaches that instead of letting our want for power overtake us, we must accept things the way they are and never try to change our fate the way Macbeth did. After all, no one would want to end up like Macbeth.

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, is a brave and loyal subject to the King of Scotland, but as the play progresses, his character begins to change drastically. Evil and unnatural powers, as well as his own desire to become king, take over his better half and eventually lead to his downfall. Three main factors that intertwine with one another that contribute to Macbeth’s tragic end are the prophecies told by the three witches, Lady Macbeth’s influence, and finally, Macbeth’s excessive ambition which drove his desire to become king.

The prophecy told by the three witches was what triggers the other factors that contribute to Macbeth’s downfall. In the first act, Macbeth is told by the witches that he is to become the Thane of Cawdor and soon after, king. This prophecy arouses Macbeth’s curiosity of how he can become the King of Scotland.

“Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more. By

Sinel’s death I kno I am Thane of Glamis. But how

of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous

gentleman, and to be king stands not within the prospect

of belief.” (Act 1. sc.3)

This quote shows how the witches’ prophecy attracts Macbeth. It demonstrated how Macbeth thirsts for an answer from the witches of how is he to become the Thane of Cawdor and king. As the play continues, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches’ prophecies. It becomes a remedy for Macbeth’s curiosity which corrupts his character.

One of the witches’ prophecies becomes true when Macbeth is named the Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan. At this point, Macbeth seeks advice from his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth provides a scheme for Macbeth to assassinate the King. She is manipulative and persuasive in corrupting Macbeth’s judgement.

“What beast was’t then, that you break this enterprise

to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man;

And to be more than what you are, you would be so

much more the man¡K¡Khad I sworn as you have done

this.” (Act 1. Sc.7)

In this quote, Lady Macbeth is agitating Macbeth by saying he is not a man if he does not do what he says he is going to do, which is to murder the king. This angers Macbeth and enables him to follow Lady Macbeth’s scheme to kill the king and continue killing. Macbeth’s first murder is a trying experience for him. However, as the play progresses, killing seems to be the only solution to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland.

Macbeth becomes increasingly ambitious as the play goes on. The witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s influence intensifies his ambition and drives Macbeth to obtain and maintain his title of Scotland by whatever means, even murdering his best friend, Banquo.

“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown…No

Son of mine succeeding… If ¡¥t be so, for Banquo’s

Issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious

Duncan I have murdered…. to make them kings, the

Seeds of Banquo kings” (Act 3. sc.1)

At this point Macbeth’s becomes more and more extreme to the point where no one stands in his way. His greed, violence, and hunger for power declines his character.

The witches’ prophecy, Lady Macbeth’s influence, and Macbeth’s own ambition all contribute greatly to his deterioration of character which results in his downfall, which was death. All the causes link to one another. If it wasn’t for witches’ prophecies, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. Because of these prophecies, Macbeth’s curiosity of possibly becoming king was brought out which led Lady Macbeth’s controlling influence.

Macbeth’s ambition then builds and causes him to commit a series of murders, one of which, include his own best friend. If one of these factors were missing, Macbeth would not have been strong enough to carry the motive to kill King Duncan, which ultimately leads to his destruction.

What a person craves for herself often determines her fate. The ambition of three characters in the play Macbeth was a key factor in the outcome of their fate, Macbeth’s ambition for the throne of Scotland, Lady Macbeth’s ambition for her husband to have power, and Banquo’s lack of ambition for himself. These intentions all determined the fate of these characters, as well as the outcome of the play.

Being named Thane of Cawdor after absorbing the three witches prophesies prompted Macbeth’s sole ambition to have the throne of Scotland for himself. Macbeth is somewhat uneasy to the fact that he feels that he wants fate alone to hand him the throne, rather than killing Duncan himself to inherit it. (If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir. Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 154-156) Macbeth contemplates the idea of killing Duncan even as he is saluting Duncan at Duncan’s palace.

Macbeth’s urge to exterminate Duncan increases when Duncan names Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, the heir to the Scottish throne, Macbeth’s ambition strengthens because he pleads to the stars (his destiny) to make his plan a reality. (Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires: The eye wink at the hand! yet let that be, which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 57-60)

During the banquet held at Macbeth’s castle at Inverness in honour of Duncan, Macbeth’s ambition changes. He contemplates his wicked plan of executing Duncan and arrives at the conclusion of not allowing his plan to fall through. Lady Macbeth scorns Macbeth when she hears of his change of plans. She becomes successful in altering his ambition. Macbeth later slaughters Duncan, and inherits the throne of Scotland as he had previously planned. Along with the crown, Macbeth inherits a ruthless, immoral character that corrupts him to his downfall. This happens because of Macbeth’s ambition for the throne, an ambition that he will do anything in order to behold.

Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to be a great and powerful man. She loves Macbeth, and her only ambition is to help him gain the throne of Scotland. She craves this to the extent that she pleads to all of the evil spirits to replace her nourishment with ruthlessness. Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth will be less of a person if he does not steal the Scottish throne.

She late dubs him a coward for not wanting to carry out their murder plan. (Was the hope drunk Wherein you dress’s yourself? hath it slept since? And wakes in now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time Such I account thy love, art thou afraid To be the same in thy own act and valour As though art in desire? Would’st thou have that which thou esteem’t the ornament of life, And live a coward in thire own esteem,…. Act 1, Scene 7, lines 38-46)

The ambitions of Banquo are much more simple and paradox than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Though Banquo was curious when it concerned the witches prophesy, he was reluctant to believe it. Banquo was much more simple, honest, and harmless in character. He did not challenge his own fate like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, therefore he did not corrupt himself.

Banquo thrusted his ambitions toward leading an orthodox life, and he did not allow other forces to interrupt his ambitions such as the witches, his destiny, greed and so on. (why do you start, and seem to fear things that do not sound so fair? I’the name of truth, Are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly show? My noble partner You greet with present grace and great prediction of noble having, and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal; to me you speak not: If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak to me, who neither not by fear Your favours nor your hate. Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 54-64) Banquo was skeptical of the witches prophesy, thus prohibiting their spell to penetrate his soul, leaving him pure. Banquo’s ambitions were honest.

These three characters all had ambitions which led the way to their fate. Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s greedy ambitions led them to failure, while on the other hand, Banquo’s pure ambitions led him to victory despite his ruthless murder. Banquo’s heirs will have the throne of Scotland, and Banquo died an honest man.

Ambition is a blessing to an extent But at a certain point it can become a curse. Having Ambition is the only way to have success and achieve goals. Without ambition no one would have goals or a need to achieve them. As with all things ambition is something that needs to be used in moderation. Too much ambition will lead to an unfulfilling, unhappy and unimaginably lonely life. Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth in Macbeth to prove that strong ambitions can create greater losses than rewards.

Marriage is one of the most valued and special relationships one can have, it’s supposed to be a lifelong bond that will be most cherished. Lady macbeth had a wonderful marriage and she was very happy with her partner. Once lady macbeth had pressured her husband into killing someone she realized her mistake in that she had destroyed her one true love. Lady macbeth became aware of the fact that shed turned her husband into a killer and made him go insane and she knew that she couldn’t take back any of her actions we can see this when she said “the thane of fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean? no more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that. You mar all with this starting.” and “…what’s done cannot be undone…” In this case Lady macbeth’s ambition helped her achieve her goal at her husbands expense. Lady macbeth lost her dearest relationship for her ambitions.

Happiness is one of the most pleasant, fulfilling and important emotions. Everyone deserves and wants to be happy. Lady macbeth had a very happy life with her husband being a hero and a noble and her living in a castle with all she could ever want or need. Ambition lead lady macbeth to believe that her perfect life wasn’t enough and that she needed more, that she needed to be queen. Once lady macbeth attained her status as queen and tasted success she lost her happiness she said “naught’s had, all’s spent, where our desire is got without content. ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.” From this quote we know that lady macbeth regrets her choices and she isn’t happy, she thinks it’d be nicer to be dead than be in her situation. Lady macbeth’s ambition gave her all she had ever dreamed for but it robbed her of her happiness and with fruitless joy.

Surviving is the most basic need above all else. Living is more important than love, happiness and success. Lady macbeth was very fortunate to not only be living she lived very comfortably and happily as a noble lady. Ambition got the best of lady macbeth and she was greedy to take more than she already had. Once she had all she wanted and still wasn’t happy she killed herself as we know from the line “… his fiend- like queen (who, as ’tis thought, by self and violent hands, took off her life) …” In the end lady macbeth’s ambition cost her her life, the rewards she reaped from her success were none too great to trump the losses she underwent due to her ambition and so she took her life into her own hands.

To conclude excessive amounts of ambition always have prices to pay for the rewards the give. Ambition can cost someone their relationships, their happiness and in extreme cases even their life. Lady macbeth’s situation was very extreme but we can still see similar less extreme cases to this day. Whether it be a career choice to move far away or starting a new project, everything we do has gains and losses attached. Overall strong ambition can bring high prizes at high stakes, every ambitious choice we make will have good and bad sides to it.

Equivocation is the practice of deliberately deceiving a listener without explicitly lying, either by using ambiguously misleading language or by withholding crucial information. What is the significance of equivocation in Macbeth?

Macbeth is a play about subterfuge and trickery. Macbeth, his wife, and the three Weird Sisters are linked in their mutual refusal to come right out and say things directly. Instead, they rely on implications, riddles, and ambiguity to evade the truth. Macbeth’s ability to manipulate his language and his public image in order to hide his foul crimes makes him a very modern-seeming politician. However, his inability to see past the witches’ equivocations—even as he utilizes the practice himself—ultimately leads to his downfall.

Sometimes, equivocations in Macbeth are meant kindly, as when Ross tries to spare Macduff’s feelings by telling him that his wife and son are “well.” Macduff initially takes this to mean that his family is alive and healthy, but Ross means that they are dead and in heaven. More often than not, though, such ambiguous statements lead to harm. The witches’ deceptive prophecies are perhaps the most destructive instances of equivocation. They tell Macbeth that he can never be harmed by anyone “of woman born,” but they neglect to tell him that Macduff was surgically removed from his mother’s womb and therefore doesn’t fall into that category. Similarly, they tell Macbeth that he can’t be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, but they don’t alert him to the possibility that the opposing army might advance on his castle under cover of branches cut from Birnam trees.

Macbeth ignores several signs that might have alerted him to the witches’ deceptive capabilities. Banquo warns Macbeth to be wary of their predictions since evil creatures will sometimes win people’s confidence with “honest trifles”—small truths—only to betray them more deeply in the future. Indeed, the witches promise Macbeth fame and honor while withholding important information about the consequences that will follow. If Macbeth had been listening closely to the witches’ language, he might have picked up on their potential for trickery himself. The three Weird Sisters greet Banquo with a series of riddling titles, hailing him as “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater” and “Not so happy, yet much happier.” The phrases sound like nonsense, but in reality, both assertions in each statement are true. Banquo will have a lesser title than Macbeth but is the greater (i.e., more moral) man. He will not be as fortunate as Macbeth in the short term, as he will soon be assassinated, but will ultimately be much more fortunate because he won’t be made to suffer the everlasting torments of hell. At no point do the witches lie to Macbeth—he simply hears what he wants to hear and ignores the rest.

It is ironic that Macbeth falls for the witches’ equivocations because Macbeth and his wife are master equivocators themselves. Duncan laments that there’s no method with which one may find “the mind’s construction in the face,” meaning that it is impossible to know what a person is truly thinking just from his or her outward appearance. Lady Macbeth mimics this language when she directs her husband to look like an “innocent flower” in order to hide the “serpent” that truly lurks in his heart. The Macbeths know how to use imagery and appearance to conceal the truth, and sometimes they even use those skills on themselves. Macbeth asks the stars to extinguish their light so that his “eye” cannot see what his “hand” does. Similarly, Lady Macbeth asks the night to grow as dark as the “smoke of hell” so that her knife cannot see itself slash its victim. The Macbeths know that their acts are wicked, so they try to hide the knowledge of their deeds from their own consciousness. In a sense, they wish to equivocate to themselves.

Just before Macduff kills him, Macbeth swears that he will never again believe those “juggling fiends” that manipulate words and speak “in a double sense.” However, it’s possible that the three Weird Sisters are not “friends,” or demons, at all, but rather agents of morality who bring Macbeth to justice by trapping him with his own tricks. The drunken porter, imagining himself the keeper of hell’s gates, pretends to admit “an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven.” One can imagine Macbeth receiving a similar welcome from the true porter of hell’s gates.

Life has a multitude of meanings for everyone. Sometimes it means an opportunity for better chances and others, a life of bad luck and mishaps. In William Shakespearës Macbeth, Macheth, the main character and protagonist, experiences a life changing moment: his wife, Lady Macbeth, diesl This unfonunate event causes Macbeth to rethink life and its purpose› His response to the news is shown through a very popular “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow“ solíloquy filled with rhetorical devices and profound significance› This rather small soliloquy is full of rhetorical devices. The entire soliloquy is a comparison to life and how it means nothing. For example, “Out, out, brief candle!” is a comparison to how quickly Macbeth wants life to be over (V‹v‹23)› Life is also comparable to an actor who is not very successful in his field.

According to Shakespeare, this actor is nervous and anxious to perform and after his performance, he is not seen ever after that (V.v.25-26). More comparisons involve metaphorsl “Life’s but a walking shadow. . .” refers to an understudy waiting to get his chance to be in a play, but never getting the chance (V.v‹24)l Life is a disappointment in Macheth’s eyes› Further analyzing this soliloquy, other rhetorical devices include repetition, alliteration, tone, and foreshadowing. The concept of the soliloquy is repetition: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day” (Vle-ZO), Tomorrow and day are repeatedl Repeating these words seem like Macbeth is prolonging an action or general feeling but that is irrational because the future brings no hope for him.

Grammar-related, “petty pace” in line 20 and “poor player” in line 24 are examples of alliteration. The tone of the soliloquy is melancholy, reflective, and depressing› Macbeth finds out that his wife dies. It catches him off guard and now he finds n0 amusement in life and the future› The soliloquy can be seen as foreshadowing because the last line, “It is a tale told by an idiot, fill of sound and fury signifying nothing” is similar to Macbeth’s story (V.v.26-28). The ending of the soliloquy is parallel to Macbeth’s life, The “idiots” can be the three witches that told his and Banquo’s prophecy Macbeth allows the “great sounding” prophecy to get to his head because he is raging with power, orchestrating Banquo‘s and Lady Macduff and son’s death. But in the end, the hunger for power was not worth it because his supposed companions and advisers were all against him Macbeth is eventually murdered by Macduff, a nobleman from Duncan‘s reignr The beginning of the soliloquy refers to Lady Macbeth’s death. One view on the death could be that Macbeth knew that she was going to die, her passing was inevitable.

Another take on it is that he does not want her to die and that it is not her time, “She should have died hereafter; there would have been a time for such a word” (Viv,17-18)t After that, Macbeth goes to explain that the days are going by in a slow pace The past means nothing to him and neither does the future (V.vt20-22) Macbeth does not have a positive outlook on life, The several rhetorical devices and intense meaning of Macbeth’s “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” soliloquy reveals his final conclusion on life It is devoid of any meaning and full of punitive strugglest According to Macbeth, life is packed with lost opponunitiesr The soliloquy also exposes Macbeth’s life as a tragic character. It is accurate that his “vaulting ambition” is his downfall Wanting to be the best and achieve greatness was just too much for him and in the end; he lost his mind, his wife, and eventually his life.