Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Lady Macbeth

Satisfactory Essays
298 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth The play I chose is Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. The protagonist of the story is Macbeth. He starts out as a brave, noble warrior, but by the end he is a disgrace to his nation. In the beginning his guilt is almost too strong to bear, but by the end he only cares about being the king. Lady Macbeth is almost as important to the story as her husband. She seems heartless at first, but her guilt takes over in time. The main antagonist to Macbeth is probably Malcolm. Malcolm is the rightful heir to the throne and leads the army that takes Scotland back Macduff plays a small role until the end, but he is important because he defeats Macbeth in battle.
The story is a tragedy of a Scottish nobleman and war hero named Macbeth. In the beginning, Scotland is at war with Norway, and the battle is won by Scotland against all odds because of the brave Macbeth. As Macbeth and his friend Banquo, another nobleman, ride from the battlefield, they encounter three witches. The witches claim that Macbeth, who is already the Thane of Glamis and will also become the Thane of Cawdor

The Guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Characters in the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth scarcely feel guilt - with two exceptions: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In this essay let's consider their guilt-problem. In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson comments regarding the guilt of the protagonist: It is a subtler thing which constitutes the chief fascination that the play exercises upon us - this fear Macbeth feels, a fear not fully defined, for him or for us, a terrible anxiety that is a sense of guilt without becoming (recognizably, at least) a sense of sin

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the classic story of Macbeth by William Shakespeare the author shows the importance of guilt and how it affects the characters in negative ways as punishment for their evil deeds . Shakespeare implies that guilt is a human nature to feel remorse for what you have done and to make you pay for what you have done with your sanity. Shakespeare shows this through his main character Macbeth as he kills to gain and keep his place as king but become more and more guilty as the story progresses and more and more insane. Macbeth guilt changes him making him not able to think clearly and making him regret what he had done. After he commits his first murder to claim the throne by killing the king Duncan.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Guilt is a very strong, uncomfortable feeling that is often a result of one’s own actions. In the play, Macbeth, the author William Shakespeare uses character development to demonstrate how guilt can be self-destructive and ultimately lead to a negative impact on an individual’s mental stability. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macduff all suffer from a guilty conscience which affects them in different ways but ultimately causes them to behave irrationally. A person’s guilt and disgrace has the power to drive them to insanity and sometimes self-destruction.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guilt is a prominent factor in Macbeth and it is experienced by various characters throughout the progression of the play. It could be said that guilt is corrosive but to what extent is open to interpretation. In relation to Macbeth, it breaks away at his sanity however it doesn't do so to an extent to drive him to commit suicide as it does to Lady Macbeth. Although Macbeth was written at a time before the introduction of Gothic literature, Macbeth has many significant Gothic elements, an instance of this being a blurred distinction between sanity and insanity.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lady Macbeth

    • 303 Words
    • 1 Page

    Such I account thy love. Art thou afeardTo be the same in thine own act and valorAs thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have thatWhich thou esteem'st the ornament of life,…

    • 303 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Character: Macbeth’s impulsive character is demonstrated here. Macbeth is saying that he will no longer be reflective and contemplative regarding his actions but will act immediately.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin, the witches’ manipulate Macbeth early in the play by strongly influencing his decisions. The witches scheme to tell Macbeth his fate after a battle has is lost and won. While traveling to King Duncan’s castle Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon the three witches. The first witch greets Macbeth with his current title as the Thane of Glamis, the second witch greets Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor, and the last witch greets Macbeth as, “All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter” (1.iii.53). The greetings are prophecies that plant a negative seed of blind ambition in Macbeth’s thoughts and the predictions are an approach on the witches’ behalf to establish trust. Soon after the witches’ disappear, two Scottish Nobles – Angus and Ross – inform Macbeth of his new title as the Thane of Cawdor in addition to his current title as Thane of Glamis. The news makes Macbeth hopeful and invokes blind ambition, that he may become king. The prediction may come true easily as the Thane of Cawdor title did without causing harm to anyone. Once Macbeth actually becomes King, the pressure and guilt of his actions start to build. He starts to worry and is insecure about his throne because the witches also predict that Banquo’s descendants will become king.…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This quote shows the way Lady Macbeth takes complete control over Macbeth. Lady Macbeth continues to persuade Macbeth into her evil plan to be able to succeed in the attempt for Macbeth to become king. This quote also gives the impression that she’s hiding some parts of her cruel plan from him so that he only has to worry about murdering King Duncan. She’s hiding the background of the actual situation. This is one of the most powerful quotes said by…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Research Paper

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tragedy is present in many of Shakespeare’s plays and can be interpreted in different perspectives. In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, one can debate whether the protagonist Macbeth experiences tragedy. Macbeth slowly turns too evil and ambitious throughout the play to the point that when he is killed, the audience feels no pity for him. This is why Macbeth would not count as a tragedy. However Macbeth is a noble figure, he suffers a reversal of fortune and his moral flaws lead him to his downfall. Therefore, following the Aristotelian principles of tragedy, Macbeth must be considered as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragic plays.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shakespeare, who was a writer born in Stratford-upon-Avon created many different plays, in which he always portrayed the woman as the “bad guy.” He was born in 1564 and he was a writer, actor and a dramatist. He wrote many plays, mostly revolving around tragedy such as: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth. Shakespeare was a respected poet, and writer who received recognition after he passed away, April 23rd. 1616. One of Shakespeare’s well-known tragic plays ``Macbeth`` describes how a greedy woman second guesses her husband’s manhood and convinces him to murder a King and take his place. The characters in this play make the readers` think the women back in the day were greedy, selfish and conniving. Lady Macbeth, who plays one of the most impacted roles, is described as a woman who second guesses her husband`s manhood and forces him to commit a crime due to a prophecy from three witches. Lady Macbeth starts off greedy, but then she starts to feel guilty about all the things she has made her husband do. Lady Macbeth`s character is responsible for the evil doings of Macbeth because she convinces Macbeth that he isn`t capable of anything, she makes him feel vulnerable but she controls him after the murder and she uses his love for her to achieve her selfish goals.…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lady Macbeth

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages

    We receive advice from someone just about everyday. Rather its good or bad , right or wrong , or easy or difficult. The best advice I have ever received would have to that life goes on. Because it's true, no matter what mistakes you make in life. Life will go on.…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Macbeth is a play filled with murders and lies, but it is not the murderer who is responsible for the most evil in the play. The main character Macbeth kills two important characters in the play, and is responsible for the death of a third. Macbeth is still only the instrument carrying out these evil actions. Other main characters in the play are the three Weird sisters, or the three witches. They are supernatural creatures that prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and eventually king. They stir Macbeth’s ambition to ascend the throne. Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s strategic wife that plans the murder of King Duncan. She uses Macbeth’s ambition to acquire more power. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the most evil in the play because she convinces Macbeth to kill the king, and sends Macbeth on a path of destruction.…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is one of the greatest tragedy themed plays by William Shakespeare. One of the main themes of Macbeth is that Ambition does not stop once you start thinking about it.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Macbeth" is a Shakespearean tragedy focused solely on the tragic hero Macbeth. All major events that take place in the play involve the presence of Macbeth, including the witches' prophecies, the death of King Duncan, and the return of the rightful King Malcolm. Being so intricately tied to all aspects of the play allows the character of Macbeth to be completely developed, and become of considerable interest to the reader.…

    • 988 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare in The Tragedy of Macbeth written in the 17th century dramatizes the tragic hero and Macbeth’s tragic flaw of ambition, which ultimately results in his downfall. Shakespeare wrote this play to show how too much ambition can have adverse consequences on the human condition. This tragedy follows the true story of a historical Macbeth, an eleventh century king of Scotland who usurped the throne after killing his predecessor. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, ambition is Macbeth’s tragic flaw that permeates the dramatic structure. The tragic flaw serves to develop him as a character over the course of the play. Macbeth begins the play as a very strong and well respected and honored man and develops into a very evil person and ends the play meeting his death with courage and bravery. His ambition causes these developments. Shakespeare used Macbeth’s tragic flaw and his development over the course of the play to portray the theme of too much ambition can cause someone to do awful things they wouldn’t do otherwise.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guilt In Macbeth

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When we experience guilt, its from a bad deed or something that we feel that was our fault. As in a friend getting hurt because you gave them a kind nudge, you never wanted them to be injured in the slightest way yet it still happened. However, it is even more important to understand how this is just the common version of guilt, to better relate to Macbeth its best to look at the guilt experienced to us the least. This is the guilt you experience after purposely doing something harmful or wrong to the other. For instance when I was mad at my friend for saying a reallly offensive joke, I had thrown a soccer ball of their's into a river. While this may seem light to others I had known how much the ball meant to him, signed by his favorite sports team, yet even still I had done my act and immedietly after I felt terrible. Afterwards I spent hours thinking of how to get him to not be mad at me, whether he was or wasn't. This is the guilt most experienced by Macbeth.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics