... to "Go get some water, and wash this filthy witness from your hand". Macbeth does not agree with her. He knows he will never be cleansed of this vile deed. Macbeth says, "Not all great Neptune's ocean can wash then clean". Lady Macbeth mocks her husband for dwelling upon the murderous act. Macbeth and his wife seem to lose their rapport; Shakespeare makes it obvious to ... the audience that Macbeth has the weaker spirit and that the relationship is rapidly falling apart. He ... shows this via the nervous ramblings of Macbeth, he appears to have lost all insight, whereas ... ...

• Word Count: 915
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• Grade Level: High School

... . Shakespeare used plant imagery to show that Macbeth was evil. Three witches told him that he will be the next king, so Macbeth tried to become just that. In Macbeth's struggle for mastery, he proved that he is a man that lacked good character. Macbeth's character can be classified as irrevocably evil. In Act 1, Sc 5., Shakespeare showed that the root of Macbeth's evil was his wife. She told ... Macbeth to "...look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent ... under't". Basically she wanted him to appear to be good and pure even though she knew he wasn't. Macbeth ... ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... to hide his evil desires. He does not want anyone to know what he has done. As Lady Macbeth here that Macbeth will be king, she is all for murdering Duncan. According to Choki Lady Macbeth asks the sprits to "unsex" her "make thick her blood" as to stop its access to remorse ... , and, generally, to give her the strength to do the evil deed. She too calls upon darkness to play a role in hiding the deadly act, or rather "assist" her in the murder. (Choksi) Macbeth and Lady Macbeth ... want darkness to surround them while they murder of Duncan. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is crowne...

• Word Count: 574
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• Grade Level: High School

... is physically strong and mentally weak, and it is this weakness that instigates the downfall and change of Macbeth, whereas Lady Macbeth seems to be quite the opposite of her husband. Being that Lady Macbeth's determination is far superior than that of her husband's, she is able to convince him into murdering Duncan while assuring him that he will succeed. At this part ... in the play she exerts ample power over Macbeth calling him a coward and demonstrating just how determined she is for her husband. It is this self-confidence plus the persuasiveness of her words that makes Macbeth act...

• Word Count: 389
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... readings often focus on the negative portrayal and misrepresentation of women. When this reading practice is applied to a section of act one scene three in Shakespeare's Macbeth it is easy to see that the women are given much more inferior roles and are depicted in ways that represent negative ... them as objects. He assumes that his status as a man automatically gives him the right to insult any women he pleases. Macbeth does no better in addressing them as humans when he asks, "what are you?" Though this statement is very demeaning to the witches ... the expected beliefs and values he...

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... she planned the perfect murder. She wants to be crowned just as much as Macbeth, but she didn't have the courage to stab the king. Once the king arrives at Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth does what she told her husband to do. This also shows Lady Macbeth's intelligence, for example, when Macbeth thinks further about killing the King, he decides that he has too many reasons ... to murder the king. Ambition is also Lady Macbeth's only reason for wanting to become queen. At the time when Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that there is a change of plans, she uses a very smart tactic in trying to pu...

• Word Count: 498
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• Grade Level: High School

... spirits to make her male. One of the most vivid descriptions of Lady Macbeth's wickedness is directly after Macbeth announces to her he does not want to kill Duncan.This speech epitomizes Lady Macbeth's evilness. She is ruthless, and her evil accounts for the murders that occur throughout the play Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is far more savage and ambitious than her husband, yet she convinces ... Macbeth to commit the murders that will make them king and queen. Macbeth is without his wife's cruel and uncompassionate attitude towards life ... and inspiration are very strong, but when opportun...

• Word Count: 888
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• Grade Level: High School

... to evil spirits to give her the strength to kill Duncan. Upon Macbeth refusal to proceed with the plan Lady Macbeth pressures her husband to commit the murder and states: "and live a coward in thine own esteem"(1.7, line 47). After the assassination of Duncan is complete, Lady Macbeth acquires the highest position for a woman, Queen of Scotland. Her dream is fulfilled, but the punishment ... of guilt is yet to come. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer a tragic fall shortly after accomplishing their goal. This was seen in Act 2, scene 3 which depicts the panic that Macbeth suffers after...

• Word Count: 675
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• Grade Level: High School

... come upon him, / Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mold, / But with the aid of use" (Act I, iii: 144). After Macbeth kills Duncan, Macbeth's evilness takes over and it is as though Macbeth's evil side inherently knows and understands that his new clothes will be used to hide the evil. Therefore, as soon as ... used most often to hide the appearance of guilt. Here, the theme of reality versus appearance is reinforced because of the fact that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are constantly hoping for the darkness of the night to come so that they do not have to fight against the ...

• Word Count: 1140
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• Grade Level: High School

... of the tragedy as it reflects mood, and thoughts of the world at that time. The elements of the tragedy have been followed very closely in "Macbeth". The hero is a cousin of the King, and is brave, loyal, and strong. He has defended the King on many occasions, and has won ... character flaw is his ambitions, which with the visit of the King, his wife's speeches, and the witch's speeches, convince him to commit an evil act. One part of this supernatural element of a tragedy is the sense of inescapable fate, which often involves predictions. It is present in "Othello" with ... Shakespeare...

• Word Count: 423
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• Grade Level: High School

... ." Finally, Shakespeare also uses the imagery of animals as well. "It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, which gives the stern'st good-night." In Act two, scene two, Lady Macbeth waits anxiously for Macbeth to return from killing Duncan, the King of Scotland. This goes against the rules of nature, and therefore, animals and weather erupt. The owl is a bellman because ... , according to superstition, the hoot of the owl predicts death. Thus, when the owls screamed and the crickets cried, it symbolized evil and ominous doings. In Act two, scene four ... animals of the night. "Th...

• Word Count: 1290
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• Grade Level: High School

Macbeth as a Tragic Hero? For Macbeth to be considered a "Tragic Hero", he must have some potential nobility, some good qualities that make his downfall terrifying. He must be examined as a human being with human weaknesses. Is he one who, as Lady Macbeth says, Act I, Sc. v, "is too full of the milk ... him. Does he show himself to be a materialist here, looking for success and closing his eyes to the fact that achievement and goodness do not necessarily go together? Is this what Lady Macbeth sees in him when she says in Act I, Sc. v, "wouldst not play false And yet wouldst wrongly ... by, ...

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... to push him to get things done. The second event takes place on page 345 and that they can not hide the evil intent. Before Macbeth could kill Duncan they had to act " away, and mock the time with fairest show; False face must hide what the false heart doth know." (I, VII, 81-82) This ... to push her husband as far as he can go in order for them to get their own kingdom. The fourth even shows a similarity between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The similarity is that they are both losing their minds as the murders continue. Macbeth is haunted by the murders he has committed. After having Banqu...

• Word Count: 806
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• Grade Level: High School

... thinks that the witches predictions are reliable evidence: "They met me on the day of success; and I have learnt by the perfect'st report, they have mortal knowledge- (Act 1 scene 5 lines 1-3) Lady Macbeth is delighted at the idea of him becoming King and started to plan the killing when she found out that the king was coming to stay in their castle ... weakness of pity. Her ambition for power leads her into an unnatural, phantasmagoric realm of witchcraft, insomnia and madness: "That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst crue...

• Word Count: 1149
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• Grade Level: High School

... he? He changes from what seems good to evil; however, he always has a little piece of evil creeping through his thane-like facade. After the witches speak to him and Macbeth hears of his promotion to Thane of Cawdor, he even then contemplates the murder of Duncan. "My thought, whose murder is yet fantastical, shakes so my single state of man ... that function is smothered in surmise and nothing but what is not ". These tendencies are only thoughts for now, but Macbeth needs some more motivation to get him to believe the prophecy in fanatical fashion. Macbeth finishes the deed and kills ...

• Word Count: 332
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... warrior, loyal to the cause of Scotland, and his king, King Duncan, as one of Duncan's captain says early on- "But all's too weak for brave Macbeth -well he deserves that name -disdaining fortune with his brandished steel" (Act 1 Scene 2 lines 16-18) This quote shows that he is brave, and disregards such things, as fate in his battles, only going by his ... in the prospects though, and it only takes a matter of hours for him to start thinking about what he could do to become king, which shows what kind of person he is inside. When Lady Macbeth gets the news she is immediately quite calc...

• Word Count: 2772
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• Grade Level: High School

... or is that she just wants to please her husband by giving him what he ultimately wants? There are many passages in the play to suggest that it was Lady Macbeth's own ambition to become queen. For example, why does she push Macbeth to murder Duncan when he realises that the only justification of the murder is his own ambition? When Lady ... of knowledge of his spouse, he is unable to prevent her from persuading him. Now that the murder is agreed to take place, Lady Macbeth makes sure everything is set up for the murder. On the surface it would appear that Macbeth was responsible for the ...

• Word Count: 1525
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... . The supernatural world is terrifying because it is beyond human control, and in the play it is symbolic of the unpredictable force of human motivation. [ In other words, humans sometimes act for unpredictable reasons. Not everything is rational and in our control. Weather is one thing. But even human nature, our desires, and what triggers us to do things, such as emotions ... evil in humankind. The play stats with the Witches, stating an ambiguous rule "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." (1.1.11). Their deceptive readings of the future encourage in MAcbeth and Lady Macbeth a false sense ...

• Word Count: 327
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• Grade Level: High School

... the "fog and filthy air." In Act I, scene 3, we again see the feminine presence through the witches. This time, however, they are casting spells on a poor sailor because his wife cursed one of the witches and refused to give her some chestnuts. Chances are, that if women are fighting, a man will suffer for it. Just then, Macbeth and Banqou see the witches and ... engage them in conversation. The witches greet Macbeth with, "Thane of Glamis" (his present title), "Thane of Cawdor"(his soon-to-be announced title), and the prophesy that he will ... has an inarticulate angel struggling agai...

• Word Count: 1235
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• Grade Level: High School

... quality. We learn of his physical prowess and bravery on the battlefield and in the same speech the Captain directly calls him 'brave Macbeth' and personifies him as 'valour's minion'. A modern audience may be sceptical about labelling Macbeth a hero for a killing in battle, but to a Shakespearean audience the threat of rebellion was very real and it would indeed be a hero who prevented it ... about killing Duncan ,the current king. The Shakespearean view of witches as links to the devil and hell make the truth of the prophecies questionable. The fact that Macbeth is willing to perform ...

• Word Count: 2112
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... knife see not the wound it makes,/ Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark. . ." (1.5 57-60) Lady Macbeth wants night to come for the same reasons as Macbeth. She does not want others to see that she is a murder. Additionally, she does not want the knife to see its victim ... hoot of an owl symbolizes death. Along with owls and many other birds of prey, other animals are used as well to place emphasis on a specific scene. In Act two, Ross states that "Duncan's horses . . ./Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out/ Contending "gainst obedience, as the would/ Make war ...

• Word Count: 1305
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• Grade Level: High School

... morals, than towards the end. Also, he becomes very paranoid after he has Banquo killed. Macbeth is insulted by Lady Macbeth, especially in the first part of the play which makes him look weaker. For example, when Macbeth decides he does not want to go through with the killing of Duncan, she says to ... of being caught, and he covers it up with his rage. Macbeth shows his rage by killing the guards. Macbeth has Banquo killed because he is worried that Banquo suspects that he is responsible for the murder of Duncan. This causes Macbeth to go mad and becomes paranoid, because when they go t...

• Word Count: 587
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... it had been her influence that brought him to fulfil the prophecy of the witches. Due to Lady Macbeth's ambitions both her and her husband lost the meaning of life. Even though Lady Macbeth always bosses Macbeth around she also cares for him because if she didn't she wouldn't have drawn the attention away from her husband. They are ... and planning partner. She has asked Banjo to the feast that night, but she is unaware that Macbeth had planned to murder him. She knows that Banquo is in danger but in Act 3, Scene 2 while she realises that she must keep Macbeth from despair, it is obvious...

• Word Count: 846
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• Grade Level: High School

... does may have thought of it, that there is too much "milk of kindness- in her husband for him to be able to go through with this act of treachery. This shows that Lady Macbeth is perhaps more perceptive than her husband, and thinks her plans through very carefully, and maybe even deviously ... completely evil. Surely, if she can love someone like she loves her husband for a large part of the play, and now we learn she loves her father, she cannot be the embodiment of evil. In act two, scene three, Lady Macbeth's actions are greatly disputed. When she is told, along with the other ... war...

• Word Count: 2244
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• Grade Level: High School

... story of man, so desperate for the status of king, that he will do anything to achieve it. As an established "good and hardy soldier", and quite content within that role, Macbeth is surprised to find some witches who predict his reign as king. "All hail Macbeth! who shalt be king hereafter." (Act 1 scene 3) On informing his wife, Lady Macbeth, he soon embarks on a ... fact that even his wife, a woman, is not disheartened by his fears. However, this quote already shows a glimpse of Lady Macbeth's unstable mind. Such a horrendous description shows Lady Macbeth's desperateness for Macbeth...

• Word Count: 1636
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• Grade Level: High School