Regardless of the era, everyone aspires for some kind of power, often leading them to make great sacrifices in return. William Shakespeare demonstrates the negative consequences that the desire for power has on oneself in the dramatic play Macbeth. Shakespeare illustrates this message through a transformation within the characters of the play. Macbeth, a once honourable soldier, becomes a tyrant king who kills anyone that could cost him his crown. Lady Macbeth was an intelligent manipulator, who by the end of the play, she transforms into a guilt-ridden woman. Thus demonstrating how Shakespeare cleverly uses characterization in Macbeth to depict the negative impact the desire for power has on oneself.
Shakespeare initially characterized
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Shakespeare eloquently uses this choice of diction to demonstrate that Macbeth is consistently courageous and therefore his name should be attributed to that. Shakespeare uses a simile and personification to compare Macbeth to Valour’s minion depicting him as the servant of courage and bravery’s favourite. Furthermore, the choice of having the King and a high-ranking Captain be the ones to describe Macbeth in such a high manner emphasizes his noble characterization. This characterization is effective as throughout the play Shakespeare introduces opportunities for Macbeth to achieve power which results in the corruption of Macbeth’s character. The following analysis will explore how Shakespeare alters the initial characterization of Macbeth when the character is exposed to …show more content…
While encouraging Macbeth to go through with regicide, Lady Macbeth advises him to “bear welcome in your eye, / Your hand, your tongue. Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't” (1.5.63-65). Shakespeare designs Lady Macbeth to contrast the typical gender roles of the times, by telling her husband what to do. She is the one in the relationship advising and instructing him on how to trick a room full of other powerful men. This shows the audience her dominant and manipulative nature. The juxtaposition between the “innocent flower” and the “serpent” is another wise way Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth’s character. Lady Macbeth speaks of this deceptive nature with such knowledge describing it using a metaphor and a biblical allusion illustrating her intelligence and experience. Shakespeare also uses the juxtaposition as a way to allude to Lady Macbeth’s character; women are innocent flowers but there is a serpent beneath her femininity. Shakespeare’s initial characterization of Lady Macbeth expertly sets up her character to be transformed and corrupted by the actions that lead her to
In Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, various uses of imagery, foreshadowing, and symbolism represent the central theme of ambition. Through the use of powerful imagery, subtle foreshadowing, and layered symbolism, Shakespeare illustrates the character's ambition and their inevitable, tragic downfall. These literary devices also effectively convey the characters' desires, moral decline, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Imagery is utilized to convey the destructive nature of unchecked ambition. Additionally, the effective use of foreshadowing highlights the consequences that await those consumed by their desires.
Macbeth knows that the King has trust in him and doesn’t believe that violence is the right way to gain power. In contrary, Lady Macbeth tells her husband to “Look like th' innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t.” (1.5 56-57). If Lady Macbeth had not been a woman, it’s certain that she would have committed the murder
When in a relationship, one's quest for power, can result in an endless effort to satisfy this desire, producing a tragic outcome. In the tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores how greed and ambition has an influence on one’s actions, leading to the occurrence of a tragedy. In the case of Macbeth, greed and ambition results in Macbeth becoming a highly manipulative, and dangerous individual. The dominant status Lady Macbeth owns, allows her to influence Macbeth into committing harmful acts. When Lady Macbeth’s dominant status begins to deteriorate, Macbeth begins to mature, gradually becoming the more dominant individual within their relationship.
Both greed and power, if not controlled, can lead to destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate how ambition can change one’s personal relationships. As in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not share the same ambition, and it is because of this that their relationship lacks love and affection however through the use of persuasion and other means, Lady Macbeth is able to get Macbeth to pursue her ambition. This not only changes their relationship drastically but it also changes Macbeth’s attitude towards ambition. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows us through Macbeth, the possibility for ambition to eventually turn into greed and how the lust for power may corrupt us.
Lady Macbeth presents herself as a strong, driven, and ambitious woman who is ready to do what it takes to gain power and influence. This is shown when she instructs Macbeth to “Leave all the rest to me.” (1.5.71) as she takes the leadership of a gruesome action from her husband. Lady Macbeth even feels these masculine-presenting traits enough to question the masculinity of others, which is seen when she tells Macbeth that he was acting like a child by saying “the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures; ‘tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.” (2.2.53-55) after he expressed his guilt.
The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare explores the concepts that belong to ambition as well as kingship. The play happens to be about Macbeth, an existing Scottish nobleman who happens to be motivated by his aspiration to become king. Scotland happens to be where it takes place. The play demonstrates how ambition becomes unchecked as well as how power corrupts. Macbeth happens to be an existing person who happens to be consumed by desire.
Lady Macbeth uses layered language to persuade him despite his guilt regarding the murder. Lady Macbeth converses, “Look like th’ innocent - flower. - But be the serpent under’t. … Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom” (Shakespeare 1.5 76-82). Shakespeare uses the metaphor of Macbeth becoming an innocent flower, to show how Lady Macbeth is manipulating Macbeth into murdering Duncan by hiding behind a false identity.
The Depths of Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth once said, “Look like th’innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t (I, iv, 65-66).” This quote briefly explains who Lady Macbeth actually is. She is a character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth. She is known as Macbeth’s wife and seems to want the throne as much as her husband.
Power is always coveted in any society and the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is no different. In the play, Macbeth, a noble lord, shows his hunger for power with thoughts to remove an heir to the throne from power. Macbeth’s impatience to be king leads him to stain his honor by using murder. Macbeth travels further down the path of evil by arranging the assassination of a friend.
Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a power hungry and vindictive women, whose character is against the stereotypes of a Jacobean woman. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a deceptive woman, who uses the fact that she is a woman as a weapon. ‘Why, worthy thane, you do unbend your noble strength to think.’ Lady Macbeth is talking to Macbeth.
In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Shakespeare explores the consequences of unchecked ambition and greed paired with blind trust in the wrong people, and how this will ultimately result in inevitable repercussions. Shakespeare's character Macbeth explores these ideas through his political greed and desire to become King of Scotland. Macbeth was a virtuous man who was enrolled in the army, and this play represents how power can corrupt even these kinds of people. His ambition to be the king guides him to commit multiple heinous crimes, including the murder of his friends and allies. He lets this idealized version of himself control him, and lead him to malicious acts that eventually lead him to his death.
William Shakespeare portrayed the character Lady Macbeth to be extremely ruthless, malicious and manipulative. Thus, being the reason she could easily convince Macbeth to do her will, yet still put on such a convincing performance in front of those who knew nothing of her and her husband’s actions. Lady Macbeth shows her complexity constantly throughout the story when she shares her view-point on masculinity by demasculinizing her own husband, when she strategically plans the murder of the King Duncan, and finally when she finally goes crazy because of the guilt she possesses for not only her own actions but also turning her own husband into a
The reader is able to see this through Macbeth’s contemplation on whether or not he should kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth's lust for power and Macbeth’s final yet selfish decision. The overall comparisons are able to demonstrate the harmful physical and psychological effects of power throughout a community. As a result, the reader can learn from both Queen and Shakespeare that one's evil pleasure and desires can be a result of one's destruction all
At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.
“Looks like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it”(Shakespeare 1.7) this truly defines Lady Macbeth and describes her being someone that acts one way in certain situations and then in a contrary manner in others and also shows her manipulative personality and exploits her victims. Lady Macbeth is sharp at convincing and uses people for her need which she does throughout the play. In the play, The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth is ultimately responsible for Macbeth’s undoing because her ambition supported his greed and provoked his downfall. Lady Macbeth with her demanding and forceful comments triggered Macbeth 's weakness which leads Macbeth to agree on the murder.