Macbeth

                  __ by William Shakespeare

                   Macbeth is the greatest tragedy of William Shakespeare written during the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare was the greatest writer or poet of the Elizabethan period and mostly known for his tragadies . His works are mostly related to the political theme of the time. 

                    Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606.It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, who was patron of Shakespeare's acting company, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with his sovereign.It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy. 

[1].Who is responsible for Macbeth downfall ?

                Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the three witches are all to blame for the tragedy that is “Macbeth”, Lady Macbeth through convincing Macbeth, Macbeth for following his ambition more than his conscience and the three witches for putting the idea of being king in Macbeth’s hea.

              Lady Macbeth is to blame for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan. She convinces and manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan by insulting his manliness which Macbeth takes great insult in and telling him she would “[dash] the brains out” of her newborn babe if he asked. Lady Macbeth does all of this because of her greed for power, she knows that she has the ability to control Macbeth and Macbeth being king would allow her to have control over the king and be Queen herself. This shows that without lady Macbeth Macbeth wouldn’t have killed Duncan and there wouldn’t have been a traged.

                   Macbeth is also to blame for the tragedy of the play because without him being so ambitious and narrow sighted the play wouldn’t have turned out as it did. Macbeth was having concerns for killing Duncan and at once point even says “Proceed no further in this business” but his “vaulting ambition” gets the better of him.Macbeth is to blame for what happens after he kills Duncan, without him seeing the ghost of Banquo and shouting it out and also without him overreacting at Duncan’s death there would have been little suspicion of his involvement with the murder, without Macbeth’s ambition and conscience the play wouldn’t have taken the path it did. 

               Without the three witches intervention Macbeth would he never murdered Duncan. The witches could be considered evil because one of them murders an innocent sailor just because his wife didn’t give the witch a chestnut and the other witches help plot against the sailor by saying “I’ll give the a wind… And I another”, this means that when they spoke to Macbeth they knew he was going to cause all of the chaos that he did. The witches tell Macbeth that he will be king and this is how he comes up with the first idea to kill Duncan which penultimately leads to his death. 

                   In conclusion without Lady Macbeth convincing Macbeth, the three witches putting the idea in Macbeths head and Macbeth actually killing or giving the order to kill the people the tragedy would never have happened and the play wouldn’t have taken the same path as it did.

[2]. According to your reading, who is more powerful, Lady Macbeth is powerful or Macbeth is powerful ? Between them who is controlling to another can you illustrate that ?

                    Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most famous and frightening female characters. When we first see her, she is already plotting Duncan's murder, and she is stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband.At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth has more power, but as Macbeth gets more ambitious he overtakes her. As the play begins, Macbeth listens to the witches' prophecies and passes them on to his.

               Subsequently, question is, who is the most powerful character in Macbeth? The witches are the most powerful characters in the play and the catalyst to all of Macbeth's crime.Lady Macbeth is the most powerful character in Macbeth because she is unmerciful, deceitful, and vigorous First and foremost Lady Macbeth is a dominant character because she is bloodthirsty.

                      Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. When we first see her, she is already plotting Duncan’s murder, and she is stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband. She seems fully aware of this and knows that she will have to push Macbeth into committing murder. At one point, she wishes that she were not a woman so that she could do it herself.

              This theme of the relationship between gender and power is key to Lady Macbeth’s character: her husband implies that she is a masculine soul inhabiting a female body, which seems to link masculinity to ambition and violence. Shakespeare, however, seems to use her, and the witches, to undercut Macbeth’s idea that “undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males” . These crafty women use female methods of achieving power—that is, manipulation—to further their supposedly male ambitions. Women, the play implies, can be as ambitious and cruel as men, yet social constraints deny them the means to pursue these ambitions on their own.

           Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overriding all his objections; when he hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he must commit murder to prove himself. Lady Macbeth’s remarkable strength of will persists through the murder of the king—it is she who steadies her husband’s nerves immediately after the crime has been perpetrated.                       

               So we can say that, lady Macbeth is more powerful character in the story. She is the one who controls the another person among both . Macbeth also commit all the crimes by inspired from lady Macbeth . She convince him and then totally control Macbeth and afterward what happens throughout the story , lady Macbeth is only responsible for that. So as seen from mine point of view she control Macbeth throughout the plot .

[3].How you look or interpreted the the supernatural power in Macbeth context.

               During the time of William Shakespeare, particularly in the early 1600s, witchcraft and magic sparked into a widespread phenomenon and source of fascination in England. 

                    King James I was extremely superstitious and integrated observation and written research of the phenomena eagerly into his life. Many suggest Shakespeare wrote his bloody Scottish play, Macbeth, knowing that it would gain the eager, entertained audience of the reigning monarch with its supernatural themes. Indeed, the dark and mystical issues form a pivotal role in the driving force and motivations concerning the entire play. Without magic behind the ensuing madness, it would be yet another cold-hearted bloodbath plot commonly found in the entertainment world.

                       The witches and their leader, Hecat are knowledgeable of the past, present, and future revolving around the fates of the mortals in Macbeth. One could even consider them to be the puppeteers responsible for the tragic events that occurred and Macbeth’s descent into insanity, later followed by his wife.These three witches not only influence and control the character and actions of Macbeth, but also govern the plot of the tragedy. It is these three witches who had made a way of tragedy by changing a kind, noble, patriotic, brave general Macbeth into a cruel and unkind killer. It is thse supernatural forces who had touched the softest place of Macbeth by forecasting his future that he will be “ ‘Thane of Cawdor’ , ‘Thane of Glamis’ , and later on ‘King of Scotland’. The life of Macbeth, a noble general, changes after this incidence. H kills his king Duncan to be the king of Scotland. Later he kills Banquo and many others only to save his kingship. Thus we can say that witches have on of the most significant place in ‘Macbeth’. It is these forces which changes the plot and presents a tragic environment.

                  The three weïrd sisters proclaim to Macbeth and his companion Banquo that Macbeth will be king and later the heirs of Banquo. This plants the seed of greed and murder within Macbeth’s heart and mind that soon will overtake his reason. Banquo comments on the witches’ power of persuasion, saying, “And oftentimes, to win us to our harm / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s / In deepest consequence” .

                He believes in their prophecies yet makes note of the ease in which to be seduced by dark power. Hecat, the leader of the witches and goddess of witchcraft, also declares their control over the situation:

                   Apparitions and hallucinations also appear in Macbeth. They are no less mysterious and awe-inspiring than the ghosts. The ‘air drawn’ dagger seen by Macbeth before the murder of Duncan is an example of apparition. The dagger seen by Macbeth is a subjective creation – the dagger pointing to the bed chamber of the old king. 

               With this declaration of meddling responsibility, the audience sees the inevitability of the murders to follow that are beyond Macbeth’s control. The witches prey upon his weak and impressionable mind as he continues to seek them out for more prophecies and answers, addicted to having his fate planned by another rather than thinking for himself and making his own future. Every action he takes and person he kills stems from the witches’ words fed to him. This magical element behind the murders creates more intrigue and fascination for those observing from the outside.

                    The hallucinations and visions of the paranormal incorporate an element of sympathy for the infected minds of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth that would otherwise be lost. As he sneaks in the night to kill King Duncan, Macbeth has delusions of a bloody dagger as a precursor to his madness and paranoia. The ghost of Banquo appears at a banquet held in the recently crowned Macbeth’s honor, bringing his insanity to the public eye. In the end, Lady Macbeth’s mind succumbs to a dreamlike state in which she perpetually envisions blood on her hands, sleepwalks, and reveals their part in the murders without awareness. These add qualities that bring out their human frailty as a contrast to their portrayal as tyrannical and barbaric souls.

                    The magic and paranormal aspects in this play bring a new perspective to the motivations behind the characters.

[4].Explain the quotation.

      "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

                  In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the characters are often mislead by the impression of reality. The quote “fair is foul and foul is fair” (Shakespeare 1.1.12), is said by the three witches. This quote is very significant, as it is an elaborate theme throughout the play. Also, the word "fair" means good, and "foul" means evil. 

                   "Fair is foul and foul is fair" is a theme that demonstrates how appearances often differs from reality. This theme can also be described as “Illusion vs. Reality” because within the play, many are blinded by false accusations and have difficulty coming face-to-face with reality. The line "fair is foul and foul is fair" means that all is not what it seems. What seems good and trustworthy is actually not; what might seem repugnant is actually good. The witches are foretelling the treachery of Macbeth, who will commit treason by killing the king. 

                     This theme is greatly expressed through the characters Lady Macbeth,…show more content…

She welcomes Duncan into her home, only to have him killed by Macbeth. This scene reveals her true personality, as she allows her ambition to take over. Therefore, the theme of “Illusion vs. Reality” is developed through Lady Macbeth’s character as she convinces her husband to do wrong, by convincing him it is for his own benefit. She is also pretending to be a good hostess to the King, when in reality she is planning his death.

                    Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character is greatly influenced by others, which affect him in the long run. In the article Ambition by Stephen Fonash, it states: "struggling to press through the narrow way of ambition," usually in a desire for honor, popularity, and power. It is perhaps because of these very human qualities—to desire love, honor, knowledge, and power—that the theme of ambition has been so prevalent in literature” . This quote relates to Macbeth's character because he craves power and will go above and beyond to succeed.

                     At the beginning of the play, King Duncan views Macbeth as a loyal and trustworthy individual. However, Macbeth allows his ambition to get the best of him and betrays Duncan by murdering him to steal the throne. This is a representation of the theme “Illusion vs. Reality”, as it demonstrates Macbeth’s unexpected foul behaviour. When the line "fair is foul and foul is fair" is used today, it is often used in reference to someone who appears good, trustworthy, and genuine; but who is not-looks can be deceiving. This idea is often repeated in reference to public figures, such as politicians, who have a public persona that does not match who they really are. 

                   The phrase fair is foul, foul is fair is a dominant theme in Macbeth. It highlights the hypocrisy that people adopt to hide their true intentions. Shakespeare uses this theme to caution about judging things based on the face value. While King Duncan loves Macbeth dearly, it is Macbeth who ends his life. In a nutshell, things do not seem what they appear to be- the good may turn out to be bad and the bad may actually be good.

                    However, Shakespeare cautions that whatever our motives may be, in the end they will come back to haunt us. 

[5].Can we say that Lady Macbeth is more greedy then any other character in this drama.

                    Lady Macbeth first learns of what the Weird Sisters told Macbeth about his future, then she says a great deal while alone on stage, revealing her true self. She says, in  Lady Macbeth reveals her certainty that Macbeth will take the title of king regardless of his own actions. However, she fears that he is too compassionate, too gentle of spirit, to take the quickest route to the throne .Being queen someday isn't good enough for Lady Macbeth; she wants her husband to take the throne by force, now, so that they can enjoy all the power and prestige that go along with the position. 

              This theme of the relationship between gender and power is key to Lady Macbeth’s character: her husband implies that she is a masculine soul inhabiting a female body, which seems to link masculinity to ambition and violence. Shakespeare, however, seems to use her, and the witches, to undercut Macbeth’s idea that “undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males." These crafty women use female methods of achieving power that is, manipulation to further their supposedly male ambitions. Women, the play implies, can be as ambitious and cruel as men, yet social constraints deny them the means to pursue these ambitions on their own.

                   Lady Macbeth believes it will happen anyway, and so she could just wait for it, but, instead, her greed drives her to compel her husband to kill a man who is not only his cousin but also his king, guest, and friend. Macbeth even acknowledges this aspect of her personality in his letter. He says that he has written to tell her of the Weird Sisters' prophecies "that [she] might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised [her]". In other words, he knows that she will be thrilled with the prospect of becoming queen because she is greedy for "greatness."

                   Lady Macbeth wants power and everything that goes with it. This is why, when she hears what the witches have told her husband, she says: “Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round.” The “golden round” refers to the crown, and we can see that, without much hesitation, Lady Macbeth has decided that her husband will be king. She even asks to be made less womanly so she can assist her husband in killing the king. When her husband arrives home, she begins discussing the murder of the king without even really asking Macbeth if he has decided.

                     Later, Macbeth is reconsidering his decision and Lady Macbeth chastises him: “From this time Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valour As thou art in desire?” She lets him know she considers him a coward for even thinking about not killing the king. 

                   She even tells him that she would kill her own baby before she would break a promise as he has. “I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this.” She is not afraid to manipulate him in any way possible in order to gain the crown, and therefore, power.

              Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overriding all his objections; when he hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he must commit murder to prove himself. Lady Macbeth’s remarkable strength of will persists through the murder of the king it is she who steadies her husband’s nerves immediately after the crime has been perpetrated.

                     After they have committed the act of murder, Macbeth is horrified by his deed. Lady Macbeth, upon seeing this, is determined to keep him focused on the ultimate goal of becoming king. Macbeth is looking in horror at his bloody hands, and Lady Macbeth tells him: “My hands are of your colour; but I shame To wear a heart so white.” She wants him to snap out of it so they can finish the plan and seize the power.

                     In this way we can say that lady Macbeth is more greedy character than the any other character of the story . She also looking for the best in her life without doing any trouble . She wants to get crown and that's why she manages to kill the king Duncan . In this way she proved herself as a greedy women. 

[6].Who is more responsible for King Duncan's death ? Supernatural elements ? Greed of Lady Macbeth? Power desperate Macbeth? According to your reading who is responsible for this ?

                     The responsibility of Duncan's murder fall's on everyone's head, the three witches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. The witches are responsible because they recounted to Macbeth three prophesies. That led him to kill Duncan and Macduff.

                     In a sense, Lady Macbeth is responsible for Duncan's death. In fact, she admits that she would have killed him herself had he not resembled her father sleeping. Repeatedly, Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth's manhood when he has second thoughts about murdering Duncan.The responsibility of Duncan's murder fall's on everyone's head, the three witches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. The witches are responsible because they recounted to Macbeth three prophesies. That led him to kill Duncan and Macduff. 

                      Lady Macbeth was a component during the murder however she cannot be accused of being more responsible for King Duncan's death. Lady Macbeth was not eviler than her husband Macbeth. Macbeth was the character who did the deed which therefore makes him more vain.

                      We certainly know that the direct responsible for Duncan's death is Macbeth. However this does not necessarily mean he is to blame, for his violent death is obviously the consequence of certain influences that forced Macbeth to perform his fatal deed.We certainly know that the direct responsible for Duncan's death is Macbeth. However this does not necessarily mean he is to blame, for his violent death is obviously the consequence of certain influences that forced Macbeth to perform his fatal deed. 

                        In that way all the things are responsible at its place for Duncan's death . But as we know that all things began after three witches prophesies. If they would not ask the sentences to the Macbeth than all the tragedies would not happened. As well as Macbeth and lady Macbeth are also responsible for Duncan's death. Lady Macbeth is a greedy character of the story and she alway looking for crown and respectful place in short way . So that she convince Macbeth somehow to murder the king. 

                          In this sense , we can say that lady Macbeth is more responsible than the Macbeth. Because firstly Macbeth is not ready to kill the king but lady Macbeth convince him for doing like that and in this sense she is more responsible.

                        If we see directly then Macbeth seems like villain . Because man should have controll on his own mind , he should not convince by any other. And if he follows other instructions then he himself responsible for what happens.

                       At conclusion we can say thay not only one thing is responsible for Duncan's death while all the things are equally responsible for Duncan's murder including Supernatural elements ,Greed of Lady Macbeth,and also Power of desperate Macbeth.

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