Literature Network » William Shakespeare » Macbeth
Macbeth
First written between 1611-12; first performed in 1623.
Macbeth tells of a man who is deceived by himself and his wife. The play opens with thunder and lightning and the appearance of three witches--supernatural beings. Due to the fact that this is the beginning of the play, the opening Act, it foreshadows the central theme of the play--evil.--Submitted by Shanika.
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Basically, there are three witches who predict Macbeth's future; it then plays on his mind when the first prediction comes true--he becomes Thane of Cawdor. Then he would go on to be king. He writes and tells his wife and they were both really excited. When Macbeth gets back to his castle, he and his wife decide that the only way he can become king is if they kill King Duncan. With power gone to his head, Macbeth slowly starts to 'lose the plot', as does Lady Macbeth.--Submitted by.
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Macbeth captures the timeless nature of the human experience....There is greed for power, murderous evil scheming, and the nobility of the fight for good and evil. The tortuous guilty self-flagellation that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth succumb to is such a base human emotion. Without realizing it they are both lost in the depth of the chasm they willingly stepped into. Those are elements of "a classic" and of course no one questions that Shakespeare's Macbeth, written in 1606, still plays well today.--Submitted by Judy M.
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Recent Forum Posts on Macbeth
What if Seyton killed Lady Macbeth?
I'm attempting to explore the character of Seyton in a creative piece. Just before he tells Macbeth that his wife has died. I'm throwing around a few ideas. Such as the above. Any Tips? :)
Posted By the_black_skye at Wed 30 Jul 2008, 4:23 AM in Macbeth || 3 Replies
Macbeth Tragic Flaw
So I just began working on a paper about tragic figures in Macbeth. By far the most common tragic figure mentioned is Macbeth, and the general consensus ( at least in all the books I've checked and websites I've been on) is that his tragic flaw was ambition. Now I don't think I agree with that though, if you look at the first 3 murders he commits ( Duncan, the chambermen) Duncan he killed basically because his wife wanted him to and taunted him with accusations of being a coward. He then killed the chambermen because he was afraid they would claim to know nothing and blame would be placed on Macbeth. Of course the murders after these seem to be more out of raw ambition ( esp. Banquo and the attempt on Fleance). But is ambition really what started Macbeth down the tragic path? I don't exactly know what I am trying to ask here, I am just wondering if there is a better argument for or against Macbeth's tragic flaw being ambition.
Posted By scott_C at Mon 21 Jul 2008, 3:28 PM in Macbeth || 3 Replies
Macbeth essay help..
Hi i wrote a macbeth essay... but i didn't do soo well in it... Can you guys please look over it and tell me my mistakes... i have an exam on monday, and there is one essay on it... so i don't really wanna mess up the exam essay...here is the topic and the essay Topic The purpose of Macbeth is to prevent people living during Shakespeare’s time from committing acts that would, in the long run, do them more harm than good. Develop three thematic statements that serve as warnings to Shakespeare’s audience (one body paragraph), and provide specific, detailed evidence from the play for each thematic statement when answer this question. Essay “Precaution is better than cure.” The quote above states that we should always take precautionary measures to prevent ourselves from getting into harm’s way. It is better to be well informed about the consequences of your actions, than suffer in the future out of ignorance. William Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” warns tte audience agains the acts they might commit, which will backfire. Power is like lust, there is no end to it. In the play “Macbeth”, Macbeth is not satisfied with the titles he holds; The thane of Gladis and the The thane of Cawdor. He wants something above that, he wants to be the King of Scotland. Macbeth is portrayed as an ambitious man in the starting of the play. As the play progresses, the ambition and power take a hold of him, preventing him to follow his conscience. “That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Valuating ambition, which o’erleaps itself And folks on the other.” - Act 1, Scene 7, Lines 25-28. IN the quote, Macbeth admits it is only ambition to an over-eager rider who in trying to leap onto his horse’ saddle, leaps over the horse. Macbeth is similar to the horse rider. He wants to gain power by killing Duncan and doesn’t follow his conscience. The hunger of power without conscience leads to a person’s demise. Like the rider, Macbeth could stay as the King of Scotland and was killed by Macduff. Macbeth was ambitions like a lot of people but the witches pushed it to a “further level.” The witches told Macbeth the prophecy which stated that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. The prophecy made Macbeth believe that he can be the King, but did not realize the ploy against him. Human nature is to trust people or ideas quickly, which will help them to achieve their motives, but the ideas should not be believed without a solid proof. “But ‘tis strange; And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray us In deepest consequence” – Act 1, Scene 3, 131- 135. Banquo warns Macbeth about the witches prophecy and says that the dark forces might look good and beneficial in the beginning but they will betray him when their own motives are achieved. Macbeth ignored Banquo’s advice and by doing so, Macbeth committed suicide. A person who doesn’t listen to Banquo’s advice will end up like Macbeth did in the end. Since, Macbeth killed King Duncan, he disrupted the order of things in nature. Everything in nature has its own place and time. A flower only blooms, when the law of nature permit it to. If it blooms earlier or later, it would die and will also effect insects like bees, which feed on the flower. Things in nature should not be disrupt it’s order because it leads to devastating consequences. “Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.” – Act 2, Scene 4, Line 15. The old man describes the events he saw after King Duncan’t death. A mouse attacked an owl and killed it, but the opposite is supposed to happen. The mouse attacking the owl shows that there is chaos and evil everywhere in Scotland, since Macbeth killed King Duncan and became the King. Macbeth was not Duncan’s heir, and Duncan’s death caused an upheaval to rise in Scotland. The evil and the chaos led to Macbeth’s death. Shakespeare has warned his audiences by showing them the mistakes, Macbeth did in the play. His hunt for power, belief the witches prophecy, and breaking of the order of the Great chain of beings, he led the way to his own doom. Macbeth could have stopped it all from happening if he had been warned about the consequences by someone. The tragic tale of Macbeth is a warning from Shakespeare, which has been passed down from generations of time, so that people don’t commit the same mistakes like Macbeth did.
Posted By johnboy at Sat 14 Jun 2008, 12:53 AM in Macbeth || 2 Replies
Macbeth, impotent and therefore childless
It is about sexual frustration, and its affects. The whole play shows how Macbeth, unable to perform sexually, and have a child with Lady M, tries to satisfy her by making her a queen, and thereby brings about their downfall. What evidence is there to support this sexual interpretation of the play?
Posted By Gladys at Sat 24 May 2008, 5:25 AM in Macbeth || 13 Replies
macbeth is shakespears worst book
who agrees w/ me:alien: :alien: :alien: :alien: :alien: :alien: :alien: GOSH this book is so borin :sick: id rather read hamlet,or romeo,and juliet :wave: :santasmil :cold:
Posted By Louis Red at Sun 18 May 2008, 6:02 PM in Macbeth || 37 Replies
Fragile state of mind in the text
i am writing an exam on friday on fragile mind states in Macbeth and Hamlet so was wondering if anyone can give me some tips, lines or scenes to look at i have the sleep walking scene the dagger scene lady macbeth tryin to clean the blood from her hands so any advice would be appreciated
Posted By Wordsmiths at Sat 26 Apr 2008, 3:33 PM in Macbeth || 1 Reply
MacBeth
Hi. I'm new here. I am making a scrapbook of scenes from the play Macbeth. Does anyone know where i can find pictures on the internet for a scrapbook? Pictures of different scenes. Thank you for any help. Did anyone like this play by the way? I thought it was very interesting. I didn't see it so much as a tragedy though. More like drama in my opinion.
Posted By avont29 at Sun 6 Apr 2008, 6:48 PM in Macbeth || 1 Reply
Macbeth - Self-Fulfilling Prophecy... What Do YOU Think?
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy... What Do YOU Think? Hey guys. A friend recommended to me Macbeth. It is a fantastic book. Now, I want to discuss this with you... Was Macbeth satisfying a self-fulfilling prophecy? Please use references or quotes to support your argument. I look forward to this discussion. LR
Posted By LitRocker at Fri 4 Apr 2008, 8:12 PM in Macbeth || 0 Replies
how do macbeths feelings change through out the course of the play?
i need to write an essay on this topic, focusing on act 1 scene 7 act 2 scene 2 and act 4 scene 1 i need to discuss the symbolism of each technique, what they show about characters and the effect on the audience. i was wondering if someone could help and give me a few pointers on each of the three scenes i have to write about thankyouu!
Posted By asdfghjklxx at Tue 1 Apr 2008, 6:52 AM in Macbeth || 0 Replies
A question about the Scottish play
Hi everyone ! I'm working on a MCPQ about the Scottish play (whose name must not be quoted, as you know... ) by Will Shakespeare and I found myself quite at a loss with one of the questions . Elizabethan English is not really my cup of tea :crash: , that's why I submit it to you . Here's the question : The statement of Lord Caithness that the Scottish Thane «cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule» (actV, scene IV) means that : A-his forces are disorganized and beyond his control . B-He is furious because his soldiers disobey orders . C-He will have to surrender to the legitimate government . (Personally , I'd answer A) Could you please help me understand this weird statement ? Thank you in advance !:)
Posted By E.Kant at Wed 5 Mar 2008, 4:11 PM in Macbeth || 3 Replies