William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is a prominent play that focuses on a man’s misguided ambition to seize control of the Scottish Kingdom as well as his future. Despite being honored as a noble, the greed and craving to obtain a higher title surpasses his better judgement involving morality. The curse placed on him by the three witches drove Macbeth to pursue a murderous and power-hungry lifestyle. Consequently, Macbeth’s actions lead him, others, and Scotland down a path of chaos and death. William Shakespeare uses the literary element of symbolism to demonstrate the theme of misguided ambition in the play and how it ultimately leads the once honorable Macbeth to his ruin.
Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s imprudent desire to rule …show more content…
When King Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle, he and Banquo discuss how peaceful and pleasant the castle is. Little did they know that the “fair” appeal of the castle was masking Macbeth’s “foul” intentions for that evening (1.3.39). When the night fell and the ambitious couple went forth with their deceitful act, Mother Nature became “unruly” (2.3.50). Following the king’s death, men share their bizarre tales of the many chaotic things that have occurred in Scotland: darkness shields the sunlight, an ordinary owl preys on a hawk, and the king’s horses are suddenly driven mad and henceforth break out of their stalls and commence eating each other (2.4.1-20). With the roles of nature in a state of rebellion, so are the motives of Macbeth. A king is supposed to represent good character and moral standards within the kingdom. However, if the throne was in the hands of a man that is immoral and selfish, the kingdom would be in disarray. The darkness that dominates the sky is symbolic of the supremacy of evil that the rule of Macbeth brings upon the land. As a result, the “living light” (2.4.10), or what was left of the impartial leadership of King Duncan and his descendants, is forced to “kiss” and bow down to the authority of its new king. The result of Macbeth’s rule of Scotland is demonstrated and foretold through the symbolic relationship between his …show more content…
After killing the king, Macbeth returns to his wife with blood drenched hands and a dagger. As the blood lingers on his hands, the horror of his crime begins to seep in. He sorrowfully claims, “all great Neptune’s ocean” will be insufficient in attempting to “wash this blood / Clean from my hand” (2.2.60-61). Macbeth realizes that he will never be able to remove the guilt he received from this treacherous deed. No matter how hard they try, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discern that nothing can clear their guilty conscience from the evil deeds they have committed. Macbeth becomes desensitized to the death of others, regardless if they are friend, foe, or even his own wife. In respect to being haunted by the ghost of Banquo, Macbeth shouts, “Blood will have blood” (3.4.128) in which he begins to accept the inescapable fact that the dead will have their revenge on him and his death is on the horizon. Alas, Shakespeare uses bloodshed to symbolize the mark of guilt that can’t be eliminated from Macbeth’s conscience and that will follow him to his fatal
Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s imprudent desire to rule …show more content…
When King Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle, he and Banquo discuss how peaceful and pleasant the castle is. Little did they know that the “fair” appeal of the castle was masking Macbeth’s “foul” intentions for that evening (1.3.39). When the night fell and the ambitious couple went forth with their deceitful act, Mother Nature became “unruly” (2.3.50). Following the king’s death, men share their bizarre tales of the many chaotic things that have occurred in Scotland: darkness shields the sunlight, an ordinary owl preys on a hawk, and the king’s horses are suddenly driven mad and henceforth break out of their stalls and commence eating each other (2.4.1-20). With the roles of nature in a state of rebellion, so are the motives of Macbeth. A king is supposed to represent good character and moral standards within the kingdom. However, if the throne was in the hands of a man that is immoral and selfish, the kingdom would be in disarray. The darkness that dominates the sky is symbolic of the supremacy of evil that the rule of Macbeth brings upon the land. As a result, the “living light” (2.4.10), or what was left of the impartial leadership of King Duncan and his descendants, is forced to “kiss” and bow down to the authority of its new king. The result of Macbeth’s rule of Scotland is demonstrated and foretold through the symbolic relationship between his …show more content…
After killing the king, Macbeth returns to his wife with blood drenched hands and a dagger. As the blood lingers on his hands, the horror of his crime begins to seep in. He sorrowfully claims, “all great Neptune’s ocean” will be insufficient in attempting to “wash this blood / Clean from my hand” (2.2.60-61). Macbeth realizes that he will never be able to remove the guilt he received from this treacherous deed. No matter how hard they try, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discern that nothing can clear their guilty conscience from the evil deeds they have committed. Macbeth becomes desensitized to the death of others, regardless if they are friend, foe, or even his own wife. In respect to being haunted by the ghost of Banquo, Macbeth shouts, “Blood will have blood” (3.4.128) in which he begins to accept the inescapable fact that the dead will have their revenge on him and his death is on the horizon. Alas, Shakespeare uses bloodshed to symbolize the mark of guilt that can’t be eliminated from Macbeth’s conscience and that will follow him to his fatal