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The Tragedy of Macbeth

Running head : Macbeth

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous playwright in the entire history of English Literature . He is known for his comedies , tragedies histories and even sonnets . Particularly , his tragedies have enthralled audiences for a very long time . In his illustrious list of creations Macbeth finds a special place . The simple story of ambition , in which the Scottish general Macbeth plots and kills to gain the throne but ultimately falls prey to his own misdeeds , Macbeth has drawn audiences for its narration , the motifs , the

symbols , the mythological connection between humans , nature and supernatural . These are the key ideas that form a very important part of the play . This attempts to explore these key ideas in considerable depth

Throughout the play , we find the specter of deception runs thick and deep . Things appear to something else , they are different . Everything from the characters to their dialogues , from the prophecies to the events , appears to delude the characters as well as the audience . In the fifth act , this discrepancy between the appearances and reality becomes clear . The prophecies that Macbeth listened in the fourth act appeared to point towards his immortality as they suggested that no one born from a woman can slay him and he will be safe from death till the Birnam Wood moves t Dunsinane Hill . This lured Macbeth into a false sense of security

I look 'd toward Birnam

And anon , methought

The wood began to move

`Quote (Act V , Scene v , column II , lines 33-35 , page 399

The woods have of course , not started moving of their own accord . The soldiers of Malcolm 's army have disguised themselves as trees and are moving towards Macbeth 's fort . Similarly , Macduff , who was born of a caesarean operation and thus not literally from a woman , kills Macbeth Thus the prophecies ' appearance and their reality dawn upon Macbeth as well as the audience

The story of Macbeth , the general , is steeped in debates between reason and desire . It is a tale of ruthless ambition and in more than one instances , reason and desire clash .He 's here

in double trust

Not bear the knife myself

`Quote (Act I , Scene vii , column II , lines 13-21 , page 357

In this soliloquy of Macbeth , he is reasoning for and against killing the king . His ambition and desire to wear the crown is compelling him to perform the vile act of murder . However , reason mediates and argues that as the King 's loyal subject and his host , Macbeth should refrain from this heinous deed . Also , he himself agrees that the king is noble and just and there is no reason for him to murder the king except for his own ambition and greed . He would , in normal circumstances , not even have thought of such a cruel act but the prophecy of the witches ' instill in him the lust for power so much so that desire wins over reason

The prophecies and the witches form an important...

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