Wade Hampton III

The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare illustrates the rise and fall of a once great man known as Macbeth, along with his wife, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth begins as a widely adored and honoured war hero, who slays traitors and protects his country. Tragedy unfolds when he commits the most heinous of crimes; murder. His victim is King Duncan, a right and lawful king who did not deserve the death that befell him. Macbeth then begins his string of murders after his wife, Lady Macbeth, eggs him on.…

Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, readers are given insight into the importance that imagination has on the Scottish general’s ambition and motivation to become King of Scotland. Macbeth allows himself to become consumed by the mental images and visions that serve to further amplify his desire to commit murder and gain a hold of the throne. These paranormal occasions include that of a vision of a bloody dagger, the ghost of a bloody Banquo, and most importantly, the prophecies of three witches.…

From the beginning of the play the presence of evil can be seen quite prominently. The witches’ actions cause a ripple effect that prompts characters Lady Macbeth and Macbeth behaviour which leads to the tragic death of Duncan. The witches tell Macbeth a prophecy that plays a part in his downfall. When the third witch says “All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter.” (Shakespeare, 1.3.48), they show indirect evil because they give Macbeth the idea that he can become king. However in the…

To a certain extent Clytemnestra would have been a better title for the first play of the Oresteia as she is featured more in it but there are reasons that say that Agamemnon was the right title for the play. A major point that could mean that calling the first Oresteia Agamemnon was wrong was that Clytemnestra is on the stage for the majority of the play. She first appears lighting the altar for a sacrifice when the Watchman has finished speaking and the Chorus start their first Ode.…

Secondly, Lady Macbeth falls victim to her own ambition when it leads to her suffering due to her overwhelming guilt. Lady Macbeth first exhibits her ambition when she feels the impulse to rid her emotions in order to become queen. She wants to rid herself of her emotions and remorse in order to do what she believes needs to be done. She calls on the spirits saying, “Make thick my blood./ Stop up the access and passage to remorse,/ That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose,…

Power can influence individuals, because it can cause someone to become power hungry and treat having power as the ultimate thing in life. On the other side people with power can be influenced to become arrogant and abuse their power and use it in a negative way. In the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth was not looking for the throne until he was influenced by the witches that he should be king. This led Macbeth to become power hungry and eventually kill King Duncan and take the Scottish Throne.…

In the famous play, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, which took place in 11th century Scotland, author William Shakespeare wrote about a noble warrior who lets his lust for power corrupt his life, leading him down a blood-soaked path of no return. The most riveting theme of the story is the ambition of the characters to seize the throne of Scotland Ambition plays a constant role in the events and actions that many characters take in the story, but substantially in three characters; Macbeth, Lady…

It is clear to the readers of Macbeth by William Shakespeare that Macbeth crossed many lines in his ascent to the throne, what many people don’t realize is that he also crossed lines as ruler to his people. Francisco Franco was also a tyrant, but was very different in his rule. In general Macbeth had a strong sense of paranoia, power, and bloodlust that was lacking in Francisco Franco (Shakespeare; Preston). While Macbeth was murdering and making the common people suffer, Franco was trying to…

17 King Duncan’s Murder During Act I of The Tragedy of Macbeth, King Duncan was murdered. Now the question is who is to blame for this? I honestly believe that Macbeth himself is to blame for the death of Duncan. Nobody made him do it. Some people, such as the witches and Lady Macbeth, instigated the situation, but Macbeth could have easily said no. The witches would only be the ones to blame if they would have been part of the execution rather than just the messengers. Macbeth could have just…

Without the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth would have never gotten any of these negative ideas in his head. In this play it is implied that without the witches, this play wouldn't happen. As stated by Shakespeare, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter!" (1.3.49-51). The quotation tells Macbeth that he will be king, but there is more to come come out of the witches.…