To What Extent Can Macbeth Be Defended For The Murder Of Duncan?

English Essay To What Extent Can Macbeth Be Defended For The Murder Of Duncan? The play Macbeth was written by English playwright William Shakespeare around 1605. It is about the supernatural, internal conflicts and the much used "killing of the King" plot. It is centred on the struggle within Macbeth's mind between good and evil. The play aroused considerable interest at the time when it was written because of the public's belief in witchcraft and strong religious feelings, and because killing a king was considered the worst crime possible as the belief was he was appointed by God to rule divinely. Macbeth is a Scottish nobleman who is a great warrior, and, at the beginning of the play has just won a battle. He has the trust of the Scottish king, Duncan, but after hearing a prophecy he becomes convinced that he will be king and decides that the only solution is murder. Although Macbeth is clearly guilty of Duncan's murder, to what extent can he be defended for his actions? There are other factors present in the play around Macbeth that influence and incite him to commit the murder, the witches, his colleagues, even his own wife who puts a lot of pressure on him, there is also the continuous struggle in Macbeth's mind between good and evil and right and wrong. These factors and their impact and whether or not Macbeth can be defended for being affected by them are

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Is Macbeth a cold blooded murderer or

Is Macbeth a cold blooded murderer or a man possessed by supernatural events beyond his control? Is Macbeth a cold blooded murdered or a man who cannot control his actions. Macbeth was a brave soldier who fought for his country but everything changed when he met the witches. Are the witches responsible for the murders carried out by Macbeth? I am also going to look at the evidence of the witches influence. Did the witches really know what was going to happen? Was Macbeth responsible for the murder of King Duncan? What part did Lady Macbeth play in the murder? In doing this essay I am going to find out if Macbeth was a cold heartless murdered or if he was controlled by the witches. Macbeth was a brave and ambitious soldier who fought for his country. He showed a lot of strength and courage. At the beginning of the play there is a war going on. Macbeth and his good friend Banquo are fighting for their army. The Scottish army have won the war and new gets back to the King that Macbeth showed bravery. King Duncan asks Ross to call Macbeth over as he is going to be titled 'Thane of Cawdor' Act 1 scene 2 65 - 67 "No more that Thane of Cawdor. And with his former title greet Macbeth." The King appreciates what Macbeth has done. In Act 1 scene 3, there is a sign of evil as there is thunder on the moor. The witches are preparing the meet Macbeth who is travelling

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Do you think that Lady Macbeth is a good wife to an ambitious husband? You should refer in some detail to her words and actions.'

'Do you think that Lady Macbeth is a good wife to an ambitious husband? You should refer in some detail to her words and actions.' Lady Macbeth from my point of view is an excellent wife for an ambitious husband; we can see much evidence of this in the play Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most famous and frightening female characters. When we first see her, she is already plotting King Duncan's murder, and she is stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband. Lady Macbeth is a controversial figure. She is seen by some as a woman of strong will who is ambitious for herself and who is astute enough to recognise her husband's strengths and weaknesses, and ruthless enough to exploit them. They see her in her commitment to evil and in her realisation that the acquisition of the Crown has not brought her the happiness she had expected, and finally, as one who breaks down under the strain. Others see her as a woman ambitious for her husband whom she loves. She recognises the essential good in him, and feels that, without her, he will never win the Crown. Lady Macbeth wants to throw out her morality for the sake of gaining a title. With the help of invisible sprits, she wants to make herself able to commit a murder to make her dreams of the royal life come true, without having reservations or remorse. She approaches Macbeth with the idea that she

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Symbols within the play Macbeth

MACBETH ESSAY Macbeth had many symbols, which were linked to the themes in the play. One of the symbols would be blood, and the theme to follow through with it is murder, and the dread associated with murder. A lot of the scenes in the play, involving killing, have blood stated. Blood is a significant symbol, when connected to the theme of killing, and is used as a foreshadowing device as well. The first reference of blood is one of honor, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says, "What bloody man is that?"(Act 1 Sc ii, line 1). This is symbolic of the brave fighter who has been injured in a heroic battle for his country. In the next passage, in which the sergeant says, "Which smok'd with bloody execution"(Act 1 Sc ii, line 18), he is referring to Macbeth's braveness. After that, Shakespeare exploits blood as a symbol, takes place in Act 2, when Macbeth is preparing to kill Duncan. He imagines a dagger, a bloody dagger at that, pointing towards Duncan's room. Macbeth describes it "And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before...It is the bloody business which now informs thus to mine eyes." (Act 2, Scene ii, 55-58). In this scene, the blood foreshadows, that Macbeth is about to kill Duncan. It also reflects on his state of mind, where he fears of killing Duncan, because his mind is playing tricks on him. Shakespeare most likely put

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Witches Are to Blame for Macbeth's downfall

The Witches Are To Blame For Macbeth's Downfall Macbeth was a weak character, despite his noble and honourable reputation as a "good and hardy soldier". It was this weakness that allowed him to be seduced by the witches' prophecy; it was this very same weakness that resulted in him listening to his devious, determined and power hungry wife and it was ultimately his weakness, of listening and relying on the witches that resulted in Macbeth's downfall. However, despite this flaw, Macbeth was not solely to blame for his failure. It was the witches' prophecies which had ignited Macbeth's ambition and his wife, Lady Macbeth, who was even more ambitious and more determined than her husband. The role of the witches should not be underestimated. In fact, in the opening scene, Shakespeare creates a mysterious and ominous atmosphere, foreshadowing that 'Fair is foul and foul is fair' suggesting the evil which is about to follow throughout the play. In act 1 scene 3, the witches greet Macbeth as 'Thane of Glamis', 'Thane of Cawdor' and as 'King of Scotland'. This prophecy leads Macbeth to genuinely think about being in control and having power. Although a modern audience would be critical about the role of the witches, Shakespearean audiences viewed them as evil, having the capability of casting terrible events. However, the witches do not force Macbeth to do anything that he does not

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lady Macbeth is a fiend like queen.

"Lady Macbeth is a fiend like queen." I agree that lady Macbeth is a fiend like queen, as Malcolm describes her in Act five, scene nine, line thirty-five. A definition for Fiend-like is evil, wicked or villainous. She starts out as a villain, who is capable of evil. However, as Macbeth grows more evil and ruthless, she sees that her ways were wrong. Her evil ways are revealed when she receives a letter from her husband. I see from the letter that Macbeth treats her as an equal, "My dearest partner of greatness", and that he is pleased to tell her of the prophecy, from the three witches, that she will become queen. At this point of Act 1 scene 5, there is no mention of murder. After reading the letter, Lady Macbeth in a soliloquy thinks about Macbeth being too compassionate to make his ambition become reality. We see her malicious determination and that she wishes he could be more ruthless and callous. She goes on to wonder if Macbeth is "too full o' th' milk of humane kindness". This shows that she is not convinced that Macbeth would be capable of being as vindictive as she would like him to be, and is determined to change Macbeth's state of mind. When Macbeth enters act 1 scene 5, he talks to his wife. Lady Macbeth concisely tells him of her plan, warning him that to "beguile the time" he has to "look like the time". She is determined to appear strong towards Macbeth.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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During this essay I will be discussing the way old women are treated in these stories: " Invisible boy", "The darkness out there" and "More than just disease".

Bhaktipriya Nayan Kapadia Prose Coursework I have been given a task of comparing three short stories from the anthology " Out of the darkness". During this essay I will be discussing the way old women are treated in these stories: " Invisible boy", "The darkness out there" and "More than just disease". Finally I will conclude with the most interesting story that I found, out of the three stories that I have read. An important thing to look at when studying a story, in my opinion, is the title. Titles of some stories give away the plots or endings, whereas others are completely abstract and thought provoking, providing no clue as to what the story will be about. I would say "More than just disease" is the best title out of the three stories I have read. They give away the story is about something about the disease that becomes "More than just disease" but nothing to spoil the plot or ending. The benefits the reader, who would be able to get more involved in the story as more of the plot unfolds. The three stories that I have read are short stories. The authors concentrate on one main character and one plot. I will now talk about the three old ladies'

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and contrast Shakespeare's presentation of the character of Macbeth through the use of soliloquy in Act 1 scene7 and Act 2 scene 1 of

Compare and contrast Shakespeare's presentation of the character of Macbeth through the use of soliloquy in Act 1 scene7 and Act 2 scene 1 of "Macbeth" Soliloquies are frequently used in many places as a dramatic device. A soliloquy is when, in a play for example, the speaker speaks to himself and the audience while those in the background either freeze or continue on as if the speaker isn't speaking at all. The soliloquy is used so the speaker ca put across his thoughts, like freezing a play in the middle of an act to confide in the audience his or her feelings. The first soliloquy in "Macbeth" for instance tells you his feelings and perspective on the upcoming events. Soliloquies are used to the audience can see what is going on in the speakers mind. Often the speaker will give a running commentary if he is in the process of doing something. Macbeth's character changes a lot in the duration of the play, and you can see him slowly changing throughout. At the start of the play, we first hear of Macbeth as the witches speak. Now the audience know that he is the main character and we hear his name mentioned. As witches are seen as ugly, evil creatures, we can gather from this that something bad could be happening soon. Witches aren't associated with good or happy things so the audience would be expecting something sinister to happen. Next it cuts to a battlefield where the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Macbeth - Victim or Villain?

Macbeth Victim or Villain Upon the opening of the play of Macbeth we hear of him through narrative but do not see him, though the sergeant is biased towards Macbeth and Banquo in his report of them in battle. We find out from the sergeant that Macbeth is someone who portrayed valour on the battlefield. However, this is interesting because we find out later that Macbeth is not as ruthless when he is not on the battlefield. Macbeth was frightened of the witches when he first saw them. Firstly by their appearance and secondly by their predictions, but what is interesting is that the witches predicted things which were positive so Macbeth was afraid of how he might react after hearing their predictions. So we have clues that Macbeth had already thought about plotting to kill the king because of his ambition. All he needed was a little push to carry it through. I will convey to you the changes that take place in Macbeth´s character and his thought process as he changes. It is clear that Macbeth is well respected in the beginning of the play because of the sergeant's report. The sergeant's report made Macbeth sound gallant and the traitor Mackdonwald sound ruthless and not worthy of being killed by Macbeth. For example: "Merciless Mackdonwald" and "brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)". The sergeant spoke with passion as he described Macbeth cutting through crowds of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Macbeth - 'There can be no pity for Macbeth in his exploration of evil. He knew what he was doing.'

Macbeth Coursework 'There can be no pity for Macbeth in his exploration of evil. He knew what he was doing.' All throughout the play, Macbeth knows what he is doing. There is never any suggestion that he doesn't know what he is doing is evil. The whole play builds up a picture of a river of blood, and Macbeth is wading into it bit by bit but knowingly. He only starts of by dipping his toe into the river but before long is up to his waist. He describes this river in Act 3: Scene 4 - 'I am in blood stepped so far'. This sentence shows that he knew what he was doing but he still doesn't stop. When he is just dipping his toe in is when he is thinking about killing Duncan. At first, he is scared of the idea - 'Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair?' At first he needs Lady Macbeth to force him to even think about doing it. She bribes him with her love: 'From this time such I account thy love.' This makes him decide to kill Duncan but only after a couple of arguments with Lady Macbeth. At the beginning he does know what he is doing, but is blind with ambition and is being manipulated by the witches and Lady Macbeth. - 'All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter.' This statement starts him off into evil and they tempt him by saying he will be Thane of Cawdor and then it happens. He doesn't want to leave becoming King to chance. But

  • Word count: 1673
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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