What is the main theme??

[needing]

Hi every body!!
I cant understand the main theme completly in Macbeth
ana I want to understand it completly by simple words
thankfulness.

[needing]

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[zippy_applelips]

Hi every body!!
I cant understand the main theme completly in Macbeth
ana I want to understand it completly by simple words
thankfulness.

there's not just one main theme in this play. there's ambition, betrayal, insanity, the supernatural. there are even political bits in there
think big!! :thumbs_up

[bcthighs]

the corruptingnature of an unchecked ambition. IT leads macbeth to his downfall and degenerates him to a "bloody tyrant"

[needing]

thanks
but can you explain it to me

[needing]

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[needing]

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[Bosy]

hello everyone
I'm also having a trouble in getting the theme of fear of Macbeth.
if anyone can help, I'll be grateful

[Redzeppelin]

Hi there -

Prior posters are correct: there is no single "theme" in Macbeth - which is true of all great works of literature. As posted above, one of the most prevalent themes is that of ambition. Macbeth wants to be king - badly. But since he is a reasonably moral man (see Lady Macbeth's comments about her husband in 1.5), the decision to kill Duncan is not an easy one for him (see 1.3, 1.7). bcthighs correctly identified this theme as "the corrupting nature of an unchecked ambition." This is so because ambition is not by itself bad; ambition that is unrestrained by moral boundaries which results in the killing of the God-ordained king in order to move into his position IS bad. In a nutshell, that is probably the most prominent theme.

Others include Fate vs Freewill: was Macbeth destined to kill Duncan (according to the witches) or did he choose his final destiny? Personally, I think the play is about the damage that sin inflicts upon the human heart. Throughout Macbeth you find characters (most notably MB, LMB, Malcolm, the doctor) making comments about the danger of inflicting sin upon the human heart. And, finally, there is a strong theme of "manhood" in the play. Lady Macbeth asks to be "unsexed" (de-feminized) and Macbeth tells her to "bring forth men children only" because of her emotional strength; during the feast scene (3.4) there is much talk about what a "man" is - and Macbeth's willingness to fight his doomed final fight with Macduff occurs after Macduff has threatened to put Macbeth in a cage to be humiliated.

Oh, one more. I believe the witches statement "fair is foul and foul is fair" (1.1 - and roughly paraphrased: "good is bad and bad is good") may be one of the most significant of themes because the play continually forces the characters to ask "is this a good [fair] or bad [foul] thing?" See 1.3 and 4.2 for examples of this theme.

Hope that's helpful

[Bosy]

Thanks that really helps, but I think that the theme of fear plays a very important role in the play. Macbeth is really afraid of time and future developments. He is afraid that time passes by without achieving his destiny, as he thinks, by being the king as Malcolm will succeed his father. So in order to achieve his destiny, he has to murder king Duncan.Even after he achieves his goal by becomming the king, he is now afraid of his enemies (Banquo as his descendants will be the future kings, Malcolm who is the rightful heir of the throne and Macduff whom the witches warns him of). As a result of his fear and his murders, he cannot sleep and he sees hallusinations ( the dagger and the ghost of banquo, etc). So we can say that all his crimes are committed because of his fear.
Am I right???????????????????????????:idea:

[hitokaji]

For,I don't think it is fear that drives Macbeth to committed a crime but only his ambition. Macbeth had showed us his ambition since the first time he is introduced in the play when he met the three witches. He stunned when heard that he is going to be the next king; some critics said that it is because he has already thought about it before.

However, he always regret for the consequence of his crime. That makes he saw the ghost ( some said he created the ghost from his mind ). There are many monologues and soliloquys indicate that Macbeth feels sorry for what he had done. ( sorry I can't give you an example because I don't have the play with me now )

[Bosy]

yes, you are right ,but his ambition was the motive to commit his first crime,however the following crimes were committed because of his fear to keep his position as a king and to reserve this postions for his children.

I have an important qustions: DOES MACBETH HAVE CHILDREN IN THE FIRST PLACE??????

[Alexei]

No, he doesn’t. That is one of the reasons some of his visions to be connected with children.

[Redzeppelin]

Fear of losing his crown motivates the murder of Banquo as well as other crimes - but I'm not sure fear is the overall motivator. The "fear" MB speaks of in his soliloquy in 3.1 is not the "I'm scared" fear, but the "I'm selfish and I'm jealous of what another can take from me" or, more accurately, the "I'm paranoid" fear. We could probably call this "fear" the intense desire to keep what he believes is his. MB fear is politically motivated - it's about security of position and passing one's heritage on into posterity.