Foul is Foul
Although the three Witches may say “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”; when it comes to the main message of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, foul truly is foul (1.1.12). Shakespeare’s abundant use of violence in Macbeth raises the question whether or not he is sending a message about evil or if the play is a plea for human harmony. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, the play’s main message is that humans are too easily tempted by evil, and the play is not a plea for peace.
It is human nature for people to become captivated with thought of what they could have, and this makes people more likely to perform an immoral act with the hope that in the end, they will get what they desire. For Macbeth, this is a never ending cycle of getting what he …show more content…
The use of excessive amount of violence proves that humans are too easily tempted by evil outside sources, but it is not used to show the importance of peace and human harmony. Directly after Macbeth returns from war, the Captain exclaims, “But all’s too weak; / For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution, / Like Valor’s minion...Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, / and fixed his head upon our battlements” (1.2.17-25). If Macbeth truly was a plea for peace and human harmony, the Captain would not praise Macbeth’s cruel and savage murders during war in the very second act of the play. If the main message was not about evil, the characters would not praise cruel violence no matter what the context of that murder is, even if it was during war. A play that is a plea for peace and human harmony could contain large amounts of violence to show that violence needs to end, but the play would not be praising this violence. Macbeth is not done killing after the war, as he goes on to kill Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. Later, Macduff also murders Macbeth. Macbeth murders out of the selfish reason to gain and secure more power, and Macduff kills Macbeth to selfishly seek revenge. However, the society criticizes Macbeth’s violence while praising Macduff for his murder. Both men commit …show more content…
The temptation Macbeth experiences is such a vital part of the play; without the initial temptation from Lady Macbeth and the Witches, Macbeth would have had a completely outcome. The praise of Macbeth’s murders in war and Macduff’s murder of Macbeth disproves that he play is not a plea for peace and human harmony. This further proving the main message is about human nature and human’s proneness to yield to temptation. Violence and evil are both parts of human nature; temptation to commit these acts only increases when an outside force is at
Although the three Witches may say “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”; when it comes to the main message of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, foul truly is foul (1.1.12). Shakespeare’s abundant use of violence in Macbeth raises the question whether or not he is sending a message about evil or if the play is a plea for human harmony. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, the play’s main message is that humans are too easily tempted by evil, and the play is not a plea for peace.
It is human nature for people to become captivated with thought of what they could have, and this makes people more likely to perform an immoral act with the hope that in the end, they will get what they desire. For Macbeth, this is a never ending cycle of getting what he …show more content…
The use of excessive amount of violence proves that humans are too easily tempted by evil outside sources, but it is not used to show the importance of peace and human harmony. Directly after Macbeth returns from war, the Captain exclaims, “But all’s too weak; / For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution, / Like Valor’s minion...Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, / and fixed his head upon our battlements” (1.2.17-25). If Macbeth truly was a plea for peace and human harmony, the Captain would not praise Macbeth’s cruel and savage murders during war in the very second act of the play. If the main message was not about evil, the characters would not praise cruel violence no matter what the context of that murder is, even if it was during war. A play that is a plea for peace and human harmony could contain large amounts of violence to show that violence needs to end, but the play would not be praising this violence. Macbeth is not done killing after the war, as he goes on to kill Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. Later, Macduff also murders Macbeth. Macbeth murders out of the selfish reason to gain and secure more power, and Macduff kills Macbeth to selfishly seek revenge. However, the society criticizes Macbeth’s violence while praising Macduff for his murder. Both men commit …show more content…
The temptation Macbeth experiences is such a vital part of the play; without the initial temptation from Lady Macbeth and the Witches, Macbeth would have had a completely outcome. The praise of Macbeth’s murders in war and Macduff’s murder of Macbeth disproves that he play is not a plea for peace and human harmony. This further proving the main message is about human nature and human’s proneness to yield to temptation. Violence and evil are both parts of human nature; temptation to commit these acts only increases when an outside force is at