Illustrate How The Play Develops As A Tragedy And Analyse The Relative Elements In Three Scenes

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Macbeth – English Cswk Piece 4/5 -- 12/11/01 3:19 PM

Macbeth

Illustrate How The Play Develops As A Tragedy And Analyse The Relative Elements In Three Scenes

The tragedy of Macbeth, authored by Shakespeare, is a play that concentrates on the characteristic flaws in the noble hero, Macbeth, which lead to pitiful consequences. The tragedy is always down to a tragic hero- a character which the audience remains sympathetic with because at their core, they are admirable; however, certain sinister influences that originate within their own self are then encouraged by other characters, which helps lead to the final tragedy- the fall of the tragic hero. That character, in this case, is Lady Macbeth who manipulates Macbeth’s sense of worth between sacrificing his soul for the reward of kingship to satisfy her own selfish ambition to gain power. This manipulation is highlighted by the battle of wills (ambition/temptation versus honour) fought inside Macbeth as he thinks over what his wife has said  He could have, in an outright manner, asserted to Lady Macbeth that he would NOT murder Duncan, and there would have been no need for a battle of wills within him. However this is not the case because he allows that battle to run its course- it’s his tragic flaw that stops his from dismissing the whole idea; consequently this flaw in reasoning leads him to murder Duncan. It is this very flaw which is responsible for the drive behind everything Macbeth perpetrates. In definition, it’s a sinister, and to begin with, very low-key ambition; for example, at the beginning he doesn’t really expect the title of Thane of Cawdor after the first battle and is pleasantly surprised when he does receive it; however, after receiving that title, unfamiliar desires begin to take form such as the uncontrollable anticipation to become King. But it’s his extreme weakness to resist psychological persuasion in the form of insults (which his wife plays on) and a lack of self-confidence that leads him to succumb to his wife’s demand and release his potential for evil after temptation. Indeed, he commits a guilt-ridden pathology of evil deeds generating still more evil deeds. In the end, he pays the price of a heavily guilt-ridden conscience that drives him to insane state where he begins to visualise phantasms. However, that depends on which way we view the scene of Banquo’s ghost; the ghost could be a figment of Macbeth’s guilt or it could really be Banquo’s ghost cast by supernatural powers. Having said that, what is certain though is although he has committed several brutal murders, Macbeth’s sense of guilt also illustrates he is not pure evil, because his guilt expresses, in one form, his regret.

Whilst exploring these flaws, Shakespeare carefully manipulates the audience to achieve very precise reactions, though hoping in the end to get a wide range of very contrasting assessments of Macbeth. For example, there is a strong sense of a dark, evil presence throughout the play and to attenuate the audience of these sinister elements, Shakespeare uses witches, widely regarded as the agents of evil at the time, at pivotal points in the play. The audience can also appreciate how Shakespeare draws an array of implicative, double-truth dialogue from the witches to influence Macbeth, but not any wizardry- although they are well capable of this. Shakespeare plants this action so that he can accuse the witches of perpetrating an evil influence, but signify that every crime was Macbeth’s own choice. It seems Shakespeare adds a supernatural dimension of evil that purposively conspires against Macbeth. In fact, Hecate, the godess of darkness, appears as an actual character in the play which is quite unusual from his other soliloquies.

Macbeth, as a play, explores human traits such as ambition, greed, guilt, loyalty and temptation of which some, if acted upon, inevitably lead to catastrophe. These are the overriding qualities upon which Macbeth acts during different stages in the play. However, I believe he is also predisposed with a literal and unimaginative mind (another flaw), which, at times, confuses him. For instance, when the witches tell Macbeth that he is to be Thane of Cawdor and King, he is confused about how he can be Thane of Cawdor if the Thane is alive. Macbeth's confusion is ended only after Ross tells Macbeth that Duncan has given the death sentence to the present Thane of Cawdor, and has declared Macbeth the future Thane of Cawdor. Once his head is clear again, Macbeth begins to wonder how he can be King when Duncan is alive. Instead of wondering how fate will allow him to be King, he decides that the only way to become King is to kill Duncan. The reader sense’s Macbeth's literal mind when he so easily accepts what the witches tell him- just because three witches tell Macbeth of his future, does not ultimately mean it is a true prophecy. Furthermore, instead of waiting for this prophecy to prove true, Macbeth cannot resist playing a direct role “in deciding his destiny” because he does not trust fate; he only trusts himself to make the prophecy come true. Therefore Macbeth does not have faith, which demands imagination.

The play also exposes a strong moral message of how uncontrollable, and in the case of Macbeth irresistible, tempts which seem to promise happiness, can ultimately only fulfil a false, perturbed contentment in addition to a guilt-ridden conscience that can drive one to acute mental instability.

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The three scenes I have chosen to analyse fit the pattern of a typical Shakespearean Tragedy perfectly: At the start, Macbeth is portrayed as a valiant, loyal hero. From that status, he shifts, in typical climax, to an evil, greedy murderer at Act three Scene five. In the final scene, we see some of Macbeth’s nobility return as he vows to fight till the death, knowing he will die.

Act 1 Scene 3 is where the evil presence, which runs throughout the play, is established- the witches are the first to appear and play a major part throughout ...

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