Macbeth Essay

Choose a play in which there is a character who is important in relation to the theme of the play. Referring to appropriate techniques, explain how this character affects our understanding of the theme.

The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare follows the downfall of the play’s central character, the Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and later King of Scotland, Macbeth. After plotting to kill and carrying out the assassination of the former king, and becoming king himself, Macbeth’s downfall is brought on by the power of three witches and accelerated by his own ambition and hubris. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses a variety of literary techniques such as foreshadowing, metaphor and personification to successfully convey the theme. The character of Macbeth is essential to the theme of power and corruption as the play follows his descent into evil after coming into a position of power.

Macbeth is a quintessential Shakespearean tragic hero whose hamartia is his ambition. Early on in the play Macbeth is portrayed as a good, noble, heroic man, who is well respected by his peers. This is an archetype frequently used by Shakespeare; before the tragedy that befalls the ‘tragic hero’, he is portrayed as good and respectable. This is shown by ‘For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name - disdaining Fortune with his brandish’d steel’. This shows that, to his peers and those he fights alongside, Macbeth is considered positively, when he is still yet to kill the king which ultimately leads to his downfall.

In the early stages of the play, when Macbeth and his wife are plotting to kill the king and tension is rising, his surplus of ambition is the only thing that drives him to commit the horrific acts he does. He states, ‘I have no motivation to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other’. This illustrates that Macbeth has a lack of motivation to kill Duncan, as at this point in the play he has not reached the level of corruption that would make him comfortable killing somebody, however he has too much ambition to become powerful.

As a tragic hero, Macbeth has a moment of peripeteia. This is the banquet scene, where Macbeth sees visions of Banquo’s ghost and is revealed to his court to be insane. His shout of ‘Avaunt, and quit my sight!’ addressed to Banquo’s ghost shows that the guilt of killing Banquo is driving him to hallucination, and he wants rid of all reminders of his deed. This is when the reader realises that Macbeth’s newfound power has taken a toll on his character, and has begun to corrupt him. Throughout the play, Macbeth visits three witches who tell him prophecies related to his future. When told, cryptically, that he will not be killed unless the Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill, Macbeth states ‘That will never be: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree, unfix the earthbound root?’. This illustrates that Macbeth believes that he cannot be killed, for how could Birnam Wood possibly move? Therefore Macbeth’s hubris increases as he continues to kill to maintain his authority, falling deeper into the corruption that inevitably comes from being in a position of power.

As the tension continues to increase, and with the threat of Malcolm’s English army encroaching, Macbeth falls deeper into the illusion of his own security. The scenes quickly switch from Macbeth’s perspective in the castle where he believes he is safe, and the perspective of the lords in Malcolm’s army. Macbeth, when told that soldiers were approaching, says ‘Go prick thy face and over-red thy fear, thou lily-liver’d boy. What soldiers, patch?’, confirming that he thinks the servant an idiot for suggesting the idea of an army attacking. When met by the oncoming force of Malcolm’s army, Macbeth faces his soon-to-be nemesis Macduff. Macbeth reaches his moment of anagnorisis, where he realises that he will inevitably die at Macduff’s sword. He says ‘They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, but bear-like I must fight the course’. This reveals that Macbeth feels trapped, as if he is a bear chained to a post in the sport of bear-baiting. He realises that he is going to die imminently and he would rather die fighting than like a coward. This refers to the start of the play in which Macbeth is revered as a noble warrior, with the return of his brave tendencies that had not been evident for the majority of the play. At the very end of the play it is revealed to Macbeth that Macduff was born by Caesarian-section and therefore has the ability to kill Macbeth. The play reaches a moment of catharsis, when Macbeth says ‘And be these juggling fiends no more believ’d that palter with us in a double sense, that keep the word of promise to our ear and break it to our hope’. This illustrates Macbeth’s disappointment and sadness at the revelation that the witches had tricked him, and his heavy realisation that he was truly going to die, and not only die but die a fool who had been deceived. Ultimately Macbeth’s death and lead-up to his death shows the nature of ambition, how power-hungry people often come to an untimely end.

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare carries the theme of the corrupting nature of ambition and power, which is reflected in the titular character of Macbeth. Macbeth’s tragic hero arc is essential to reveal the theme and the underlying message that with great power comes corruption and evil. By using the techniques of foreshadowing - mainly exhibited in the witches’ prophecies - imagery, and personification, Shakespeare successfully gives the reader a full and nuanced understanding of Macbeth’s character, and the way that power slowly changes him. Macbeth is portrayed at times as poetic and gentle, choosing to speak with emphatic and expressive language, which gives the reader a feeling of sympathy for him as they know it didn’t have to end the way it did for Macbeth. The play can serve a purpose as a cautionary tale; through telling Macbeth’s story of despair, he is communicating to the reader to think before making rash decisions, to consider the consequences of their actions and contemplate the price of power. As stated by Bradley, ‘Macbeth leaves on most readers a profound impression of the misery of a guilty conscience and the retribution of crime’. The play has a long-lasting impact on the reader and makes them think about how power changes people - people often have ambition for power but don’t realise the effects that it will have on themselves and others. This impact makes Macbeth an incredibly relevant play to this day as it reflects the inner longing for power in many of its readers and makes people think twice before making a decision they may regret.

KEY NOTES

900-1,0000 words

45 minutes

Theme = Power and Corruption

Introduction

TASTeR
Title - Macbeth
Author - William Shakespeare
Summary - Downfall of Macbeth following a prophecy that he would be king
Techniques - Foreshadowing, personification, metaphor
Refer to question - Say how Macbeth’s character is essential to the theme of corruption and power
Paragraph 1
TPEAPEAR
Topic sentence - Explain how Macbeth is a tragic hero, refer to his ‘hamartia’
Point - Talk about how Macbeth is ‘good’ at the start of the play and how this is an archetype commonly used in Shakespearean tragic heroes
Evidence - Quote given in the exam: ‘For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name - disdaining Fortune with his brandish’d steel’
Analysis - Say how this shows that Macbeth is well-respected and seen as noble
Point - Talk about Macbeth’s surplus of ambition and how that is the only thing that drives him to kill the king
Evidence - Quote given in the exam: ‘I have no motivation to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other’
Analysis - Say how this shows that Macbeth is not necessarily evil yet but will do what he can to become king
Refer to question - Refer to question throughout the paragraph, keep referring to corruption and Macbeth’s descent into corruption
Paragraph 2
TPEAPEAR
Topic sentence - Explain that Macbeth has a moment of peripeteia
Point - Reveal that this is the banquet scene and summarise this scene
Evidence - Quote given in exam: ‘Avaunt, and quit my sight!’
Analysis - Explain how this shows how his guilt has driven him to hallucination and that this scene is when reader begins to realise Macbeth’s corruption
Point - Explain the witches’ role in the play and introduce the prophecy given to him about Birnam Wood
Evidence - Quote given in the exam: ‘That will never be: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree, unfix the earthbound root?’
Analysis - Say how this shows that Macbeth believes this is impossible and therefore he is safe
Refer to question - Explain how this makes Macbeth more confident in himself, his hubris increases, he continues to kill etc.
Paragraph 3
TPEAPEAPEAR
Topic sentence - Say how Macbeth continues to believe he is safe while the English army approach
Point - Talk about how the scenes quickly change from the castle to the army and mention again how Macbeth thinks he is safe
Evidence - Quote given in exam: ‘Go prick thy face and over-red thy fear, thou lily-liver’d boy. What soldiers, patch?’
Analysis - Say how Macbeth thinks the servant an idiot to suggest he may be in danger
Point - Explain how Macbeth’s realisation that he will die at Macduff’s sword is his moment of anagnorisis and how Macduff is is nemesis
Evidence - Quote given in exam: ‘They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, but bear-like I must fight the course’
Analysis - Explain how this is a reference to the sport of bear-baiting and how Macbeth relates to the bear as he feels trapped. Explain how this is also a reference to the beginning of the play and how Macbeth was revered as a hero and how he is going back to his noble tendencies
Point - Say how Macduff reveals the story of how he was born and how he according to the witches’ prophecy can kill Macbeth. Say that this is a moment of catharsis.
Evidence - Quote given in exam: ‘And be these juggling fiends no more believ’d that palter with us in a double sense, that keep the word of promise to our ear and break it to our hope’
Analysis - Macbeth comes to the heavy realisation that not only will he die, he will die a fool who was tricked by the witches
Refer to question - Say that Macbeth’s death shows that power-hungry people often come to an untimely end
Conclusion
TARTPIE
Title - Repeat that it is Macbeth
Author - Repeat that it is William Shakespeare
Refer to question - Explain how Macbeth’s character is essential to the theme of corruption and power
Techniques - Foreshadowing (say that this is shown in the witches), personification, imagery. Say how these techniques give a nuanced view of Macbeth. Also say that Macbeth is sometimes portrayed as gentle and poetic and how this evokes sympathy
Purpose - State how the play can serve as a cautionary tale to show the consequences of ambition and the repercussions of rash decisions
Impact - Quote Bradley - ‘Macbeth leaves on most readers a profound impression of the misery of a guilty conscience and the retribution of crime’. Explain how people often have ambition but don’t realise how it can affect themselves and others.
Evaluation - State how the impact makes it an incredibly relevant play as well as the literary genius it required to be written. Finish with a sentence about how the play makes the reader think twice about making a decision they might regret.