... an indication that she is more than purely a 'fiend', a woman driven to desperate measures in a society that privileges her husband. Complex and intriguing, the two protagonists of the play are far more than Malcolm conceives, and the utter desolation they cause is the evidence of this. Despite these facts, Macbeth and his wife cannot rationalise their heinous deeds with any sense of logic. Ominously, Shakespeare opens ... MacDuff's family's deaths. These actions, regardless of his righteous qualities, leave Malcolm and the audience to surmise that he indeed is a 'dead butcher...

• Word Count: 1419
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... aware of his forthcoming demise: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/And then is heard no more. It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing."" Macbeth knows that his "play,"" or his life, is nearing its end. Despite the fact that whether Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his own demise is a debatable ... issue, there is substantial evidence that supports the theory that Macbeth is in fact responsible for his downfall. Although Lady Macbeth ... refuses to accept his responsibility because he does not...

• Word Count: 1270
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate