Enemy of the future Macbeth's ruthlessness and obsession make him the greatest enemy of his own future. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth goes can be viewed as an enemy of the future due to killing anyone who he sees as a threat and being obsessed with trying to fulfill the prophecy of the three witches and will do anything to keep it true. One of Macbeth's most striking characteristics of being an enemy of the future is his willingness to kill anyone who stands in his way such as Macduff’s family and Banquo. In an attempt to kill Banquo and his son, Macbeth hires 3 assassins to go kill him. After everyone departs, Mcbeth says to himself “It is concluded: Banquo, thy soul’s flight, if it find heaven, must find it out-to-night” …show more content…
Macbeth becomes consumed by his desire to become king and is willing to commit heinous acts to make it happen. After Lady Macbeth get the King's guards drunk, Macbeth sneaks in to where the king slumbers and speaks to himself, saying “the bell invites him” and goes to Duncan who is still sleeping and tells him “ hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven, or to hell.” (II.I.69-71). Macbeth goes as far to kill his own king in cold blood in order to fulfill his own prophecy. This scene starts the breaking point in Macbeth which later descends him down the bath of madness and his character becoming an enemy. Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance, simply because he believes that they pose a threat to his seat on the throne. Macbeth remembers the prophecy Banquo was told when he asked of his future which they responded “lesser than Macbeth and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Thou shall get kings though thou be none.” (I.III.68-70). This showed how Macbeth is willing to do anything to fulfill the prophecies of the three witches that they controlled his life going forward as to making him murder his close friend and attempt to murder his
The prediction also leads to his notion that he killed King Duncan for Banquo’s sons. As a result, the witches’ prophecy compels Macbeth to hire murderers to kill Banquo and
Eventually leading him to descend further into madness and instability. We can see his downfall as he hallucinates a dagger, his dead friend Banquo and three apparitions. To begin with, Macbeth has conflicting emotions and is filled with fear about killing King Duncan as he lacks foresight about his first murder. His
Macbeth decides he needs to take action to keep his crown, “Given to the common enemy of man/ to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings/ Rather than so, come Fate into the list” (3. 1. 70-72). After seeing that all of his prophecies come true Macbeth thinks about Banquo and fears losing his crown. Macbeth hires murderers to go and kill Banquo and Fleance so that he remains king.
Macbeth wants Basnquo and Fleance dead. He heard Banquo’s prophecies from the witches and doesn't want them to come true because they will damage his pride and power. By taking Banquo and Fleance down he “ wails his fall who I myself (Macbeth) struck down (Shakespeare 3.1 138-139)”. Macbeth wants them killed by three murders he has hired, so his friends and no one finds out that he is behind the killing. If anyone finds out he murdered Banquo then that would severely damage his pride and image.
Throughout Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, it becomes apparent that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been led into their own undoing by their own self-justified actions rather than by leaving everything up to fate. For Macbeth, the most self-evident example of his destruction is by interfering with the Weird Sister's prophecy by hiring murderers to exterminate Banquo and his son Fleance. Even after killing Duncan and receiving the title of the King, he is still not satisfied as he realizes that all of his efforts would benefit Banquo and his sons without them even having to do anything. Rather than standing by and letting them benefit off of his endeavors, he decides to disrupt the fate of Banquo: "To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!
Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan, being more heartless than Macbeth. Macbeth kills Duncan to become king and is consumed with guilt. Shortly after the killing, he claims that he heard a voice tell him to "sleep no more” and that he "[murders]" "innocent sleep" (2.2.47-48). Macbeth is having internal struggles, not being able to sleep because of the guilty voices that engulf his mind. The innocence that he once had is gone, making him unable to sleep.
Macbeth’s Murderous Madness “He who seeks evil will find it” (Heart and Minds). It is often that in both life and fictional literature those with the character to look for the answers to the future seek some immoral means. In Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth is portrayed initially as a valorous and good-hearted general to King Duncan, but who later is corrupted by ambition. He persuades himself that killing his king to take the throne is the right thing to do. Macbeth’s evil ways to attempt to control the future make him realize that he has to bury the past by firstly assassinating King Duncan, seeking the witches for information, and covering it all up by murdering Banquo.
Macbeth tried to control his future by killing Duncan in order to become king; he then kills anyone who somehow knew about the murder of Duncan. Macbeth in the beginning visits the witches, who tell him that he will become king, but he has others in his way of doing so. Lady Macbeth then encourages him to do whatever he has to do in order to get Macbeth. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth then plan the murder of Macbeth, and plan to frame the killing on the guards.
Unlike with the murder of Duncan, Macbeth lacks hesitation and says, "To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear; and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony's was by Caesar" (3.1 85). Banquo's concern that the Three Witches' prophecy will come true causes him to question whether or not Macbeth murdered King Duncan. Due to Banquo's rising suspicions, Macbeth fears him above all others. Therefore, Macbeth hired assassins to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance.
Rather than so, come, fate, into the list, And champion me to th’ utterance!” (Shakespeare 1.1.69-72). Macbeth saw Banquo as a threat and that is why he wanted him killed that's why he hired three assassins to do the job for him. After killing Banquo, Macbeth's plan was successful for a while until he was caught. Macbeth tried to control the future by committing murder but he also kept seeking the witches because he believed in their
Soon after Macbeth becomes king, he sees Banquo and Fleance as threats. He consciously plots their murder to secure his absolute power and avoid accusation. According to the witches’ predictions, Banquo’s descendants will become king. To prevent this, Macbeth hires murderers to kill his best friend, Banquo and his son, Fleance. He says, “Upon my head they plac’d a fruitless crown” (Shakespeare 3.1.60).
Macbeth also learns that Banquo’s child, Fleance will become king in the future. So Macbeth hires the murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as well. Although the murderers only manage to kill Banquo, Fleance manages to run away just in time to avoid
After achieving the title of the King of Scotland, Macbeth wants to secure his position as the king and desires to inherit the Scottish throne to his ancestors. His aim was showed in “To be thus is nothing, /But to be safely thus” (III, i, 52-3). This quote reveals that Macbeth not only wanted to become the king but also wants to secure his position as the King of Scotland for the welfare of his upcoming generation. This reveals Macbeth’s is implying the witches’ prophecies; as long Banquo’s sons live, Macbeth’s throne would not be able to inherit down to his ancestors. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as represented through, “Banquo, thy soul’s flight, /If
Macbeth wanted Banquo dead because he did not want Banquo to be the one to say that he killed King Duncan. The author says, “He tries to defend his father when they are attacked but is not old enough or skilled enough. He just manages to escape with his own life” (General OneFile 1). When Banquo was killed, his son, Fleance, escaped before he was going to get killed. Macbeth sent the murderers to Fleance because he was with his father at that time.
I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on 't again I dare not.” (Act II, sc ii, Lines 48-50). Macbeth is getting extremely paranoid and feels bad killing Duncan. Macbeths ambitions caused him to murder Duncan, but he also had Banquo murdered, and wanted to murder Banquo 's son, Fleance. Macbeth wants Banquo killed because he saw him as a threat; however, Banquo had been Macbeth 's friend and thought he could trust him. "