In Act III Macbeth states 'I am in blood/Stepp'd in so far,that, should I wade no more,/Returning were as tedious as go o'er" ( III, iv, 167-169). Later in the play, Macduff describes Macbeth as a fiend. As a reader, do you have any sympathy for Macbeth?
In the beginning of the play we as the reader can see Macbeth’s internal conflict between his ambition and his loyal and gentle ways, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair” (I iii, 144-145). The reader gets the sense that, although Macbeth has less than noble thoughts, he has goodness within him.
ReplyDeleteAs the play progresses and King Duncan is murdered, the reader’s opinion about Macbeths character changes and his integrity is gravely questioned. After Macbeth is crowned king the questioning of Macbeths character is supported by a conversation between Lennox and another lord. In this conversation Macbeth is called a tyrant, “his presence at the tyrant’s feast”(III,vi, 22) at which point the reader gets confirmation that, though previously portrayed as noble, Macbeth no longer is the admirable character he was once thought to be.
At this point Macbeth has no only murdered King Duncan for personal gain, but killed his once good friend Banquo. His mind has become infirm and he is distrustful of his lords “there’s not a one of them but in his house/ I keep a servant fee’d” (III, iv,162-163) placing spies in their homes. Just as Macbeth has lost trust in his men the reader has lost faith in Macbeth and is waiting to see what atrocity Macbeth will justify next.
Though Macbeth initially appears to be a good man his unjust actions morph him into a cold and malevolent character willing to do whatever it takes for his personal gain. Due to his actions throughout the play the reader feels little or no sympathy for Macbeth being labelled a fiend as it is an honest and suiting label. Sadly the reader has the lingering regret that Macbeth could have been a good man if it were not for the influential tidings of the prophecies.
I completely agree with Elizabeth! It is understandable why a reader would feel sympathy towards Macbeth. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is introduced as a loyal, trustworthy subject to King Duncan. Though we do not meet Macbeth until act 1 scene 3, we hear of his greatness from other characters such as the soldier who claimed, “For brave Macbeth –well he deserves that name...” (I, ii, 18), and Duncan himself when he replies, “O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” (I, ii, 26). Both of these characters have told the audience that he is a trustworthy character.
ReplyDeleteLater in the play however, we see that Macbeth’s ambition warps his character; changing it from the good person he was to someone who did not trust those around him. We see him lying to Banquo, telling him, “I think not of them”, (II, i, 25) when Banquo asked Macbeth about the witches. Macbeth also kills the guards in front of Duncan’s chambers after he’s killed Duncan. Though he claims, “O, yet I do repent me of my fury, / That I did kill them,” (II, iii, 121-122), saying that he killed the guards in a blind rage but we, as readers, know that the true reason is to make sure that neither he, nor Lady Macbeth were caught. Yet through all of this, Macbeth had not acted alone. Lady Macbeth had to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan or Macbeth would have talked himself out of it.
It is in act three that Macbeth is almost an opposite of the character we were introduced to at the beginning of the play. This is the scene when Macbeth makes the decision to have both Banquo and Fleance killed in order to protect his position as king. The biggest difference in this murder is that Macbeth decided on it on his own, saying to Lady Macbeth, “Be innocent of if the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed” (III, ii, 50-51). Macbeth also has grown not to trust the other Lords under his rule as we can see when he says, “there’s not a one of them but in his house/ I keep a servant fee’d” (III, iv, 162-163). As Macbeth’s mistrust grows towards the other Lords, so to do their opinions of Macbeth change. One Lord even goes so far in calling Macbeth a tyrant when he says, “his presence at the tyrant’s feast” (III, vi, 22).
All of this mistrust and murder makes it very difficult for a reader to feel any sympathy towards Macbeth. Instead they are left with the feeling of unease, wondering what Macbeth could be up to now and if he will continue on his path of insanity as we see from his numerous outbursts in act three, scene four. And as Elizabeth pointed out, sadly, Macbeth could have avoided all of this pain and unrest if not for the appealing nature of the prophecies.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a loyal and trustworthy subject to both King Duncan and their country, Scotland. Many characters have encouraging and positive things to say about Macbeth such as “For brave Macbeth –well he deserves that name...” (I, ii, 18) and “O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” (I, ii, 26). These quotes show how characters such as soldiers and King Duncan did have trust and faith in the belief that Macbeth was a good character. Towards the middle, Macbeth starts to downfall when his ambitions to become king get the best of him. The murder of Duncan, the murder of Banquo, the attempted murder of Fleance, and the murder of Macduff’s family all start to show Macbeth’s own self-driven colours. As the play progresses, I do not have any sympathy for Macbeth; his actions have brought him to the point at which he resides. He held full knowledge of his actions and where they would bring him. His entire persona changes within the 2nd and 3rd acts; he goes from a courageous hero, to conspiring murderer, and now a terrified madman. His friends and subjects see him as a tyrant; insane and stricken with emotion and fear. This is greatly displayed at the dinner for which Banquo does not appear too in person as Macbeth has had him murdered; instead the ghost of Banquo appears in Macbeth’s mind. This for obvious reasons frightens Macbeths into a screaming stupor while the Scottish nobles watch. Macbeth’s own actions bring him to the point in which his deceit is seen by others surrounding him. Through the murder of both King Duncan and loyal Banquo Macbeth begins to lose the support of his followers, namely: Macduff. Macduff does not present himself at Macbeth’s dinner either as he remains unsure of the means of which Macbeth has claimed throne.
ReplyDeleteAs I have said, Macbeth’s own actions have brought him to where he stands, he had ample chances to veer away from the path which the witches outlined, and Lady Macbeth pushed for. Had he used his own personal conscience instead of the influences of others he may not have reached this point. “To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reins that which would be feared. ‘Tis much he dares, and to that dauntless temper of his mind he hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor to act in safety. There is none but he whose being I do fear, and under him my genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony’s was Caesar. He chides the sisters when they first put the name of the king upon me and bade them to speak to him. Then, prophet like, they hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in my grip, thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, no son of mind succeeding. If’t be so, for Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; put rancor’s in the vessel of my peace only for them; and mine eternal jewel given to the common enemy of man, to make them kings, the seed of Banquo’s kings!” (III, I, 49 – 70). This quote helps to show how through Macbeth’s actions, his now poisoned mind is causing him go in a downward spiral into madness. Macbeth’s ambition and drive to become King get the best of him as he is now willing to do anything to stay king- compared to before when Macbeth was willing to do anything for his country and King Duncan. One may justify that the witches told Macbeth the prophecies as test to see if he was right for the thrown. Instead, Macbeth let the prophecies drive to a new defiance of insanity. Therefore, I have no sympathy for Macbeth but I do understand as to why someone might.
I like the ideas you are discussing. It is difficult to feel pity for Macbeth, in part because of how extreme the circumstances are. If you notice on your rubric, you are asked to extend your understanding of the play to the "real" world. This prompt is one of several areas where you can do so. Does Macbeth bring to mind other people who have taken a wrong path? Are there people who have been influenced by others? People who are insecure and do harmful things to others as a result? Do you feel for these people? If you can't think of people you know ( no names!), you can reference political figures, athletes,celebrities, fictional characters etc.
ReplyDeleteI feel pity for Macbeth; I believe he is just weak in letting his ambition rule over his guilt. It is easy to see throughout the play that he does feel guilt for his actions; he reveals this after Duncan’s murder “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red.” (II, ii, 77-80) Macbeth states that all of the water in the ocean could never clean his hands of the deed he has just committed. However as the play moves forward we begin to see less of the noble soldier and more of a malicious tyrant. It is easy to lose faith in Macbeth after he kills Banquo and Macduff’s family without any remorse, but it is the effect that Duncan’s murder had on Macbeth that caused him to commit additional murders. After becoming king Macbeth develops trust issues “To be thus is nothing,/ But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature” (III, I, 52-54) However once the murder has been committed Macbeth begins to have hallucinations that Banquo’s ghost is in his seat “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake/ Thy gory locks at me.” (III, iv, 63- 64) I believe Shakespeare included scenes showing Macbeth’s guilt for his actions to create controversy over whether the audience has sympathy for his character or not.
ReplyDeleteHowever when observing how we as the public react to celebrities like Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan it is easy to see we don’t feel pity for those who put themselves in their situations. Comparing them to Macbeth it is easy to see how most people wouldn’t feel sympathy for his character, because he is a murderer and his insanity and death are a result of his own actions.
In response to Mrs. Nolan’s post I believe that one public figure, who in past years has been very prominent in the media, that compares to Macbeth would be Conrad Black.
ReplyDeleteA Canadian, Conrad Black ran a media empire, notably on newspapers as he owned many, and rose to commercial power becoming one of the leading businessmen in Canadian history. Black, similarly to Macbeth, also built a reputation as a man of the people and as he developed his empire he became a respected public figure.
Alas just like Macbeth Conrad Black fell, in this case to prison, he had become corrupt– stealing from his companies. Though Black had previously had a reputation as a respected and good man he became corrupt, just like Macbeth was corrupted by his pursuit of the witch’s prophecies.
When Black was finally convicted of criminal fraud the public felt little pity for him because he had manufactured his own demise as did Macbeth.
When we are first introduced to Macbeth we see a brave, strong, and loyal hero and he continues to portray that even after the prophicies are given to him because he believed that he could acheive the rankings without stiring the pot. But that image is quickly demolished whenever we meet Lady Macbeth and she discribes him to us. She portrays him as a weak hearted man, who doesn't lack ambition but he does lack in evil beliefs. In a major sense we as the reader has to feel some pitty on his character since it wasn't his idea to murder the king and his wife forced him to go through with it. And from there Macbeth continues killing all who may threaten his existance even if it was just murders to warn others. Macbeth quickly begins to drown himself in a pool of blood that never needed to be spilled in the first place. Between the witches giving the prophicies making him curious and then his own wife forcing him to become a trader, all this power put on him from other factors. Because looking at the whole big picture Macbeth was very happy where he stood at the begining of the play; he was a well respected general of the Scotish military, who already had a very important rank under his belt(Thane of Glamis). Everything was going well for him untill the witches put the prophecies out there wich allowed Lady Macbeth to furthur any ideas in the wrong direction. But now that Lady Macbeth is hardly living and Macbeth can't conrol the killing anymore and that he believs he wont be stopped, he just continues to fill that pool of blood up.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel any sympathy towards Macbeth. I agree with Courtney in that he had full knowledge of his actions, and what the consequences might be if he chose to follow them through.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as an honourable, highly reputable general. He wins the victory for Scotland and everyone is in his gratitude. He is referred to as a “Bellona’s bridegroom” (the Roman god of war) by Ross (I, II, 63) and given the title of Cawdor. After the battle, Macbeth then becomes aware of the witches prophecies, and starts to think about murdering Duncan and becoming king. As the reader, I feel some sympathy towards him because the supernatural were playing with his mind, but he should have been more sceptical of the predictions. Even Banquo warned him “The instruments of darkness tell us truths/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray us in deepest consequence” (I, III, 131-135).
After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth is starting to have regrets and his guilty conscience is becoming overpowering. He says “I’ll go no more/ I am afraid to think what I have done/Look on’t again I dare not” (II, II, 65-67). Although he is afraid to think what he’s done, he knew what he was getting into. This scene gives some empathy towards Macbeth and shows that he is aware that what we did was wrong, however he still committed murder for his own purpose, and betrayed the king and his sons and for this I feel little sympathy towards him.
Finally when Macbeth murders his close friend and general all because his lineage might be in danger and of jealousy, my sympathy towards Macbeth, as a reader, is completely lost. He says “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus/Our fears in Banquo, stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared/’Tis much he dares/ And to that dauntless temper of his mind, he hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor to act in safety /There is none but he, whose being I do fear”(III, I, 52-59). Macbeth is saying that to be king he must be secure kingship and goes on to describe one of his closest friends as one that he most fears. The jealousy shown by Macbeth is obvious here, and he eventually tries to get his friend and son assassinated. All of his ambitions are self-serving and involve inflicting harm on others, therefore I don’t feel forgiving towards his character.
Macbeth’s character can be related to the real world person, in that of the famous football player OJ Simpson. Simpson was once a record setting NFL player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He had thousands of adoring fans until he was accused of killing he ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her boyfriend Ronald Goldman in a lengthy and internationally publicized trial. Though he was acquitted, there was still incriminating evidence. He is serving jail time presently for numerous felonies. He is similar to Macbeth’s character because both were once highly respected individuals with high reputations until their downfall. Both of them also lost sympathy from people after their ambitious actions. In Macbeth’s case, he lost sympathy after he became a tyrant and began murdering anyone he saw as a threat. In OJ Simpson’s case, he lost sympathy after his long drawn out trial for alleged murder, but for also not learning his lesson and committing other felonies after.
As a reader I do feel sympathy for Macbeth, he was forced into terrible crimes of murder and disillusioned by witches who used their influence to corrupt Macbeths mind. I also feel sympathy because as the play progresses Macbeth slowly loses his mind and cannot function around others without hinting that his mind is gone and he has been behind all the murders.
ReplyDeleteMACBETH
I am settled and bend up
Each corporal ... agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
False face must hide what the false heart doth know
However Macduff calls him a fiend not fully understanding Macbeths position or state of mind, has acted like a fiend and it is not unreasonable to be called one. Macbeth was put in a position where the only way to move forward was to continue on with such fiendish acts.
I also agree with Courtney and Emily to the valid point of how Macbeth knew what the consequences were going to be for his actions, therefore my view on this would be to not feel sympathy for Macbeth.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason why I do not feel sympathy for Macbeth would be because he was warned by Banquo. Immediately after receiving the three prophecies, Banquo says, “And oftentimes, to win us our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray us / In deepest consequence” (I, iii, 132-135). Here, Banquo is telling Macbeth to be cautious as the witches are telling them the truth, and in some way, these truths will harm them whether physically or mentally. In Macbeth’s situation, it harmed him both physically and mentally.
Before killing Duncan, Macbeth’s insanity begins. He starts hallucinating and envisions the dagger that will be used to assassinate Duncan, and after killing him, he claims to have heard someone say “Glamis hath murder’d sleep: and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more!” (II, ii, 55-56). In my opinion, if Macbeth imagined all of these people, and heard all of these things, how would this cause him to plan two other murders on top of that? After committing one murder, Macbeth does feel guilty and his mind is in a state of neurosis. What I do not understand is how Macbeth could feel this guilty, yet repeat similar actions again. These are the main reasons why I do not feel sympathy towards Macbeth.
When Macduff refers to Macbeth as a fiend, I think he has all the rights to feel this way. Macduff was informed that his family was killed by the “tyrant” (IV, iii, 211), referring to the tyrant being Macbeth. As the term “fiend” is a strong word, I, too, would describe Macbeth as one.
In relation to reality, an athlete who took one of the many wrong paths in sport would be Ben Johnson. In the International Olympic Committee, the use of performance enhancing drugs are strictly banned. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he finished his 100m sprint in first place, but was later stripped of his gold medal as he tested positive for the use of anabolic steroids. One of the reasons why he might have used steroids would be because he was ambitious and determined to win the 100m sprint in the Olympics. Similar to Macbeth, Johnson let his ambition get in the way of his decisions that he made. Johnson knew that there would be consequences towards the use of performance enhancing drugs as he was not the first athlete to be tested positive. The situations between Macbeth and Johnson are different, but the fact that they both let their ambition get in between their ideal success, this led them to their overall failure.
In response to Ms. Nolan's post, Macbeth’s downfall reminded me of the story of King Midas. Like Macbeth, King Midas was a much respected figure to his people and his one and only daughter. It was said that people often came to his castle to thank him for he ruled his kingdom fairly. However, the king became greedy during his rule; he believed that he deserved more wealth than he had. And so, when he was granted a wish by a witch that came to speak to him, he wished for everything he touched to turn to gold. As Macbeth met his downfall after becoming king, so too did King Midas after receiving his wish. As he wanted, everything he touched turned to gold. His people stopped seeing him, for fear of being made into gold. He became thin and sickly, since all the food he touched turned to gold immediately. And then, one day, he found his daughter weeping in the garden and, without thinking, touched her shoulder to console her and she turned to gold. King Midas then passed away a short time after; never seeing his daughter’s smiling face again. Therefore he, and Macbeth, share the same fate at the end of the story; both of them alone when they should have had many friends and family.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ms. Nolan’s post, a real life situation that reminds me of Macbeth’s journey and lead up to downfall is Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon Bonaparte was part of a family that received a French nobility status. To serve his country fully, Napoleon Bonaparte joined and fought in the French army. Due to his nobility status and his continuous tributes to the French army, Napoleon Bonaparte was promoted to a Brigadier General. Continuing with his efforts, time and commitment, he was later then promoted to the Commander of the French Army. As the French army continued to be victorious, this boosted Napoleon Bonaparte to a widespread popularity. As his biggest challenge, Napoleon Bonaparte was presented with a mission to take over Egypt and hamper British Shipping to India. This was scene as a challenge to Napoleon Bonaparte though he did not admit so. Due to uncertain circumstances, the plan of the invasion did not go as planned. Due to the Directory losing power, Napoleon Bonaparte abandoned his army. The British did not approve of this and later on backfired and invaded France. During multiple battles, Napoleon Bonaparte was captured, shipped off to a foreign country and later died in exile.
ReplyDeleteThis has a very simular storyline to Macbeth. Macbeth receives the high ranking title in the army, continues to contribute and is later rewarded. A moment comes to receive a higher rank filled with more power, and he goes for it. Simular to Napoleon Bonaparte, Macbeth, once put in charge, does not abandon his country/army, but gets engulfed in the beauty of power and control. Also simular to Napoleon Bonaparte, Macbeth’s people, who don’t like his actions, later turn their backs on him and the rightful people take their place and the people who don’t deserve their position, lose it.
Both Napoleon Bonaparte and Macbeth show that power is a beauty but cannot be misused. If misused, can cause others to react sour and chaos can then augment.
Personally I do have sympathy. Macbeth was simply a loyal and brave man that was misguided by the witches. In the beginning of the play Macbeth was describe as a loyal and brave commander as stated by a soldier “For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name-”.(i, ii, 18) Everybody including the king had total confidence in Macbeth's intentions and loyalty. An example of the kings trust in Macbeth is when the king tells him “O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” (i, ii, 26) Everybody portrays Macbeth as a brave and loyal man. Macbeth has gained everybody's trust and respect in the past in order to be in the position that he was in. As soon as Macbeth encountered the three witches he was misguided, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair” (i,iii, 144-145) The witches triggered a certain ambition in Macbeth that was not apparent in the past. I do have sympathy for Macbeth because the witches triggered his ambition to become king which in time overcomes his loyalty towards his country and king.
ReplyDeleteAs the play continues Macbeth's ambition grows stronger; and with the influence of Lady Macbeth, he murders Duncan “I hath done the deed”. Macbeth's ambition has now been triggered by the witches and he has been convinced into committing a deed by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Many people around him had great influences on the path “he chose” to take.
Near the end of the play, Macbeth's ambition does in fact overcome his loyalty towards his friends and country. He commits many murders such as ordering the the deaths of Banquo and Macduffs's family. By the time he plans the death of Banquo and his son Fleance he recognizes that he has already committed many evil deeds and there is no going back to how it was in the past “I am in blood/Stepp'd in so far,that, should I wade no more,/Returning were as tedious as go o'er" ( III, iv, 167-169)”.
Macbeth is in this present situation mostly because of the witches and his wife therefore I sympathize him. Macbeth downwards spiral continues as the English army prepares to attack his castle in Dunsinane. Macbeth then realizes the emptiness of his present and future life “As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,/ I must not look to have; but, in their stead,/ curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,/ which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.”(v, iii, 27-31). As a reader I do have sympathy for Macbeth. Without the encounter with the witches I don't believe his ambition to become king would have been triggered. Therefore the events that follow would not have arose. But these actions did in fact occur and Macbeth is at large for much of the blame. I have sympathy for him because I believe the witches are the origin of Macbeth`s problems. Macbeth would not have committed these actions without the influence of the witches and Lady Macbeth.
One celebrity and sports figure that comes to my mind in resemblance to Macbeth is Tiger Woods. Tiger woods was a worldwide superstar; he built his fan base over many years and was well respected, just like Macbeth was in the beginning of the play. However once Tiger Woods` ambition (I'm sure you can figure out what I'm talking about) overcame his loyalty towards his wife, his downfall was bound to occur. Macbeth was in similar circumstances, his ambition to become king overcame his loyalty towards Duncan and his country. Tiger Woods lost many things because of his downfall such as millions of dollars, a marriage, many fans, a consistent golf game and a lot of respect. Macbeth resembles Tiger in ways such as losing a marriage and, much respect amongst his friends and followers; Macbeth`s great lose was however his life.
I agree with Elizabeth as she states Macbeth could have been a good man if it were not for the influential tidings of he prophecies. This represents well what I believe what happened to Macbeth throughout the play.
Despite the external forces that lead him along the path of evil, as a reader no sympathy can be put forth to Macbeth. His ambition resulted in him betraying characters that once thought highly of him and as a result of his evil actions, he received punishment suitable to the crimes he had a committed.
ReplyDeleteAs many have mentioned, Macbeth was not evil at the onset of his appearance in the play. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth appeared to a noble subject to King Duncan who demonstrated acts of bravery as he killed Macdonwald. What triggered his evil behaviour was when he was approached by the three witches and given the three prophecies, the last of which was he was going to become king. This last prophecy resulted in Macbeth being left at a crossroad, should he pursue kinghood or should he let kinghood happen without his control? He decided to pursue kinghood by a means of murdering Duncan. However, he shows regret in his soliloquies when he shows emotional turmoil in killing the king. However, this does not justify his wrongdoing and he himself realizes what he is going into when he says “I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/And falls on the other”(I,vii,25-28). Here he admits that he is only killing Duncan in order to satisfy his ambition and he even admits that there will be long-term consequences. Despite this, he continues on and kills Duncan. As a result of this decision, Macbeth has driven himself into the path of evil and needs to continue to commit more crimes in order to feed his hungry ambition. An example of this is when he kills Banquo. Once his friend, Macbeth believed he was a threat to his crown when he says “To be thus, is nothing;/But to be safely thus: our fears in Banquo/Stick deep” (III,i,52-54). Here Macbeth states that he fears Banquo as a threat to his crown. As the plays progresses, Macbeth became more tyrant and it was noticeable when Lennox refers to Macbeth when he says “His presence at the tyrant’s feast” (III,vi,23). Here, Lennox refers to the tyrant as Macbeth. As a result of Macbeth’s tyranny, he is ultimately killed by Macduff. Macduff had killed him for two reasons, one for the murder of Duncan and secondly for the murders of his wife and son committed by Macbeth.
It should be noted that Macbeth’s actions throughout the play sharply resemble those of the late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Mussolini came to power after ousting Prime Minister Luigi Facta in late 1922. Just as Macbeth did during the play, he killed those who he thought was a threat to his power and as well killed others that weren’t a threat to his power. Just as Macbeth lost support of the people he ruled over, Mussolini did as well and lost complete power of Italy. Similar to Macbeth, Mussolini was also executed for the actions he had committed in 1945. As many historians have stated, Benito Mussolini was an evil dictator who deserved his untimely death. If Mussolini was not given sympathy for his death, how can Macbeth be given any sympathy?
Given those reasons, it is evident that no sympathy can be put forth to Macbeth. He decided to go forward with the killing of Duncan even though he knew the implications that came with it. One can relate Macbeth’s ambition to a drug addiction. Once a person chooses to indulge themselves with drugs (Macbeth’s decision to follow his ambition), that person will do anything to satisfy that addiction.
Throughout the play Macbeth, one feels sympathy for Macbeths character however this sympathy does not last very long. At the beginning of the play one feels sympathy for Macbeth because of the fact that he was not the one who made the decision to kill Duncan. Macbeth did not want to kill Duncan it was Lady Macbeth who came up with the arrangements to kill him, “only look up clear;/ To alter favour ever is to fear:/ Leave all the rest to me” (I, v, 79-81). This shows how little Macbeth was involved in the arrangements of Duncan’s murder, which then lets the reader feel sympathy for Macbeth when he begins to see and hear things.
ReplyDeleteHowever as the play continues Macbeth becomes more and more involved with the murders that he commits. “ No boasting like a fool;/ This deed ill do before this purpose cool” (IV, i, 167-168). Because of Macbeth’s involvement in these murders one does not feel sympathy for him any longer. The reader does not feel sympathy because they know that Macbeth brought the consequences on himself, he was not persuaded by anyone when he chose to go kill Macduff’s family.
Since, as the play progresses Macbeth becomes more involved in his actions, the reader’s sympathy for him quickly disintegrates.
This act of sympathy is similar to that of many events in the real world. For example if you know someone who is being pressured by their friends to do something, you may feel bad for this person since they don’t have much say in what they are doing. However if this person begins to do these things with no help or influence from their friends we would more then likely not feel bad for this person anymore since they are fully responsible for what they did.
As we first hear of Macbeth, we believe he is to be a brave, noble and honest man. Macbeth who is Thane of Glamis has made a good status for himself until the thought of murdering Duncan was set in his head that is when Macbeth betrays his goodwill status. Macbeth would have never harm Duncan if it weren’t for the witch’s prophecies of which came true so quickly.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth struggles with himself to go against the king. He provides us of his loyalty as we see how hard it is for him. He refuses to commit such a crime at first before Lady Macbeth pushes him to do so. Lady Macbeth wants to see less of his kindness in his heart and to follow through with their ambition to the throne. He wrote a letter to Lady Macbeth, that is when we get to see more of a glimpse of the decision he struggles with. “Are to your throne and state, children and servants; which do but what they should, by doing everything safe towards your love and honour”. (I, IV, L. 28-30). Weather to go ahead to kill Duncan to become king or to wait it out to see if time will take its place. Either way it will remain out of order.
Macbeth begins to place guilt upon himself, which I believe he should. He had full control over his own actions but went against what he thought to be wrong. Banquo is Macbeth’s next victim since he was present at the time the witches spoke the prophecies. “But to be safely thus: our fears in Banquo stick deep; and in his royalty of nature” (III, I, L. 53-54). This makes Macbeth believe Banquo will tell someone of the murder of Duncan to turn him in. Macbeth not only feels guilt but also has killed a close friend of his, which explains a lot about his character evolving into more of a monster. Macbeth becomes less trustful of others as he has hired spies to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
Sympathy for Macbeth is almost non-existent for I believe Macbeth to be aware of such dishonor he put himself and others through. If I were to have any respect for Macbeth it would be in his last final scene when he decides it is too much to continue on but he shall stand a fight. “Of all men else I have avoided thee: but to get thee back; my soul is too much charged with blood of thine already” (V, VIII, L. 5-7). Macbeth believes it was too much for Macduff’s family and believes he has no reason to continue his own life. Now he wishes to only be with Lady Macbeth but he refuses to die not trying. Here I believe I see Macbeth’s real image as we first saw of him before he was filled with guilt.
In the beginning Macbeth was a good character whom was kind. As the play progress's he becomes more sinister and it's not until his final words before being beheaded do you once again see the kind person Macbeth once was.
Shakespeare outlines Macbeth’s descent from a valiant warrior to a degraded and tragic monster. As Ms. Nolan suggested, it is difficult as a reader to feel sympathy for Macbeth due to his calamitous reign. In hindsight, Macbeth’s downfall was inevitable after he received the prophecies from the witches. Macbeth had immersed himself in a hole so deep that there was no escape other than death. I do feel pity for Macbeth as he demonstrated a potential for greatness and because of this I was left with a sense of waste. It was Macbeth’s uncontrollable ambition that had lead to his demise which was expected.
ReplyDeleteProvoked by his wife and the witches, yet warned by his partner Banquo, Macbeth’s personal desire for supremacy progresses as his conscious and moral beliefs deteriorate. Macbeth, as Amanda proved, had been warned by Banquo directly after the prophecies were told, emphasizing his thoughts of betraying his country for personal benefit. Macbeth’s insanity progresses with Duncan's murder which activates his sense of insecurity upon the throne. As all of the responses above have shown, Banquo’s murder was a result of Macbeth’s pure fear over Banquo and his own prophecy. Shakespeare brought to attention the effects of his guilt over these murders, specifically when Banquo’s ghost appears at the dinner table. Subsequently, I and hopefully the audience, cannot feel sympathy for him as he somewhat deserved these terrible hallucinations for what he had done to Banquo originally. Similar to Banquo’s death, the murder of Macduff’s family is another result of the fears within Macbeth. After examining his acts of immorality some may struggle when feeling sympathy towards him.
However, I do feel pity for Macbeth when reviewing the beginning and the end of the play. As Amanda and Nicholai had mentioned, he was regarded by many as the noble and glorious general who was the primary force in the protecting Scotland from the Norwegian invaders. Without any interference from external forces, it was clearly shown that Macbeth was on the path towards greatness exemplifying himself as a true hero. Near his eventual death Macbeth reflects on his recent actions, “I have lived long enough. My way of life / Is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf, / And that which should accompany old age, / As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have, but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honor, breath / Which the poor heart would fain deny and dare not” (V.iii.25-31). He feels that things that should go along with old age like honour and love, he no longer receives from those around him. The people surrounding him support him with their words but not their hearts, a prominent example of this would be the doctor. The doctor appointed under Macbeth reveals his conscious beliefs of Macbeth and the royal family when he confesses, “Were I from Dunsinane away and clear, / Profit again should hardly draw me here” (V.iii.70-71). I pity Macbeth at this point because he has recognized his flaws and understands death is approaching quickly with no time to correct the errors he made. Without the encounters of the witches there is a possibility that Macbeth's tyranny may never had existed, unfortunately we will never know. Furthermore, I feel if he had redirected his ambition more towards the battlefield than to personal desire of fulfilling the prophecy; he may have rose to power or maybe even as King, the honourable way.
The previous comparisons of Macbeth to other figures in history and present day have all been explained perfectly. Ironically, I believe Macbeth’s ambition and downfall is similar to Julius Caesar’s, also a play written by Shakespeare. Julius Caesar is considered to be one of the greatest leaders of the ancient civilizations. Throughout his life he was a general, a statesman, a lawgiver, an orator, an historian, and a mathematician. Julius Caesar’s lust for supremacy was similar to Macbeth’s, he was determined to control Rome and defend himself to any opposing forces. Caesar has depleted multiple armies across the Middle East and Europe which correspondsss to Macbeth’s murder of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. Caesar’s uncontrollable dominance over Rome had lead to assasination by his previous friend Brutus (similar to Macduff). Macbeth and Caesar were both characterized as tyrants to the people around them and the population they governed. Their tragic flaw in character, ambition, was unrestrained and was the source of their failures.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel sympathy for Macbeth because betrayed his country and the people of the country.He commited treason by killing the king and then caused the citizens of the country to live in terror because he was a tyrant.He betrayed all of his friends and family in order to gain as much power as possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elizabeth on how Macbeth started out as a noble, valiant man and he ended up changing into the opposite. Like she said at the end you feel regret on the fact that he could have been a good man, but turned out bad.
ReplyDeleteI think that if people didn’t have sympathy for Macbeth at some point in the play then they are only looking at one portion of his life. After reading or watching the play it would be hard not to sympathize for Macbeth even a small bit. People always go after their ambitions so you can’t blame him for doing that no matter how he goes about it. After he committed the murder of Duncan you can tell that he is already regretting it when he says “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”(II.ii.77-78), he continues to go on to say that his hands with so much blood on them would merely turn the ocean red. What I can sympathize with is that he’s going after what he wants but he loses even more by getting it. Macbeth loses his best friend to assassins and then he later loses his wife to the dearly departed because of her decreasing mental stability.
That sympathy can easily disappear though when you hear about how terrible of a king he is, and how he lost those closest to him. Banquo’s murder is not some simple accident but instead was orchestrated by Macbeth himself based on the fear of the other set of prophecies. Lady Macbeth’s deteriorating mental stability was caused by the traumatic events (murders) that Macbeth committed for them to be King and Queen, was the cause of her suicide. Lastly Macbeth’s acts as king is the last nail in the coffin you could say. The fact that his subjects are starving to death, he is referred to as a tyrant by Malcolm and the other noblemen, and none of his subjects willingly stand by him truly show how far he changed from the man who regretted killing the king. If he was not such a terrible king then the audience may be able to forgive Macbeth for the way that he became king.
I do feel sympathy for Macbeth for a number of reasons. One reason is that he was unfairly pushed into murdering Duncan by first the witches then Lady Macbeth. Had the witches never told Macbeth he would be king as well as Thane of Cawdor he may never have killed Duncan. After he received the title of Thane of Cawdor he would have been satisfied and remained loyal to his king and country. Lady Macbeth is also a reason why he committed the murder. Macbeth didn’t want to commit the murder as shown when he says “We will proceed no further in this business, he hath honour’d me of late” (I, vii, 33-34). This shows how even after receiving the prophecy he was content with not murdering Duncan, he only carried out the deed under the pressure of his wife. If either witches prophecies weren’t told or Lady Macbeth hadn’t pushed him into the murder, Macbeth would still be leading a satisfying life.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason I feel sympathy for Macbeth is even though he committed horrible deeds, in the end he confessed he was remorseful and wished he hadn’t done any of it. “And that which should accompany old age, As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have...” (V, iii, 26-29). Macbeth states how he should have friends and be honorable in old age, not feared and hated by everyone. This shows that he knows his life has taken a wrong turn and he regrets it.
I like Nicholais comparison between Tiger Woods and Macbeth. Tiger Woods story is a less extreme version of Macbeths but in many ways very similar in what they lost. They both were highly respected and well liked, until each made a mistake that cost them their career, wives and the respect they had worked hard to earn.
I personally do feel sympathy for the character of Macbeth. In the beginning of the play he obviously did not want to kill King Duncan, but was pushed into it by Lady Macbeth, which was the beginning of Macbeth’s tragic downfall. Had he not killed Duncan in the first place, he probably wouldn’t have continued killing and it would not have turned into such a constant for him. Even though Macbeth turns into a rather awful person near the end of the play, I still do feel sympathy for him. I think that basically everybody put under the same circumstances would do the same things Macbeth did, because power can go to anybody’s head, no matter how brave they are or how good their intentions. Macbeth obviously feels guilty after the murder of Duncan, exclaiming “I am afraid to think what I have done” (Act 2 Scene 2 Line 66) which clearly shows how regretful he feels immediately after. He also cries out about how he will no longer sleep, because of the terrible things he has done, and Lady Macbeth, feeling no sympathy, essentially tells him to suck it up and be a man. I do not think it was ever his intention to kill so many people, but external forces, including Lady Macbeth, convinced him that it was the only thing they could do. I think that Macbeth should have thought about it more, though, because other people might not have actually went through with the murder of Duncan and just hoped that one day they may eventually become King without having to interfere. Though it is rather hard to feel sympathy for Macbeth towards the middle and end of the play, I do feel bad for him given the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth is a selfish, tyrannical, fiendish serial killer who acts solely for his own self-gain. I cannot find it within myself to truly feel wholehearted, genuine sympathy for this character. His many ruthless murders, especially that of the family of Macduff, are clear evidence of his evil character. His only goal seems to be that of attaining power, and maintaining it, with no concern for the consequences of his actions on others. Macbeth kills the family of many characters throughout the play. While Malcolm and Donalbain do not show any sadness regarding their father's murder in the play, one can easily accurately assume that it affected them greatly. We as the readers can also assume that the death of Banquo will have adverse effects on Fleance, a man now without a father. Finally, is shown in the play how greatly the murder of Macduff's family affected Macduff, causing him to have a personal vendetta against Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Macbeth ignores his sense of empathy for the majority of the play. He seems to feel remorse only for his murder of Duncan. His murder of Duncan's guards does not phase him whatsoever. It is only when Macbeth realizes that he is about to be overthrown that he shows any regret for his illogical murder of Macduff's family: [Talking to Macduff] “Of all men else I have avoided thee:/ But get thee back; my soul is too much charged/ With blood of thine already.” [V.viii.5-7]. His lack of remorse for his increasingly senseless murders up to this point in the play demonstrates the extent of Macbeth's evil. I cannot find it within myself to feel more than a shred of sympathy for such a character.
While I realize that Emily's response demonstrated that she did not feel sympathy for Macbeth, one phrase in her response triggered inside me a small amount of pity for him. “Macbeth is saying that to be king he must be secure kingship and goes on to describe one of his closest friends as one that he most fears.” [Paragraph 4, lines 7-9]. This excerpt unexpectedly revealed to me the extent of Macbeth's insanity; Macbeth, because of his unwell mind, feared one of his closest friends. This realization allowed me to see why some would pity him, but ultimately did not change my opinion of Macbeth enough to cause me to truly pity him, as he chose to commit the atrocities that he did.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to pity Macbeth, it would be with the excuse that his evil was a result of the influence of the witches' prophecies acting upon him. To relate the witches' influence on Macbeth to real life, there are many people that have become greatly influenced by others and have performed unthinkable deeds as a result. An obvious example of this is during the Holocaust. An authoritative figure who promised to better the lives of the people of his land influenced his followers to such an extent that they performed unimaginable acts. This is similar to Macbeth's story, he was so influenced by the witches' prophecies, and the promises that they brought, that he killed his king, his friend, and the family of an acquaintance.
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