Nobleness And Manipulation In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Decent Essays
“Macbeth, A great tragic story/play was written by one of the greatest writers in the English literature, William Shakespeare. He wrote a story/play about nobleness and manipulation. It goes into depth about what just a few words can do to a normal man, and what they may prioritize to follow their “fate”. Macbeth is a man of nobility and loyalty in the beginning of the story, until he gets manipulated and brainwashed by the witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth. His entire purpose in life changes as he uncovers how much power he can have, and therefore ambition and determination is placed into his mind guiding him to stop at nothing, in order for the prophecies to stay true. This obviously creates a lot of chaos, and people such as Macduff, who …show more content…
The loyalty towards the country Scotland, as well as to the King, matters the most. Once that is taken away and people become disloyal, it creates chaos and outrage. In the beginning of the story, Macbeth was loyal through his blood, until the witches and his wife manipulated him. Even after being manipulated, his desires were so strong that it completely changed him as a person and made him a different person all together. He did not want anyone to come in his way, even if that meant his closest friends. Macbeth was the most loyal to King Duncan, killing the man who was a traitor. King Duncan greatly trusted Macbeth guiding him to Inverness and staying at Macbeth’s place overnight. Duncan declares Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor and treats him as if he were one of his own sons. At first, the captain who fought during the war, tells everyone how loyal Macbeth is; he says “For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name” (1. 2.16). Later on, Macbeth talks to himself and says “Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink and the hand yet let that be which the eye fears when it is done, to see.”(1. 4.53-55). In this quote Macbeth is discussing about his deep desires and whether they will be leaked or not. It relates to loyalty because it is based off of his desires within in his mind, which no one can see. His desires are more than just ordinary, and unfortunately he destroys his entire reputation as a loyal and noble man. Macduff on the other hand is very loyal, which is obvious throughout the story. He wants to get Scotland back to its righteous ways and for that, he goes off to London to find Malcolm to convince him to return. In this quote “Bleed, bleed, poor country. Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure, for goodness dare not check thee; wear thou thy wrongs, the title is affeer’d. Fare thee well, lord, I would not be the villain that thou think’st for

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Macbeth’s Free Will Macbeth’s life offers an insight into how in life, fate is fixed and controls what is to come, but how that fate comes to be is controlled by free will. In Shakespeare’s work, the character of Macbeth shows the power of ambition and the reason for violence in the world. Up to this point in the book, Macbeth, a great Scottish warrior beloved by his country, receives a prophecy from three witches, telling him that he will achieve the title of King. Macbeth was first shocked to hear of his fate, but then he decides to take destiny into his own hands by committing the murder of the present king.…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth and Scar from The Lion King are similar because in the beginning of Macbeth, King Duncan’s death is planned when Macbeth is told by the three witches that he can claim the throne if Duncan passes away before Malcolm becomes old enough to rule. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both plan the murder of King Duncan. After King Duncan is pronounced dead his son fleas out of town worrying that he might be next on the list. The Lion King was supposed to be based off of Hamlet in the first place but somehow seems to make more sense when comparing it to Macbeth, for insistence, in The Lion King we have Scar (who is playing Macbeth) who wants to get rid of Mufasa because he wants to take over the Pride Land with the help of the hyenas (who are playing the three witches) before Simba turns old enough to take over. So Scar murders Mufasa and talks…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The play Macbeth is similar to any cliche action movie when the main character wants total power and will do anything to get it with just a little convincing. “At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a perfectionistic person whose solution has been highly successful. He precipitates his own psychological crisis by violating his dominant set of shoulds in order to act out the arrogant-vindictive trends which are reinforced by his wife” which is why he slips into evil ways (Gale, Cengage Learning). With his wife and three witches forcing him to commit these acts he became more corrupt over time. When the three weird sisters popped in to give Macbeth prophecies about his future he became intrigued when they mentioned that he would become Thane…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is a play that highlights one common theme: the gradual loss of sanity. Macbeth progressively becomes plagued by intense, consuming guilt as his desire for power drives him to attain his goals by any means necessary, including the act of committing murder. Feeding his hunger for dominance, he murders King Duncan in cold blood in order to become the King of Scotland, has Banquo killed by three murderers to maintain his position as royalty, and finally, he has Macduff’s family slaughtered out of rage and fear. Although all of these occurrences take place because of Macbeth’s eagerness to be King, they all result in him being overtaken by shame and dismay. Realizing that every move that he makes is completed of…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Paradox In Macbeth

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the tragedy, Macbeth, audiences and readers witness a noble, brave Scottish soldier, turn into a power and blood thirsty animal. In the beginning, Macbeth is a trustworthy man, who has just won a battle, but things turn around when three witches tell him his fate; That he would be king. Throughout the play, people will see Macbeth turn into an insidious character who will do anything to create his fate of being king. William Shakespeare constructs a magnificent tragedy, with the use of literary devices, he employs characterization, mood, setting, conflict and theme.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He is evil and manipulative, he will do anything now to keep his crown. So when he found out that Macduff has fled the country, it added fuel to the fire. Macbeth felt betrayal and hatred towards him because he predicted that Macduff does not trust him, and with him fleeing, it confirms his own prediction. This made Macbeth more impulsive and into a tyrant. “Macduff is fled to England…Fled to England…time, thou anticipates my dread exploits: the flighty purpose is never o’ertook unless the deed go with it: from this moment, the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand” (Act 4 Scene 1 Line 156-163).…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Honor In Macbeth

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages

    MacDuff’s honor and loyalty to Scotland are tested by Malcolm, it is clear that Macduff has a passionate love for his country and is deeply concerned with the values of the king. This is opposite of Macbeth who believes he is fit to be king despite his murdering, lying, and dishonor. Macbeth also lacks the ability to honor any life when he states that he will “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword /His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line. (4.1.166-174)…

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare highlights the corrupting power of unchecked ambition. The downfall of Macbeth lies ultimately upon a fatal flaw in himself; ambition. However, fate in the form of the witches and prophecies is partially accountable for his undoing as they impose his evil. Lady Macbeth also plays a role in the annihilation of Macbeth due to her ambition for power. She uses manipulation as a driving force behind Macbeth to influence him to kill Duncan and fulfil her own desires, all contributing to the downfall of Macbeth.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Is Macbeth Mentally Crazy

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth is a tragedy written by Shakespeare. It is filled with traitorous activity, including backstabbing between family members and close friends, and the killing of innocents. When the main character, Macbeth, is first spoke of in the play, he is said to be a valiant and worthy soldier who has defeated many enemies, and has many more victories in his future. However, as the story progresses, he starts to become mentally unstable.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Power is dangerous, it attracts the worst and corrupts the best” Edward Abbey once said on how addictive power can be. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates how the lust for power can make anyone lose their identity in order to achieve power. Because of the desire for power, people will betray anyone in their way, even if they’re close. They disregard their conscience, which leads to immense guilt, thus a part of their humanity is stripped away. In addition, power makes people greedy.…

    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Perhaps the most important thing the witches know is that the measure of ambition in their man outweighs his conscience” After giving Macbeth the prophecy, the only voices in his head seem to be the witches. All his actions reflect the wickedness of the witches and not his original self. Killing in cold blood becomes a regular a occurrence, and no longer does Macbeth feel at peace. The hatred, and turmoil that fills the witches begins to take over Macbeth. In a book written by ………..…

    • 1762 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare about a “dead butcher and his fiend like Queen” (5.8.82). In the beginning of the play, the main character Macbeth is a noble war hero who is honest and morally upright. Macbeth is then introduced to a group of evil witches who begin to play psychological mind games on him, which eventually lead to his destruction. The major causes of Macbeth’s downfall are hubris, errors in judgement, and forces beyond his control. One character flaw Macbeth possesses is Hubris.…

    • 1229 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Tragic Flaw Essay

    • 1016 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He lets his ambition blind him and it warped his mind to the point where he was no longer Macbeth, loyal servant to Duncan and trusted friend to Banquo; however, now he was a traitor and a tyrant. Ultimately, Macbeth’s acquisition of the crown is a hollow victory and “[h]e does not enjoy the fruits of kingship. His crime leads him only into a perpetual struggle with the forces of chaos and with the shapes of his own disturbed mind” (Cusick). Macbeth has one of the most tragic endings of any king as dies a traitor to those who once served and hated by his subjects and friends. Macbeth thought that he could improve his standing in life; however, he was wrong and in the end he only brought his country into turmoil and lost the love of everyone dear to him.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a well known tale about a man whose own ambition drives him to become the murderer of anyone in his way. Following an ominous prophecy by three witches, Macbeth allows power to blind his moral character and stops at nothing to rise to the top as King of Scotland. As his plans unfold, they soon fall apart and he answers for his crime by facing extreme consequences. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is responsible for his own downfall.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth’s loyalty is apparent through the witnesses’ eyes. Lady Macbeth strongly believes that Macbeth is a “wonderful” person and a “warrior who fought many battles for Scotland”. Lennox also witnessed how the King genuinely trusts him. Macduff also agrees that he is “honest” and “loyal”. All of these testimonies on Macbeth’s character make it hard to believe that he would commit this crime.…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics