Throughout Macbeth many conflicts and challenges of the mind arise. Macbeth is faced with peer pressure, prophecies, and tests of the mentally and physically strongest. Macbeth is told by three witched that it was his fait to become Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth was naïve and took what the witches told him to heart and believed he was in fact the destined Thane of Cawdor. Many lives, including his own were lost in the battle to reach this. With the demanding motives from his wife and limits set by his peers, Macbeth stopped at nothing. Macbeth is faced with many challenges due to his superstition which is a direct result after being introduced to the witches in the very beginning of the play; this affects his natural and human behavior greatly.
The witches introduced Macbeth to the idea that he could in time become king which started the downfall of this sanity and health.
“Thou shall get kings, though thou be none. All hail, Macbeth and Banquo!” (1.3.69-70)
When Macbeth heard this news he believed the witches prophecies and began to consider the greatness of what they had said.
Though the idea that the witches convey seems so figurative Macbeth almost cannot believe that he would have to go through with the killing of Macduff.
Macbeth “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man. That function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not.” (1.3.149-152)
What the witches say seem unreal and something he would likely never do. He is reluctant to believe them and everything they said. However with Macbeth’s unsympathetic, and manipulative wife, Lady Macbeth, he is pushed to his extreme through harsh taunting and is pressured into commenting many inhumane crimes.
Macbeth’s moralistic personality is greatly warped over time after meeting with the witches. Macbeth becomes obsessed with believing the prophecies and he falls deeper and deeper into superstition and a careless way of life. ;
Macbeth “I have almost forgot the taste of fear. The time has been, my senses would have cooled to hear a night-shriek, and my fell of hair would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir as life were in’t. I have supped full with horrors; Direness familiar to my slaughterous thoughts cannot once start me.” (5.5.10-16)
Macbeth has become so wrapped up in trying to become Thane of Cawdor that he will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. Macbeth has gone on a spree of destroying people and family members. Doing anything and everything he has to do to get what he wants. Things and ideas that would have used to scare him and seem inhumane now becomes things that are just another obstacle in the way that he needs to eliminate, and will do everything in his power to.
Macbeth a once noble and wise character falls into a pit of dishonesty and arrogant behavior. His life is troubled with bleak and dark haunting of Macduff’s ghost and paranoia quickly consumes him as he struggles to maintain a clean record and close in of becoming the king of Scotland . This is all a result of Macbeth falling hopelessly into superstition. If he hadn’t believed what the witches told him that day in the woods Macbeth would have stayed content with Thane of Glamis and continued living a life without stress and constant worry.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Power Corrupts by Priscilla K.
When a person is in power, some situations occur when they can acquire anything, lying, cheating, coning, bribing, stealing and KILLING. Corruption is something that is motivated by greed and deception. It's a very sinister personality that controls and destroys people's lives and makes them the kind of person other people don't want to be with, harsh maybe but all of the truth.
Corruption has become a problem in the Macbeth’s home because they have gotten greedy for more a bit judgmental but, Lady Macbeth being as anxious as she was , has planned to kill King Duncan and have her husband as king instead. This idea of power has come into the hands of Macbeth because of a prediction three witches had.( Act 1,3,32) “All hail ,Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! ,All hail! Macbeth, Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter!” This corruption has turned lady Macbeth and Macbeth. In this book there is no doubt about it that lady Macbeth and her husband want to be king or queen. In Lady Macbeth’s eyes killing could possibly be an answer for her and her husband and Macbeth followed.
Lady Macbeth is very persistent and willing to do whatever it takes to have her husband as king, she is very unpredictable. She definitely wears the pants in this relationship because she demands things that she wants her husband to do and he does it. As I read along the pages of Shakespeare’s Macbeth I realized that Lady Macbeth had changed so much and let the power of corruption take over her and pulled her husband down with her. In the book she even claims that she would kill her own baby in order to reign over
Lady Macbeth is an interesting character very careless, a girly man and is very provoking and dishonest that’s why when I read (Act 1, 5, pg 52) I realized that she was not good and didn’t care about anyone but her power she was willing to act like someone that she wasn’t to get were she wanted. “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”. The plot that the character has on her actions shows that she is very sneaky, bad and provoking. (Act 1,5,52) “only look up clear. To alter favour ever is to fear. leave all the rest to me.” Failure was not an option for her and whoever was in her way of power would be wiped out and that’s exactly what happened in this mysterious tale when poor king Duncan was murdered.
When Macbeth became Thane of Cawdor his wife, Lady Macbeth, was very delighted to hear of such great news. And when hearing that Duncan, the king, would be coming to eat a little grub at her home it gave her an idea. That idea was that the new king would be MACBETH! So exactly what do you think that means she was willing to kill anyone that was in her way .and she kept trying to egg on Macbeth and saying if he wants to be king he must kill King Duncan she was corrupted by the idea power. She was not in charge yet, but she still was just corrupted by the thought of power. I’m a little afraid, is power bad?
Killing king Duncan was something she believed she may have to do herself because her MAN, sugar daddy, hubby was not “man enough “…yet to do it so she shows that she would do it herself in (Act 1, 5, 53) .It says “he who is coming must be provided for; so you will put me in charge of this night’s business, which will bring royal power and mastery to us alone for all the rest of our nights and days”. She’s trying to tell her man, to man up and be strong and if not then she will.
Even though corruption took over in this play justice was found because Macbeth was defeated in the end and lady Macbeth killed herself, to end her life. Power is far more powerful than we all think bitter in ways that we wouldn’t see. When people come into a position of power they unleash a feeling in their minds that makes them believe that they can do whatever they want when they really can’t but ,in a situation like that is when power truly corrupts the minds of people and they become devious. People in power usually feel that they can do anything when their in power for a long period of time and in the play Macbeth it shows that him and his wife, Lady Macbeth let themselves get corrupted, As Macbeth and lady Macbeth’s power grew so did there corruption and that led to there downfall.
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