Cruelty: A Double-Edged Sword Renowned author, William Shakespeare, created his masterpiece Macbeth in 1606 which depicts a celebrated war hero and his wife who lose themselves in a lust for power. Throughout this play, Shakespeare masterfully conveys how acts against ethics slowly chip away at one’s identity. Themes can commonly stem from a powerful recurring action, in this case, acts of violence against certain protagonists in the story to establish power. Lady Macbeth changes from merciless to guilt-ridden, whereas Macbeth switches from remorseful to ruthless, exemplifying how committing acts of cruelty changes a person in different ways. Macbeth shows many acts of cruelty that strengthen the theme including, the murder of Duncan, the …show more content…
In Act I of Macbeth Duncan’s ultimate demise, the first act of cruelty committed, leads Lady Macbeth’s ruthlessness to shine in her and Macbeth’s lust for power. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth, “How tender ’is to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this” (Shakespeare I.vii. 63-69). Lady Macbeth shows no mercy in her argument with Macbeth. She depicts how ruthless she could be with a baby, and she can do the same to Duncan. Technically, no act of cruelty is committed at this point in time, but Lady Macbeth’s disregard for sympathy shows the lengths she would go for this power. When …show more content…
Just after murdering the King of Scotland, Macbeth shares with Lady Macbeth that he heard a voice say, “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more" (Shakespeare II.ii. 55-57). Macbeth feels that he will never be able to sleep again due to the guilt that will consume him, already feeling the effects. Before this life-altering experience, Macbeth was a war hero, very well respected and known as a good man, loyal to the king. After this, Macbeth is burdened with the weight of Duncan’s death and understands how his name is tarnished, even if it is for his own consciousness. Macbeth is unable to live with the gravity of the situation and starts to spiral after his first act of cruelty. Author Richard Whalen foreshadows the effects of Macbeth’s actions by including, “As you say, in this case "royal murder corrupts absolutely" but the honorable warrior Macbeth, brave in battle, shrinks from corrupting himself by royal murder. He has neither the experience nor temperament for it” (Whalen). Macbeth’s first act of cruelty, Duncan’s murder, sets him down a path of corruption for the rest of the play. Once a just and respected man, has now turned to alternative motives to serve himself rather than his country. It is
As a mother, Lady Macbeth would pluck her “nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out” of her baby revealing how she will do anything to get power because, although she loves her child, her greed allows her to be able to kill them if it benefited her. She chooses to ignore the devastation and grief she would have if she murdered her child because of how much she wants Duncan to die so that she gains power. While Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to continue with the murder of Duncan, Macbeth asks what if the plan fails and Lady Macbeth responds with “We fail? / But screw your courage to the sticking-place, / And we’ll not fail” (1.7.59-61).
Macbeth himself is one character in Macbeth who exhibits both inflicting and receiving brutality. The play depicts Macbeth's transformation from a brave and honorable general to a cunning and paranoid tyrant, motivated by ambition and the witches' prophecy. The brutality Macbeth inflicts on others, especially in the killing of King Duncan and the ensuing massacre of Macduff's family, is a prime example of how corrupting power can be and the damaging effects of unrestrained ambition. Macbeth suffers brutality as well, especially at the hands of the witches who use his predictions to control and trick him.
In the play, Macbeth is at last in charge of the choices and activities that prompt his destruction. Nonetheless, rather than this contention, we comprehend that Macbeth is not absolutely to accuse on the grounds that his demolition was in a few routes created by his shortcoming to be effortlessly affected by others. The deceptive predictions of the Witches and the influence of Lady Macbeth blurred Macbeth 's own particular judgment. Duncan 's homicide is likewise a variable to consider as it turned into a point where Macbeth trusted that there was no turning back in light of the fact that he had officially crushed the characteristic
Robert Evina Daily ELA 10B 6/1/2023 Cruelty and Power in Shakespeare's Macbeth William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth delves into the theme of cruelty and power, exploring the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power. The play portrays the journey of Macbeth, a warrior, as he finds his insatiable desire for power, leading to a path of cruelty and ultimately his tragic downfall. Through the characters' actions and the consequences they face, Shakespeare illuminates the dark facets of human nature when consumed by ambition and unrestrained power. At the heart of Macbeth lies the temptation of power and the lengths people are willing to go to attain it. At first, Macbeth is a loyal and courageous
Macbeth, who was initially a brave and respected nobleman of Scotland, performs an unforgiving deed by killing his loyal counterpart, King Duncan, to be crowned king and satisfy his ambitions. Initially, King Duncan viewed Macbeth as a trust – worthy and loyal individual as he is “in double trust” with Macbeth. Despite the loyalty and trust that Duncan expressed towards Macbeth, Macbeth’s prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s convincing words were enough to motivate his ambitions to betray King Duncan. However, after committing the murder and claiming the crown, Macbeth is unable to enjoy his superiority. This is predominantly due to the growing sense of guilt that has plagued him for
Macbeth’s cruelty and inhumane characteristics took over, and caused him to commit murder for no
Macbeth" delves into the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition, culminating in a cycle of violence perpetuated by the pursuit of power. Through these works, we are reminded of the devastating impact of violence and revenge on individuals and society as a whole. These themes serve as cautionary reminders of the destructive forces
Lady Macbeth utilizes the baby as it is commonly found as a weak spot for couples who have withdrawn children from their family. Lady Macbeth uses pathos-driven emotion to cause Macbeth to feel motivated to murder Duncan to attain power of the throne. Lady Macbeth contains the most convincing argument as she uses pathos, logos, and ethos to assert logical statements and emotional-driven responses which will ultimately overcome Macbeth’s
“Fate is enigmatic to us all… one of the immutable common denominators of our condition; no career of rampant ‘manly’ self-assertion can hope to circumvent or control it” (Ramsey). Macbeth, a tragedy focused on the paradox of fate and free will, is the very tale of human flaws, where we stumble and grapple at the loose edges of fate’s rocky, monstrous barrier as we try to control our future; we desperately seek out manliness and strength, only to develop cruelty, which drags us down under fate’s shackle’s again. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, masculinity and cruelty are explored as a military genius, Macbeth, is confronted by three witches that prophesize his sudden rise to power. Overcome by ambition and driven by his wife’s insinuating doubts in his manliness, Macbeth resorts to cruelty as he fights to gain the throne and maintain his authority. By the end of the play, Macbeth’s defeat and death acts as a symbol suggesting a relationship between masculinity and cruelty.
Which she hopes with this masculinity she can pull off a huge cruel, murderous, plan. Lady Macbeth made it clear in the story that she was ruthless. She told Macbeth that she would bash in the brains of her baby she was nursing. How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless
Macbeth’s ambitions influence him to attain his desire for power. This ambition drives him to become reckless for the sake of reaching his goals. This recklessness leads to the murder of Duncan- the first in a line of murders Macbeth commits to reach his power. These murders represent Macbeth’s gradual loss of morality.
Lady Macbeth tried and attempted to fasten onto Macbeth’s inner feelings and attacked his level of masculinity. He is a easy person to manipulate once the future queen questioned his manliness. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he cannot go through with killing King Duncan, she proceeds to tell him that he is a coward. To further convince her husband to kill Duncan is the utmost importance she said that she “would, while (her unborn child) was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brains out.” (Act 1, Scene 7, Lines
The play, Macbeth, shows the among between sanity and insanity and the struggle between reason and delusion. Throughout this whole play, Macbeth slips into a state of lunacy slowing turning into a psychopath. The basis of understanding the play is through the first murder, King Duncan. Macbeth’s other two assassinations are just used as efforts to secure his throne. He begins accepting the evil inside him and succumbing to the temptation to murder and insanity.
Killing Duncan was his downfall that also brought down Scotland and because of this evil act, Macbeth was punished over and over through the play until his downfall cost him his life. His figurative nobility is brought up when Macbeth becomes king. Once a noble general now and noble king keeping secrets. The audience sees his figurative
Robert Evina Daily ELA 10B 6/1/2023 Cruelty and Power in Shakespeare's Macbeth William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth dives into the theme of cruelty and power, exploring the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power. The play portrays the journey of Macbeth, a warrior, as he finds his insatiable desire for power, leading to a path of cruelty and ultimately his tragic downfall. Through the characters' actions and the consequences they face, Shakespeare illuminates the dark facets of human nature when consumed by ambition and unrestrained power. At the heart of Macbeth lies the temptation of power and the lengths people are willing to go to attain it. At first, Macbeth is a loyal and courageous