In this chapter, I will elaborate on Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy Macbeth. This is one of my favorite tragedies since it is about the psychological effects of ambition on those who strive for power for its own sake. “In the play Shakespeare depicts the tragedy of a man torn between an amoral will and a powerfully moral intellect. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a study of the evil that is in every human heart and of one man’s downfall as he willfully gives way to its temptations”. (Gredina, forthcoming) I believe Macbeth is powerful play since the process of the beginning and increasing of evil in the human heart is masterfully made. The process is in detail from the first fall to the temptation until the person becomes completely corrupted, …show more content…
Holinshed did not simply provide Shakespeare with a good story; Macbeth contains many examples of imagery and language that Shakespeare borrowed directly from his source, a practice common to all writers”. (Cullen, n.d.) Holinshed’s Chronicles is about the history of Scotland, England, and Ireland. The events in Shakespeare’s tragedy differ from the history of the real Macbeth, Macduff, and Duncan. Actually, many scholars associate the events of Macbeth with the execution of Henry Garnet for participation in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The king was a target of the Gunpowder Plot. That is the reason many critics agree the tragedy is written in 1606 after the trial of Henry Garnet. Additionally, an interesting thing to note is James I wrote his own book Daemonolgie in 1599 about witches. We are all familiar that Shakespeare starts this tragedy with the stage directions “Enter three …show more content…
Blind ambition: From brave soldier to tyrannical ruler
Many situations, both current and historic, come up to my mind when I think about how ambition, greed or abuse of power, have led many important figures to their ruin. This is the case in this tragic play, where Macbeth, once a noble warrior, motivated by ambition ends up destroyed. At the beginning of the play, when we read that Macbeth on the battlefield fought bravely for his King and country, we are under impression that he is loyal and a courageous soldier. Thus, I did research to understand what exactly made him become a tyrannical ruler. Was it only due to his ambition or were there other