William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a story of the dangers of greedy ambition and tyranny. The character of Macbeth is extremely complicated and experiences a dramatic character arc that ultimately leads to his demise. The reasons for Macbeth’s extreme diversion from brave soldier to cruel tyrant are often debated. Although some may see Macbeth’s actions as entirely self-motivated, Macbeth is actually influenced by other characters, specifically the Weird Sisters and Lady Macbeth, to commit the horrible acts that he deems necessary to fulfill his goal of becoming king.
The first major characters in the play that show influence over Macbeth’s future are the Weird Sisters. Macbeth first meets the three witches in Act I, Scene II when he is given …show more content…
One of the most notable lines in the play is delivered by Lady Macbeth as she tries to calm her husband before they murder Duncan. “Look like th' innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under ’t” (1.6.76-77). The image of the snake is used as something evil or deceptive. Throughout the rest of the play, Macbeth mentions a snake several times, often in reference to the danger of being caught for murdering the king. He also mimics Lady Macbeth when he meets with the murderers he has hired to kill Banquo. “Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men,/ As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,/ Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept/ All by the name of dogs/…/ And so of men./ Now, if you have a station in the file,/ Not i' th' worst rank of manhood, say ’t”(3.1.104-115). Much like his wife mocked him for not being a man when he did not want to kill Duncan, he mocks the very men he has hired to kill his closest friend, relating them to dogs and calling them the “worst rank of …show more content…
He goes to seek them when things are not going his way so that he can figure out the next step, even if the advice of the witches leads him to his death. “ I will tomorrow—/ And betimes I will—to the Weird Sisters./ More shall they speak, for now I am bent to know,/ By the worst means, the worst”(3.4.164-167). It is only through the witches that he knows that he would become king, and to whom he would die. The Weird Sisters give Macbeth the knowledge that he becomes obsessed over, the same knowledge that leads him to kill so many innocent people in his pursuit for
The first major characters in the play that show influence over Macbeth’s future are the Weird Sisters. Macbeth first meets the three witches in Act I, Scene II when he is given …show more content…
One of the most notable lines in the play is delivered by Lady Macbeth as she tries to calm her husband before they murder Duncan. “Look like th' innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under ’t” (1.6.76-77). The image of the snake is used as something evil or deceptive. Throughout the rest of the play, Macbeth mentions a snake several times, often in reference to the danger of being caught for murdering the king. He also mimics Lady Macbeth when he meets with the murderers he has hired to kill Banquo. “Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men,/ As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,/ Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept/ All by the name of dogs/…/ And so of men./ Now, if you have a station in the file,/ Not i' th' worst rank of manhood, say ’t”(3.1.104-115). Much like his wife mocked him for not being a man when he did not want to kill Duncan, he mocks the very men he has hired to kill his closest friend, relating them to dogs and calling them the “worst rank of …show more content…
He goes to seek them when things are not going his way so that he can figure out the next step, even if the advice of the witches leads him to his death. “ I will tomorrow—/ And betimes I will—to the Weird Sisters./ More shall they speak, for now I am bent to know,/ By the worst means, the worst”(3.4.164-167). It is only through the witches that he knows that he would become king, and to whom he would die. The Weird Sisters give Macbeth the knowledge that he becomes obsessed over, the same knowledge that leads him to kill so many innocent people in his pursuit for