Macbeth Quotes Analysis

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Scotland is at war with Norway. King Duncan luckily has Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, to lead his army to victory. Macbeth and Banquo, also a Thane, hear prophecies from the witches that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. Banquo’s prophecy was that he will be the father of kings. Macbeth’s first prophecy becomes true as he becomes Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, plots to kill King Duncan, so her husband can become king. From that point on, Macbeth grows more ruthless and kills anyone that is an obstacle to the throne. There are three major themes throughout Macbeth, power, guilt and ambition, that develop greatly throughout the rest of the play. Shakespeare shows that a desire for power may lead to corruption, ever since Macbeth heard the witches’ prophecies, he has become power-hungry. Macbeth says “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap/for in my way it lies” (I.iv.55-57). Malcolm had just been named Prince of Cumberland in this quote. Macbeth believes that since his prophecy of Thane of Cawdor came true, that his …show more content…
“Thou wouldst be great/art without ambition, but without/the illness should attend it” is said by Lady Macbeth (I.v.16-18). In order to successfully commit Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth believes that her husband needs to gain ruthlessness. She is certain that Macbeth has the ambition to commit such a murderous deed, just not the wickedness. When Macbeth finally works up the ruthlessness to kill King Duncan he says, “I have no spur/to prick the sides of my intent, but only/vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/and falls on the other” (I.vii.25-28). It is obvious here that Macbeth’s ambition is what is driving him to kill the king. Although Macbeth’s ambition is what is driving him to commit these murderous deeds, his ruthlessness has only just

Lady Macbeth Quote Analysis

In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth is the protagonist of the story. He is presented the opportunity to become king, however in order to do so he has to murder King Duncan. Macbeth is very hesitant about this action. Lady Macbeth, however, is supportive of him going through with his plan. She even uses beguile tactics such as the coward and the love card to convince Macbeth to go through with the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth states, “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not…

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Lady Macbeth Quotes Analysis

the years Macbeth has been read, there has been only one explanation for Lady Macbeth's death - suicide. Macbeth is a notoriously ambiguous and murky play. The ambiguous nature of Macbeth allows the reader's own imagination and interpretation to explain parts of the plot. Due to Macbeth's ever increasing bloodlust and the regression of Lady Macbeth from the orchestrator of evil deeds to a liability, it is clear that Macbeth ordered Lady Macbeth's death. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Lady…

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Macbeth Blood Quotes Analysis

play, Macbeth, blood symbolizes guilt. Whenever a character does something horrible, they reference blood on their hands. The majority of the time blood is mentioned the character is hallucinating it. It is a sign of a guilty conscious. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red.” The first quote is from act 2 scene 2 line 63 and page 29. Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth right…

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Shakespeare's Macbeth - Appearance versus Reality - Quote Analysis Essay

Shakespeare's Macbeth - Appearance versus Reality - Quote Analysis Fair is foul, and foul is fair, a phrase that has become synonym with Macbeth. It is also the introduction to one of the most important themes of this tragedy: appearance and reality. Shakespeare uses various characters and situations to emphasize this confusion between the real and the surreal, the authentic and the fake, the act and the sincere. In order to discuss this theme, different characters will be looked at : in…

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Lady Macbeth: Victim of Ambition Essay

Mr Misuraca English 123114 Lady Macbeth The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a lot of important characters and major roles in the play. Each character is unique in their own way because of enormous amount of characterization each individual contain. Almost every character in Macbeth are fully developed because of their complexity and importance. The most interesting and complex character of Macbeth would be the main character’s wife Lady Macbeth because without her decision making…

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Macbeth: Macbeth and King Duncan Essay

Macbeth ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Deborah Cunningham Date: October 8, 2012 Macbeth The play I chose to analyze is Macbeth by William Shakespeare. This poetic work of the late Shakespeare is a profound display of a very modern precept that would intensely involve making ready for noble leadership instead of propelling yourself to levels that the time has not prepared you for. In this analysis, you will be able to note the literal and figurative aspect of losing…

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Essay A Macbeth Literary Criticism

Evil in Macbeth It is in human nature to want to do bad things, but the question is, how easy is it us to be led astray when we start down the wrong path? According to a selection from the Xunzi, called “Human Nature Is Evil” it says: “…goodness derives from conscious activity. Now it is human nature to be born with a fondness for profit. Indulging this leads to contention and strife, and the sense of modesty and yielding with which one was born disappears.” In William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, these…

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Macbeth and King Essay

Widely known as the world’s greater writer, William Shakespeare has produced a number of dramatic tragedies from which one of his famous is Macbeth. Set in Scotland, this play is known for its dark themes and explores the extent to which individuals can go in fulfilling their ambitions and gaining power. The similarities and differences between Malcolm and Macbeth is of significance as it brings forth important features of the play and emphasizes the strong connection between both individuals. Three…

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Macbeth Portfolio Essay

Service Announcement about Taco Bell The first item I am comparing the play “Macbeth” with is a PSA about tacos. This PSA is trying to raise awareness amongst people about fake images being put in the advertisement just to persuade people to buy their products. I am relating this to the characters in the play who are not like what they appear to be. Analysis: Theme Connection – Appearance vs. Reality Macbeth starts off being a very good and loyal to his king, but as the play evolves on he…

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English Assignment Essay

‘Shakespeare, a playwright for all time’ Shakespeare’s play Macbeth was written sometime between 1603 and 1607. He is renowned as an English playwright and poet, whose works are considered to be the greatest in English history. His characters never fail to amaze the audience with their complex yet interesting characteristics. In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, one might judge Macbeth as a prudent hero of the play, yet his ironic character reveals he is also the villain. It is the complexity of characters…

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