Chelsey Pan
Mr. Shulkin
English IV
10-22-13
The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth
Despite being the eponymous, and presumed main, character in this play, Macbeth, by
William Shakespeare, Macbeth is notable mainly for serving as merely a vessel for the desires of
others, lacking in personal autonomy and depth of storyline. His experiences and decisions are
largely influenced by others, resulting in a weakness of character that leaves him with little
control over the storyline and making him much less pivotal in driving the plot. In contrast, Lady
Macbeth is one of the few characters to behave independently of fate and her decisions are
entirely autonomous, primarily serving to further her ambitions and manipulate Macbeth’s, and
by extension the other characters’, fate. Lady Macbeth is predominantly characterized by her
steely resolve and almost bullying treatment of Macbeth, although there are several instances in
which she reveals genuine concern for him. Her unyielding ambition is rooted in the political
success and eventual kingship of Macbeth under the presumption that becoming king is his
ultimate goal and nearly every action she takes in the play, even those that appear to be cruel or
harmful towards Macbeth, is committed out of a belief that it is ultimately for his benefit,
indicating that Lady Macbeth genuinely loves her husband. While her end justifying the means
mentality is proven to be devastatingly flawed, it provides Lady Macbeth with the willingness to
go to any extremes in order to ensure that Macbeth’s goals come to fruition.
Lady Macbeth is first introduced to us when she reads a letter sent from Macbeth
detailing his encounter with the Weird Sisters and their prophetic statements. From this letter,
she remarks about him that “thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the
illness should attend it” (Shakespeare Act I Scene IV). Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth is
ambitious and desires power, but does not have the immoral character required to realize his
goals. Her subsequent desire to help him in achieving his goals reveals the depth of her concern
for Macbeth. She recognizes that her husband both wishes to be king and simultaneously does
not have the ruthlessness to pull off a political overthrow and because of this, is willing to go to
any lengths for him in order to guarantee that he succeeds.
Unlike the other main characters of this play, Lady Macbeth is not, initially, a part of the
Weird Sisters’ prophecy and thus is unbridled by fate or the consequences of the prophecy’s
fulfillment. There is little binding her to Macbeth’s foreseen ascent to the throne, easily allowing
her the option to take a passive role in his endeavors. Instead of allowing fate to play out
however it will, when Macbeth recounts the details of his encounter with the Weird Sisters’ and
what they foresaw in his letter, she eagerly and independently concocts a plan in order to ensure
that the premonition comes to pass. So that he ultimately achieves the throne, she resolves to
push him to commit the villainous crimes that are needed to further his status.
The active role Lady Macbeth takes in the fulfillment of Macbeth’s fate demonstrates
how invested she is in his success. She decides in the famous “Unsex me Here” soliloquy to
abandon her feminine and maternal behaviors, choosing to become cold and cruel in order to
accomplish what her husband initially cannot, going so far as to call upon the “spirits that tend
on mortal [deadly] thoughts” (Shakespeare 51) in order to rid her of her sense of remorse,
implying that her nature is much less callous than she portrays herself as throughout the play. By
asking for the aid of “murdering ministers” (Shakespeare 51), Lady Macbeth reveals the extent
to which she is willing to go in order to help Macbeth – even if it means giving herself up in the
process. If she were naturally cruel and ambitious, she would not require the aid of those
supernatural entities, furthering the idea that her actions are for the benefit of Macbeth rather
than simply for her own gain.
In order to aid Macbeth in his ascent to the throne and propel him into action, Lady
Macbeth devises the initial plan to kill King Duncan and willingly takes on much of the
responsibility, remarking that Macbeth’s face “is a book where men may read strange matters”
and that he can “leave all the rest to [her]” (Shakespeare 52). She is well aware of his honest
disposition and readily bears the weight of planning the murder for him, indicating concern for
his wellbeing and a desire to mitigate the moral consequences of his success. It is only after
Macbeth begins to have doubts about the plan that she incites “rhetorical manipulation of her
husband to ‘be a man’ and to take action” (Thomas 81). Initially, she questions whether he is
“afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire” (Shakespeare 56), further
illustrating her belief that Macbeth covets the throne of Scotland, but lacks the courage to act on
his ambition.
Because of this, Lady Macbeth “goads him into cooperating by “[premising] her
arguments on doubts about Macbeth’s manly virtue” (Ramsey 288). By calling attention to his
manhood, and using his high regard for her as his “dearest partner in greatness” (Shakespeare
50), Lady Macbeth spurs him into becoming the person he needs to be in order to become king.
By provoking and subsequently belittling his masculinity, Lady Macbeth forces him to “accept a
concept of manliness that consists wholly in rampant self-seeking aggression” (Ramsey 289),
which is mainly used to impel him into performing acts that further him in his ambitions. For
Lady Macbeth, she believes that her husband needs to have this perception in order to succeed.
Her actions often follow an end justifying the means mentality, causing her to go to extremes in
pursuit of Macbeth’s goals.
Although Lady Macbeth becomes callous and seemingly unsympathetic, her repeated
hand washing after they are covered in King Duncan’s blood and concern over the possibility
that “these hands [will] ne’er be clean” (Shakespeare 116) during the iconic sleepwalking scene
reveal that she continues to feel great guilt for her actions and that the evil entity that she called
upon never truly took her conscience from her. In all of her interactions with Macbeth, she has
been shown to comfort him during his bouts of insecurity or to direct his next actions, never once
disclosing her own inner turmoil to him. It is only during her sleepwalking that she admits her
extreme distraught over the sins that both she and Macbeth have committed, wondering “who
would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him” (Shakespeare 116) in
regards to King Duncan.
She also reveals regret over the murder of Macduff’s wife, who is killed needlessly under
Macbeth’s order, pleading that Macbeth do “no more o’ that” and commenting that he “[mars] all
with this starting” (Shakespeare 116), signifying a partnership and shared responsibility over
even actions that were outside of her control. Her plea also implies a certain amount of blame
toward her husband for the guilt he causes as a result of his murders. However, during her
breakdown, she pulls herself together regardless, addressing and comforting someone else,
presumably Macbeth, over these unalterable actions and guiding him to bed because “what’s
done cannot be undone” (Shakespeare 116). In the midst of mental instability and unbearable
guilt, she continues to assume a confident persona in order to assuage his worries and keep
Macbeth moving on his path to kingship. Even when she is losing her grip on sanity, Lady
Macbeth continues to try and help Macbeth accomplish his desires, refusing to force the weight
of her guilt upon him or to allow it to ruin his chance to become king.
Throughout the play, it is shown that Lady Macbeth’s crimes are done “in the service of
being a good wife who wishes to advance her husband” (Thomas 81). Although she is ultimately
unable to continue stifling her guilt and commits suicide, her actions until that point reflect an
unrelenting passion for seeing Macbeth’s ambitions come to fruition. Unlike any other character,
her motives have all been based on the intended success of someone else. Lady Macbeth is one
of the only main characters whose fate is not exposed by the Weird Sisters, and yet she willingly
delves into the dangerous practice of consorting with prophecies and the supernatural, betraying
her own feminine nature up until the very last moment in order to prop up the spirits of her
husband. Despite appearing to be the most evil and self-serving, Lady Macbeth’s love for
Macbeth actually leads her to become one of the most selfless, if misguided, characters in the
play.
Works Cited
Ramsey, Jarold. "The Perversion of Manliness in Macbeth." Studies in English Literature, 1500 1900 13.2 (1973): 285-300. JSTOR.org. JSTOR. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Signet
Classic, 1987. Print.
Thomas, Catherine E. "(Un)sexing Lady Macbeth: Gender, Power, and Visual Rhetoric in
her Graphic Afterlives." The Upstart Crow 31 (2012): 81+. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Oct.
2013.
Michael Tran
English IV
Mr. Shulkin
21 October 2013
A Guilty Conscious is The Worst Kind
The back of the mind provides a gateway to the actions you do - subconscious
thoughts often reveal true desire. Throughout history, suppressed mental cognition's
describe rare cases of psychological illness similar to female hysteria and even
schizophrenia. William Shakespeare writes in his tragedy, Macbeth, “A little water
clears us of this deed”, describing how Lady Macbeth thinks that there will be quick
simple recovery after murdering King Duncan. The witches foretell that Macbeth will
achieve great success but “for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (Act 4 Scene 1)
which concludes that his reign will eventually end. Without the overwhelming fear and
guilt that possess both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, their ambition would have led them
to great success.
Lady Macbeth is known to be the infamous drive for Macbeth's ambition. Without
her, Macbeth would not have been king. First off, the couple's ambition is strong as both
of them share the same goals - to assassinate King Duncan and become king and queen.
Once Lady Macbeth acquires the letter from Macbeth about his foretold prophecy, she
begins to conspire the murder. By unsexing herself from feminine traits to more of a
masculine type, she steps on the pedal and manipulates her husband. Her ambition is to
successfully get Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan and take the throne - she only
speaks of the plans, and does not think of carrying it out herself. This is the first time fear
is incorporated into their mastermind intentions since the both of them do not want to do
the job themselves. Lady Macbeth admits that she would not have to be sober and in the
right state of mind to kill and pins it on Macbeth who is a soldier but “afeard”.
Furthermore, fear is embodied in guilt because of the way it the fearful ideas reoccur in
your thoughts.
Her honest effort shows readers that her ambition is nothing that can be
conquered by anyone - other than herself. Macbeth is not able to stop her reign over his
actions because she is what fuels his ambition to become king and rule greatly. Through
Lady Macbeth's overconfident words to Macbeth, she thinks that they are unstoppable.
She is not scared of anybody and thinks that “none can call [their] power to account” (Act
5 Scene 1). Moving on, her bodily attempts to set up the murder by “laying down
daggers” and constantly degrading the hero, Macbeth, is what shows the true malice
behind her actions. Lady Macbeth is known for her role on her husband's emotions: she
cannot kill the king herself because his face resembles her father but is constantly
attempting to integrate her beliefs into Macbeth until he caves and gives in to kill him.
Their morals are thrown away before the murder and come back after it, she is confused
by the fact of murder and is exasperated by the thought of the “old man [having] had so much
blood in him” (Act 5 Scene 1). The recurring themes of guilt begin to appear within Lady
Macbeth's consciousness, overwriting her very masculine ambitious ideals.
The downfall of Lady Macbeth begins with the start of continuously washing her hands
which symbolize the constant regret that she feels after her hands have gotten dirty with the
king's blood. Her actions have no real “purpose” and it is not intentional as well but delivered
through her subconscious thoughts. Somnambulism expresses her inner-thoughts very well as
she walks elusively through the night confessing her sins. Her guilt is the main cause for her
suppressed thoughts that evolve into sleep-walking. Before roaming in her sleep, Lady Macbeth
is the “master of the situation” (Coriat 1912) by maintaining herself in every possible way while
awake. Once she sleeps, the guilt emerges and she loses this mastery of controlling herself and
becomes a coward - that is her downfall. She explicitly makes a connection to what is to come of
her life by saying “hell is murky” which implies that she already knows of the destruction to
come. Her sleep throws her down in a spiral of guilt which completely undoes her and throws her
into madness.
As Lady Macbeth fuels his ambition, he slowly gains the advantage and control of his
actions again. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he murmurs “wake Duncan with thy knocking: I
would thou coulds't” (Act 2 Scene 2). Regret begins to fuel Macbeth as he realizes how low he's
gone to become king which proves that he would do anything to take the throne. With Duncan
betrayed, and Macbeth paranoid: both husband and wife will do anything to protect their secret.
After Macbeth murders Banquo, there is an apparition of Banquo's ghost that epitomizes his
guilt. He feared that his secret of the murder would get out which nearly caused him to reveal the
truth about King Duncan. The death of Lady Macbeth tears Macbeth apart and ruined his power.
These words are spoken by him after hearing of her passing,
“She should have died hereafter / there would have been a time for such a word. /
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day / to
the last syllable of recorded time. / And all our yesterdays have lighted fools /the way to
dusty death. Out, out, brief candle. / Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player / that
struts and frets his hour upon the stage, /and then is heard no more. It is a tale /Told by an
idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing” (Act 5 Scene 5).
Macbeth realizes that life has no meaning, and loses all will to hold on. No one is left in
his life as he's already murdered Banquo and Macduff's family in the journey of becoming a new
ruler.
If both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had not feel guilty after the murders, they would have
become reigning king and queen. Lady Macbeth suffers from female hysteria, and a case of
somnambulism that provides a linkage to her inner subconscious cowardice thoughts. Awake,
Lady Macbeth is the titan, the ruler, and the opportunist - but asleep, she is the complete opposite
where she feels the need to get rid of the guilty conscious. The turning point when Lady Macbeth
rises to the top to when her dilemma shoots down is right after the death of Duncan where built
up hypothetical fear becomes fear. Before, she questions whether or not Macbeth would be able
to assassinate the king or fail and that consumes her up until the deed is done. Recurrences of
dirtiness and impurities fill up her thoughts and lead to her ultimate downfall, death. Macbeth on
the other hand, also experiences mental shutdowns where he sees Banquo's ghost as well as a
floating dagger that isn't there. It shows that he regrets doing everything and up until the last
scene of the play where he has no more will to carry on and murder Macduff.
Works Cited
Coriat, Isador H. "The Hysteria of Lady Macbeth." The Hysteria of Lady Macbeth. Isador H.
Coriat. Moffat, Yard and Company, 1912. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Laurie
Lanzen Harris and Mark W. Scott. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research, 1986. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth: Oxford School Shakespeare. Ed. Roma Gill. Toronto, Oxford
University Press, 1997. Print.Thomas, Catherine E. "(Un)sexing Lady Macbeth: gender,
power, and visual rhetoric in her
graphic afterlives." The Upstart Crow 31 (2012): 81+. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Oct.
2013.
Wehrs, Donald R. "Moral physiology, ethical prototypes, and the denaturing of sense in
Shakespearean tragedy." College Literature 33.1 (2006): 67+. Academic OneFile. Web.
10 Oct. 2013.
Kristi Xhelili
English IV
Mr. Shulkin
21 October, 2013
Dance Puppet, Dance!
Life is full of people who will use and manipulate others for personal desires. People can
be influenced and guided to the point where they are no longer their own person, but rather an
objectified tool necessary for the goal at hand. Throughout the play “Macbeth” written by
William Shakespeare, the main protagonist, Macbeth, proves to be a very manipulable person,
and thus an objectified political figure formed by others. He goes through an excruciating
process all because of an alluring prophecy told by a few witches and the excessive ambition of
his companion – Lady Macbeth. Macbeth’s actions are driven by these women and only lead him
to tyranny rather than fitful kingship. This detrimental female influence demonstrates that
Shakespeare favors a patriarchy in government.
Prior to any female influence, Macbeth evinces to be a man of honor and great moral
value only respected – at least – by his fellow male characters. He commits no immoral acts and
only helps his country as a valuable warrior. Macbeth is rather humble before hearing the
prophecy foretold by the witches. Shakespeare depicts him as an ideal man of power. He shows
that he is content with his position as Thane, but once the idea of being king is planted in his
head, his humility begins to decline – slowly at first, and then rapidly once Lady Macbeth has
anything to say about it. The alluring idea of such a position causes him to be enamored. As a
result of this miniscule temptation, Macbeth writes a letter to his wife describing the words of the
witches. The thing that starts off as merely a delightful idea is now blown into reality by the
excessive ambition of Lady Macbeth, the prime female character.
Lady Macbeth does not take no for an answer. She refuses to give up this chance to be in
power and thus states that she “would have plucked [her] nipple from [their unborn baby’s]
boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had [she] so sworn as [Macbeth] had done this,” (Act
1, Scene 7, line 55). In other words, she tells Macbeth that she would give up their unborn child
for this opportunity. Macbeth doubts her intense ambition and attempts to squeeze a little
rationality in the situation as he states, “We will proceed no further in this business. [Duncan]
hath honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people,” (Act 1,
Scene 7, line 31). However, as stated by critic Catherine E. Thomas, Lady Macbeth “verbally
manipulates gender values and expectations to suit her purpose.” In other words, Lady Macbeth
takes a shot as Macbeth’s masculinity, turning him into a puppet willing to do anything to prove
himself to her. Lady Macbeth does this because of her sexual disadvantage in a patriarchal
society. She even claims that she would “unsex” herself if she could, proving that she intends to
live vicariously through Macbeth.
This causes Macbeth to commit numerous crimes in the name of his masculinity and to
prove something to his wife, which ironically makes him less of an honest “man” every time, and
by extension, less fit to be king. After murdering King Duncan, Macbeth experiences a great deal
of guilt. His conscience alarms him as he knows what he’s doing is immoral. However, that
morality decreases over time through Lady Macbeth’s influence. After a while, many people
begin to refer to Macbeth as a tyrant as his attainment of the throne was incredibly violent and
unjust due to the female influence behind it. Malcolm claims that “Not in the legions of horrid
hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth,” (Act 4, Scene 3, line 57). This evil
reputation attached to Macbeth is, in essence, a result of the witches and his wife. According to
Kahn, “the source of his confusion are the witches, who direct their mischief toward him, and
Lady Macbeth, who seeks vicarious fulfillment through him.” Macbeth himself says “Upon my
head they placed a fruitless crown, and put a barren scepter in my gripe,” (Act 3, Scene 1) as if
he had nothing to do with the forceful acquirement of the throne. As “he pursues a goal marked
out for him by a woman,” (Kahn 1998) he grows into a monster created by Lady Macbeth,
“untimely ripped from the bloody death of Duncan,” (Thomson).
Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare tells us that women are not ideal to be in
government. Her feelings and temptations get in the way of civility and are counterproductive to
the order already established by King Duncan. According to Catherine E. Thomas, “Her guiltfilled sleepwalking scene and later suicide register therefore as bodily signs of her corruption and
self-punishment for her transgressive, evil ways.” She is a symbol of “the extreme of one form of
temptation that may beset a woman,” and “will stand for all time as an example of one phase of
woman nature with all its intricacies of thought and feeling,” (Gerwig 2003).
To contrast with Macbeth, Banquo was given “equally alluring prophetic promises,” but
proved to have a “soul too true to be corrupted,” (Gerwig 2003). Macbeth initially knows that
getting the throne would be wrong, but is later corrupted by the “self-sacrificing ambition of a
woman,” (Gerwig 2003). Lady Macbeth’s influence proves to be “like liquor, for they make
[Macbeth’s] will drunk, separating his eye from his hand and his reason from his actions,” (Kahn
1998). Unlike Macbeth, Banquo is “content merely with the prospect of transmitting a royal
inheritance,” (Kahn 1998) for his mind was immune to the influence of women.
Macbeth shows no corruption prior to the witches’ prophecy. He was a well-respected
warrior who did nothing but aid the country and its progress as a nation. He proved to be honest,
humble, and strong – things that could only help his position in the political system. However,
once corrupted by the few female characters in the play, Macbeth becomes a dishonest, immoral,
and weak human being. He forcefully takes a position of great power only to reverse the progress
of the nation rather than help it, demonstrating the terrible influence femininity can have when
empowered.
Works Cited
Cox, John D. “Religion and suffering in Macbeth.” Christianity and Literature 62.2
(2013): 225+. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Gerwig, George William. “Lady Macbeth.” Shakespeare’s Ideals of Womanhood. East
Aurora, N.Y.: The Roycroft Shops, 1929. 133-150. Rpt. In Shakespearean Criticism. Ed.
Lynn M. Zott. Vol. 69. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Research Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Kahn, Coppelia. “The Milking Babe and the Bloody Man
in Coriolanus and Macbeth.” Man’s Estate: Masculine Identity in Shakespeare. University of
California Press, 1981. 151-192. Rpt. In Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Dana Ramel Barnes. Vol.
40. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
"Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 90. Detroit: Gale, 2005.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Thomas, Catherine E. "(Un)sexing Lady Macbeth: gender, power, and visual rhetoric in
her graphic afterlives." The Upstart Crow 31 (2012): 81+. Academic OneFile. Web. 10
Oct. 2013.
Parris, Benjamin. "'The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body': sovereign
sleep in Hamlet and Macbeth." Shakespeare Studies 40 (2012): 101+. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Lily Tran
English IV - Mr. Shulkin
October 28, 2013
Seniors
Macbeth
In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, it demonstrates what can happen when one does
not choose to follow their conscience. The main character, Macbeth, begins the play as a
strong character that is greatly admired. However, Macbeth's strive for power affects
every aspect of his life, eventually leading to his downfall. Macbeth's wife, the three
witches, and Macbeth's own ambition all play a role in his downfall.
The witches and their prophecies are the first major influence on Macbeth's actions.
Macbeth was a noble man and was content with the position and reputation he held. Until the
witches said, "hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor, thou shalt be King hereafter." (Act 1, Scene 3, line
49). After hearing this, Macbeth wrote a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, explaining what had
happened when meeting the witches. Lady Macbeth desperately wants her husband Macbeth to
be King, pursuing the throne. She wants to make her husbandcapable to commit
murder, making her dreams of the royal life come true. She approaches Macbeth with her intent
to kill King Duncan. Macbeth, although wanting the prophecy to come true, and become king,
lacks the drive as Lady Macbeth has to commit the murder. Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to act
on his desires or he will think of himself as a coward.Lady Macbeth stating this, goes straight
into the mind of Macbeth. Now, his mind clouds in the idea of glory and honor and if he weren't
to act on his desires, perhaps he will cause dishonor for himself and see his own self as a
coward. That is why he committed the murder.
“I'll go no more:
I am afraid to think what I have done;
Look on't again I dare not.” (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 51-53)
The ideas that clouded through Macbeth's mind, the given thoughts of glory and honor,
ended up to be dishonor for himself. Though Macbeth committed the crime, he could not accept
it. He did not believe that he murdered someone for his own desires. He would have never done
this if he never met the witches and if he had never written that letter to his wife. Macbeth is not
the only one to blame for his downfall.
Another factor to Macbeth's downfall was ambition. The idea of ambition is one's
determination for their desires. In some cases, ambition is good. You're able to accomplish a
personal desire. However, in the case of Macbeth, he was able to accomplish his personal desire,
but his actions were morally wrong. “To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself.” (Act 2
Scene 2 line 70). Determined to do anything for the throne, Macbeth lost himself through his
own hands. He hungers for strength and power. He is determined to do anything for the
throne. But before being a King, one must be able to manage his country and before that, one
must know how to manage themselves.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (Act 2, Scene 1 lines 33-39)
In this scene, Macbeth analyzes the dagger in front of him. Thinking that if he grabs hold to the
dagger, he will be able to send King Duncan to his death. Shakespeare creates the illusion of the
dagger to symbolize Macbeth's insanity towards becoming the new king. This shows him starting
to lose his piece of mind and self-control. “After Macbeth grows more sinful and overpowered
with greed he does not make any real attempt to change, and his conscious is bothered by this.
Slowly Macbeth loses grasp of his sanity and self-control.” (Macbeth: Witches Influence on
Macbeth's Decisions) Obsessed with power, Macbeth does not let anything stand in his way of
reign, “because his reign is all that he has left now.” (Macbeth: Witches Influence on Macbeth's
Decisions)
Adolf Hitler was one of history's greatest dictators. He believed that a group of
backstabbers had wounded Germany. Therefore, he vowed to avenge German nationalism and
pride through political actions. He joined a small Nationalist group. Doing so altered the being of
Adolf Hitler. He wasn't always a bad guy. People praised him before WWI due to his
outstanding characteristics. However, joining the small Nationalist group turned Hitler “into a
street-fighting, terror bringing, extreme left-wing, political machine.” (Desmond Seward) He
killed all those opposed to him and of intellectuals who he thought could conquer him. Now,
why did he do this? What was his ambition? His ambition was to avenge German nationalism.
However, in the process, he became a dictator. His goal was to protect those in Germany. But
when doing so, he had to kill some of those who were in Germany. For example, Jewish people
and German intellectuals were killed. Doing this did not show his ambition clearly. Like
Macbeth, they both wanted something, whether it was a throne or if it was to better their nation.
Either or, they both earned so much power through horrific deeds.
After being named king, “Macbeth's misery and eventual downfall is caused by his own
insecurities and misguided determination to take control of his future.” (Macbeth: Witches
Influence on Macbeth's Decisions) The witches' prophecy concerning Banquo's children and
Macbeth's feeling of weakness to Banquo lead Macbeth to arrange murder for Banquo and his
son Fleance. Having Banquo around reminds Macbeth of the act he pursued for his own desires,
the crime that he had committed. Also, the thought that it will be Banquo's son Fleance to take
over the throne from Macbeth rather than his own children makes Macbeth even angrier.
“Bring forth men-children only,
For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be received,” (Act 1, Scene 7, lines 73-75)
Here, Macbeth exclaims to his wife saying that if she were to give birth, she must only
bare children who are men. Macbeth's desire for glory and honor makes him go mad.
Acting upon his desires, creating all these sins, Macbeth lost himself. Macbeth's strive for
power affects every aspect of his life, leading to his downfall. Macbeth's wife, the three witches,
and Macbeth's own ambition all play a role in his downfall.
Work Cited
1) "Macbeth: Witches Influence on Macbeth's Decisions." 123HelpMe.com. 23 Oct
2013
<http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=17245>.
2) Seward, Desmong. "The House of Ice: Napoleon and Hitler - A Comparison
and
Contrast."
The House of Ice: Napoleon and Hitler - A Comparison and Contrast. The House of Ice, Web.
23 Sept. 2013. <http://houseofice.tripod.com/history/napoleonandhitler.shtml>.
Caleb Encarnacion-Rivera
Honors English IV
Mr. Shulkin
10/21/13
“He Himself Hath Suffered Being Tempted”
–Hebrews 2:18
Humankind is prone to temptation and evil. Throughout our history there have been
catastrophic events due to the evil nature that is present in humanity. Many times this evil nature
stems from a lust for dominance, or power. Temptation is a powerful force that can bind us into
committing actions we would never have thought possible. Evil and temptation do not go
without punishment: death, revolt, and exile. The ideas of evil and temptation and their outcome
on humanity are evident in the Bible. The Bible is full of text with morals and lessons, focused
on human experience with sin through the actions of temptation driven by evil. The Bible has
influenced the many stories and pieces of literature, which use different messages and draw
parallels to different biblical characters. An example of this is Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The
main character Macbeth and his relationship among different characters are a parallel of different
biblical stories and figures. Moreover, Macbeth specifically embodies the biblical ideas of evil,
temptation, sin, and death.
Throughout the Bible evil is a force that is constantly combated against. It presents the
story of creation to the era of tribulation and the end of times. Evil was a root brought upon man
by the deceiver (the Devil). However the Deceiver was not always a deceiver, in fact he was
God’s right hand, the Bible states "You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you
were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked" (Ezekiel
28:14). Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis and is favored by King Duncan. Like Macbeth, Lucifer
was in power and favored by God. Despite Lucifer’s respect for God, who created him, he
thought that he could defeat God. He thought that he could be better than God, allowing his
ambition and lust for power to destroy him. Iris Henry argues “In the play Macbeth we observe
that the relationship between Macbeth and the king tends to parallel Lucifer and God. Both
Lucifer and Macbeth hold high positions in the kingdoms of their master, but their ambition to be
king creates a conflict.” The Bible states "Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you
corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you
before kings, to feast their eyes on you (Ezekiel 28:17). Lucifer allowed his lustful mentality to
be like God over take him, forgetting who his creator was. His temptation to overthrow God led
to evil, turning him into the deceiver he remains to this day.
Macbeth impersonates Lucifer, as he longs for the title of king. Macbeth allows his
temptation to overtake him, leading him to become evil, killing people left and right to satisfy his
own desire. Like Lucifer, Macbeth was once favored and highly respected by the king, but turns
into a malicious individual with every evil intent in order to maintain power. Henry states
“Shakespeare presents sin in the full context of a Biblical Perspective. The phenomena of
temptation, guilt, [and] despair… are included in almost all the tragedies.” Macbeth allows evil
to hijack his mentality, driving him to carry out a series of sinful acts such as those Henry
listed. However, evil does not just sporadically appear, but stems from the water and
nourishment of temptation, such as the potion given to Macbeth after he consults with the
witches. After drinking, he evolves and becomes the evil being he is.
Temptation is a force that can be more powerful than anything a human has
experienced. It leads an individual into trials and turmoil, with only the satisfaction of one act in
one moment. For Macbeth that one moment was killing Duncan and claiming the throne, but the
trials and tribulations ultimately proceeded. Temptation is something that can grow from the
support of an external entity, who provokes an individual to fall into the temptation. In The
Bible's creation story, Eve is tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. It is presented to
her as something beautiful, with great outcomes. The serpent tells her “‘You will not certainly
die… For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4-5). Eve heard this and saw "that the fruit of the tree
was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some
and ate it" (Genesis 3:6).
Eve is enticed by the fruit and the power that she thought that she would obtain from it,
and the temptation led her into disobeying God. In addition the witches in the story of Macbeth
can be looked at like the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve. This is because they reveal the
prophecy to Macbeth who then tells his wife. When Lady Macbeth hears about the prophecy she
is attracted to the fact that her husband could be king. Moreover the witches lead her into the
temptation of killing Duncan. This is where Lady Macbeth embodies the persona of Eve:
because just as Eve provoked her husband into eating the fruit, Lady Macbeth “a parallel of Eve,
tempted her husband, which led to his fall” (Henry 6). That fall was murdering Duncan. “So just
as Eve persuaded Adam to seek knowledge and be wise, Lady Macbeth [persuades Macbeth] to
seize the crown” (Henry 6). Just as Eve allowed temptation, provoked by the serpent to overtake
her, leading then her husband into temptation. Lady Macbeth allows temptation provoked by the
witches to overtake her which in turn takes over her husband over. Both Eve and Lady Macbeth
had a desire for power, and both of their temptations seemed enticing. But because their actions
can be identified as sin in the end- both lead themselves and their husbands into punishment. One
being exile and the other being death.
The Biblical verse "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Is a true statement for
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as the sins they committed brought them to death. Their malicious
acts that were supposed to lead to their success led to their death. Macbeth dug himself deeper
and deeper into a hole, to cover up what he had done. His wife is also a liar, and in the end of
the play they both ended up dead because of their lies. Moreover this is a direct parallel to the
story of Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell land, and
keep the money instead of giving it back to church where it rightfully belongs. They then lie to
the church about what they did, and the Apostle Peter tells Ananias "You have not lied just to
human beings but to God”(Acts 5:4). When he heard this "he fell down and died" (Acts
5:5). Later his wife Sapphira encounters the Apostle, and she too falls dead for her act of
lying. Here is a prime example of the verse previously mentioned in Romans as both individuals
lie, leading to them dropping dead. Both couples act with malicious intentions. Ananias and his
wife want money and Macbeth and his wife want power. Both couples took the approach of
lying to satisfy their greed, but in then end both couples paid with death as their punishment.
Shakespeare's play Macbeth draws a direct connection to biblical texts and Christian
morals. Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth are representations of biblical stories and ideas:
evil, temptation, sin, and death. Like Lucifer, Macbeth allows evil to evolve him into a being,
that goes from greatly respecting King Duncan to killing him. Like Eve, Lady Macbeth allows
the witches to tempt her into killing Duncan, and convinces her husband to carry out the
task. Like Ananias and Sapphira both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lie to cover up all of their
diabolic actions. Those actions accumulate greatly- in the end, death conquers them before they
can fully conquer the throne. To conclude, Macbeth and his wife are a prime example and
examples of the book of James 1:14-15 which states "each person is tempted when they are
dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Works Cited
Henry, Iris. “Teaching Shakespeare Within the Context of Christian Faith: A Case Study of
Macbeth.” Rev. of Macbeth, William Shakespeare. West Indies Union of SDA 16-28
June 1996. Print.
Bible. King James Version. U.S.A: Stampley Enterprises, 1986. Print.
Hector Miron
Macbeth Essay
Mr.Shulkin
12 Senior
12/22/13
Freewill vs. the Three Witches over Macbeth
When decisions one makes determines their own fate is rather different from
someone telling you what’s going to happen. If some outside source tells you
what’s going to happen and it’s not what you want - and does not fit what you are
expecting one might want to change that. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the
main character Macbeth has to deal this and his free will was not actually freewill
it was actually controlled by the tree witches in the book. Who kept telling him
what was going to happen, manipulating his decisions, his every move.
In the beginning of the book when the tree witches meet Macbeth for the
first time, they tell him “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (pg 61).
They are all pumping him up and telling he will be king after. He is pleased to hear
this because now he comes to believe that he is actually going to be king, and his is
where the witches play games with him because late before they leave they finish
by telling him “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none,” (pg 63) letting
Macbeth know that Fliance is going to be next in the throne.
This is where Macbeth starts to over think things out and his free will comes
in play. He doesn’t want another person to be king, he wants to stay king, and he
will do anything for it to happen. He takes it into his hands to try to kill Fliance
while there is still chance. This is himself trying to control his fate which he has
hundred percent control of. But if it wasn’t for the witches letting him know what
the future had in store for him he wouldn’t have put it into his hands to attempt and
try to kill Fliance. Luckily he escaped in time before this ever happen. But this
shows the witches role in this play and how can easily manipulate Macbeth free
will by as just telling him what is going to happen in the future. So even though
Macbeth is trying to exert his free will to change the prophecy, it’s still fate
because he’s doing these things because the witches essentially told him he would?
Macbeth freewill is really being control by the witches, its Macbeth body
who’s committing the actions but it’s the witches who are playing games with
Macbeth. As Noone might say it “The world of Macbeth is intertwined with the
supernatural, from the opening scene of the witches’ meeting tot the final
confrontation between Macbeth and Macduff, in which the witches’ prophecies
come to haunting fruition,” (paragraph 7) here she’s is saying that Macbeth lives in
this world completely not natural to mankind, he seems too always want to be in
control of the situation or conflict he is facing, he wants the upper hand. Example
when he kills Duncan he did that just because he wanted to be king. But obviously
killing a king is not going to be easy for someone to hide. So this is a situation
where he has the upper hand and comes up with a master plan, this proves he has
freewill over his decisions but if it wasn’t for the witches that got his hopes up in
the begging of him becoming king, this wouldn’t have never actually happened.
Macbeth throughout the book sometimes doubts his decisions, he knows
what’s moral and what isn’t. But that doesn’t stop his ambition to obtaining his
king position, and it’s not his own ambition only. Lady Macbeth plays a big role in
this too, she brain washes Macbeth telling him that this is the best for both of them.
This makes Macbeth even more power hungry and that effects the choices he has
in his life. His free will is driven not only by the witches but by his wife as well.
And this does not help the cause.
Later in the book the witches return again, and again playing mind games on
Macbeth. The witches let him know to beware of Macduff, they say “Macbeth!
Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of fife. Dismiss me.
Enough” (pg 195). This is where the witches once again play with Macbeth’s
freewill, they let him know that Macduff is after the throne next. And obliviously
Macbeth will do anything to try to protect what he worked so hard to get in the first
place. So he goes and tries to kill Banquo who is the dad of Macduff. He figured
that they were planning something so he acted his freewill here that was controlled
by simple telling him the future. So he goes ahead and kills Banquo but fails to kill
his son. His fate is set for him, but these witches are just leading him faster to his
fate than what he was expecting.
The witches like to play games with Macbeth knowing that he will do
anything to stay in power. His freewill is not even freewill in his part. His freewill
throughout this whole play was control by the three witches playing mind games
with him. And in the end Macbeth get defeated and Malcom becomes king. There
was no escaping he died as the witches predicted. His freewill acted in the favor of
the witches as well.
Works Cited
"'Macbeth' Quotes." About.com Classic Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
"Macbeth Fate vs. Free Will." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
"The Relationship Between Macbeth and the Witches." The Relationship Between
Macbeth and the Witches. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.