Preview

Internal And External Forces In Macbeth

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
757 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Internal And External Forces In Macbeth
Everyday society is faced with the opposing forces and views, those facing them handle each problem faced differently. In Macbeth, a play written in 1606 by William Shakespeare this same challenge occurs. In the play, set in the medieval times, the fights between external and internal forces are present. The morals of society and of Macbeth are blurred, as Macbeth cannot cope with the conflicts he faces. External and internal forces have an impact on Macbeth’s life when he is manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth, into regicide. In the end of all the conflict and corruption of Macbeth’s life, he soon loses sight of reality.

After hearing the first prophesies form the witches, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into taking the future into their own hands. Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s love for her as well as his manhood in
…show more content…
Macbeths hands are now bloody, and as he says “blood will have blood” (act 3 scene 4) to continue on and become a safe king, his hands will be getting much more bloody. Banquo knowing the witches prophecies and in line for the throne, gives Macbeth a reason to feel like Banquo is in the way of him getting to where he needs to be. This urges Macbeth to kill his dear friend Banquo. Macbeth can no longer control these urges he is having and does just that, pays murders to kill Banquo. Even though Macbeth did not physically kill Banquo, he knows that he is the reason Banquo was murdered. Macbeth does not make Lady Macbeth aware he is going to kill Banquo until after the crime is committed. This is the first sign that shows the tables are turning in Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s relationship. Macbeths true madness and corruption will begin to peak through the paranoia, guilt and taste of power in Macbeths mouth allows him to lose sight of reality. This shows the direct force of internal conflict can have on person in society when they have gone on the wrong

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's innocence is destroyed and is followed by the destruction of his honor and loyalty. At this point he has treaded too deep in blood and cannot escape from the evil deeds he has committed. As a result, Banquo's murder illustrates how Macbeth descends into evil. Macbeth recalls the prophecies told by the Weird Sisters and rationalizes, "Upon my head they had placed a fruitless crown/ And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand." (3.1.65-68) Later on, the guilt of murdering Banquo manifests into the formation of Banquo's ghost at a feast. Macbeth's guests cannot see Banquo's ghost, only Macbeth can see the ghost, emphasizing Macbeth's physiological demise; Macbeth's hallucinations are a clear indicator that his psychological health is declining as a result of his actions. Banquo's ghost serves the purpose of exposing Macbeth's guilt; ultimately, the guests at the feast can interpret Macbeth's guilt, and eventually rise up against Macbeth. Thus, Banquo's ghost serves the purpose of shedding light on how Macbeth's decisions to choose his own destiny directly correlate with Macbeth's descend to…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s final play, Macbeth, tells us a story of a couple’s deadly ambition which corrupt, and ultimately, fix them in a world of evil. Lady Macbeth’s ambition, though, cannot be measured to Macbeth’s, because the way their ambition manifest themselves are completely different. The idea of men and women roles in the play also had a heavy part in the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth; they portrayed the roles and were made to act like so. However, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth cannot deal with evil; they together succumb themselves…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Human Nature in Macbeth

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is a play that examines human nature. During the play there is a significant amount of emphasis on the different attributes and sides of human nature. The play demonstrates that everyone has the ability to do good or evil by what choices they make and what the ramifications of these actions are, decisions are made that affect the outcome of a person’s future.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ela Macbeth Essay

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth is a dramatic play that displays a strong emphasis on the effects from personal desires and choices made by characters. The play does not solely focus on the judgement made by Macbeth, other characters within the play are also developed and exhibit new motives or personalities as a result of poor decision making. Ranging from the desire to murder a man or to follow witch’s prophecies in a quest for personal benefit, the characters will have to conform to the consequences of their decisions – William Shakespeare exemplary demonstrates the power of corruption in society. With that said, the characters in Macbeth did not thoroughly contemplate their actions, thus leading to their downfall. Whether characters had made harmful rulings due to their irrational thinking or because they were caught up in the moment – Shakespeare stresses the theme of conflict between pursuing a personal desire and choosing to conform vastly within the play.…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth, after hearing the prophecies the three witches gave him, becomes conflicted within himself, ‘If chance shall have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir’. Ultimately, Macbeth chooses ambition over morality, but not without pressure from his wife ‘Are you a man?’ and severe inner turmoil ‘My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical’. To contrast the devious character of Macbeth, Shakespeare included Banquo, a fellow noblemen and Macbeth’s closest friend, to act as Macbeths foil. He immediately chooses morality over ambition without question and forewarns Macbeth of the Weird Sisters and their ability to twist the truth: ‘instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence’. Banquo’s undying allegiance to King Duncan demonstrations the difference between Macbeth and Banquo, and how the upkeep of morals keep us in check. After choosing power, Macbeth’s suspicion of Banquo and his role in the prophecy leads to Banquo’s murder. After killing his friend, Macbeth is plagued with guilt, and hallucinations become recurrent for both Macbeth; ‘our graves must send those we bury back’ and his wife; ‘will these hands ne’er be clean?’ This shows that ambition can lead to immoral acts when overcome by desire.…

    • 615 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During the play, Shakespeare presents the theme of conflict in various ways. From the conflict between the characters and their innermost desires to the disagreements between characters and their different opinions and furthermore the dispute between good and evil. In this essay, however, I will be investigating and analysing the conflict between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth throughout the course of the play. In particular, I will be exploring how numerous circumstances affect and influence the different aspects of their relationship.…

    • 2127 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth’s new position as king, gives him the power to delegate his needs to other people which he uses to hire murderers to slaughter Banquo. This proves that Banquo’s life means nothing to him anymore now that Banquo’s knows about Macbeth’s involvement in Duncan’s death. Banquo’s statement of “thou hast it now-king, Cawdor, Glamis, as the Weïrd women promised, and I fear thou played’st most foully for ‘t” shows Banquo’s realization of Macbeth’s involvement in Duncan’s murder but by the time he does it is too late for salvation. This worries Macbeth because his lies are catching up to him and they threaten to take his crown. The thought of killing Banquo once a never come to plight now seems as the only solution to an ever growing problem. Banquo’s ending set forth Macbeth’s notion of the crown leading to happiness. This murderous action, even though not directly taken by Macbeth, even more so painted Macbeth in a murderous light that will follow him on his path to…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a disturbed character in Act 1 of Macbeth?” William Shakespeare wrote the play “Macbeth” in 1606. It, as the title suggests, follows the story of a Scotsman named Macbeth and how, after the prophecy of three witches, sees his status evolve from a general in the Kings army to becoming the King himself. However the main theme that Shakespeare introduces in this play is the lengths man will go to fulfil ambition and the treacherous consequences that come with it. Not only do we see Macbeth’s status evolve but also his personality within. With each scene we see Macbeth succumb to the pressures of achieving power and how this affects his character as well. Act 1 of “Macbeth” truly, from the beginning, shows us a clear development of Macbeth’s disturbed personality not only through language but the context behind this tragedy.…

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Renowned play, “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare in 1606, is one of the most prestigious dramas to date. Valiant and truthful soldier, Macbeth experiences dire changes of evil, in order to gain his thriftless ambition for king. His immoral change might have been influenced by Lady Macbeth and the witches’ prophecies suggesting Macbeth is a tragic hero who had no intent of abhorrent deeds. Once honourable Macbeth pledges glory to his king and gained honour through valiant accomplishments. Fear strikes him as his mind starts to deteriorate into utter chaos by his treacherous actions. His self-conscious mind transforms him into a superstitious villain who suffers in despair as he implicates regret.…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Power In Macbeth

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth, a dark and gruesome tragic play written by William Shakespeare primarily discusses the concept of greed for more authority. Emasculation and the Great Chain of Being are some core components of this play that are discussed through gothic poetry. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the main characters in the play. Through Macbeth’s catalyst, his wife, he found the strength to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth was his agent in many of the scenes in the play. Their compatible pairing lead to many “successes”, but also to their own deaths. Shakespeare brilliantly uses garment metaphors throughout the play as well as the innocent flower and crafty serpent motif to express Macbeth’s mindset and tragedy.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Development of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s Relationship The Shakespearean play Macbeth is a deceitful, deceptive and fate-led tragedy in which Macbeth, prophecies of supernatural powers and the assistance of Lady Macbeth create chaos in Scotland. The development of the relationship between Macbeth and his wife is one of the most evident changes which take place throughout the play. Throughout the play, the valiant Macbeth goes from being kind, conscious and dependent on his wife to the character, his spouse originally was; a cruel, conscious-less, dominant partner.…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    FIND A GOOD TITLE Often labeled one of Shakespeare’s most lethal and sinister plays, Macbeth is a drama so praiseworthy that is able to perfectly absorb and embody the greatest fears of its time period, and then instill them back into its audience, frightening them even greater than they were before. Above all, Shakespeare valued a good story, and the witches, traitors, and deceit that was prevalent throughout the play all served to captivate the audience and touch on topics that everyone would be aware of. By opening his play so such a wide audience, Shakespeare was able to impact everyone from the royals to the peasants. Within the plethora of independent battles in the play itself, there is one recurring clash in particular that serves…

    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Modern Day Parallels in Macbeth Shakespeare's Macbeth is unquestionably one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies from the use of foreshadowing to the topics of conflict still present in modern day society. It's almost as if he knew these conflicts would plague man for centuries to come. Then again its almost as if Shakespeare could predict the future. An example is Othello, Shakespeare's depiction of a black man in power, was way ahead of its time. In Macbeth we see many conflicts that are still present in society. Everything from peer pressure, greed, jealousy and many others, which we all at some point have fallen prey to. I chose to write this essay to show the modern parallels we see in Macbeth. How the things that Shakespeare wrote about in his time occur today and what can we learn from it.…

    • 996 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Blood In Macbeth

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ross explains that the heavens are angry, and that someday, whoever committed the dirty crime of the murders of duncan and Banquo will pay for what he has done. “Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act, threatens his bloody stage”(2.4.5-6). The turning point of Macbeth’s character begins when the murder of Banquo has been done. “There’s blood upon thy face”(3.4.13) Macbeth goes on to explain to the murderer that is it better to have Banquo’s blood on the outside of the murderer than on the inside of Banquo, when he is still living. Macbeth starts to become numb to the feeling of guilt from murder for his prize of power. After the death of both Duncan and Banquo, Macbeth is obsessed with blood on his hands, and wants to kill everyone in his path trying to stop him of becoming King of…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The effect of Lady Macbeth’s ambition and compassion towards her devoted husband is immediately shown in the first scene of which she appears. When she receives a letter from Macbeth informing her on his meeting with the three witches, who they promise him that he will be king. This is, in Lady Macbeth’s eyes, his rightful position and by her first words, ‘Glamis art thou cawdor/ and shalt be what thou art promised’ makes us instantly recognise that she will stop at nothing to make sure that he gets what she feels Macbeth deserves.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays