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Essay / The Themes of Ambition, Guilt, and Destiny in Macbeth
Shakespeare's play Macbeth uses a variety of themes that drive the plot of the story. The play Macbeth is about a Scottish general named Macbeth who is presented with a prophecy by the three witches, stating that one day Macbeth will become the king of Scotland. Overwhelmed by ambition and persuaded to act by his wife (Lady Macbeth), Macbeth murders King Duncan, leaving the Scottish throne without a king, so that Macbeth can take over and rule Scotland. These actions then leave both characters struggling with their guilt and paranoia. In this essay, I will discuss and explain how these themes are used and incorporated into the story, specifically through the characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Malcolm. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay The key themes used in Macbeth are ambition, which is strongly represented through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in their exhausting quest to obtain power and control of Scotland. , whatever the cost, which shows us that we must “be careful not to be too ambitious”. The moral is that power is a dangerous thing, it corrupts and takes control of our own lives. Another major theme used is guilt, which manifests through these characters as a result of these events such as changes in their behavior, general well-being, and mental state. And finally the theme of destiny is used throughout the play since from the beginning when the prophecy is told the readers are forced to think about it, it is also displayed when Malcolm finally becomes crowned King of Scotland as he rightfully should, despite the many obstacles and events that have tested destiny. Using these themes, these events are organized into a specific narrative pattern that ties them together to create the story. Ambition is manifested in Lady Macbeth and Macbeth's desire to rule Scotland. In This story there was a war, Macbeth became everyone's hero. Later, three witches visited Macbeth and Banquo. The witches told them they were destined for greatness. Then King Duncan declared that Malcolm, his son, would be next in line to the throne and the next ruler of Scotland. Macbeth tells his wife Lady Macbeth what the three witches told him and Banquo. Once Lady Macbeth discovers that Malcolm will be the next person in line for the throne, she hatches a plan to kill King Duncan. She tells Macbeth her plan and tells him that he must kill the king and that they would blame the servants for the murder. This shows how their craving for control and power has led them to slowly lose themselves and how power begins to control them. It began with a selfish attraction to the idea of having this power, then being told that they could, and that it was up to them to take it if they wanted it badly enough: "Righteous is evil." , and evil is right” (Witches Act 1, Scene 1) and they believed in witches. Blinded by their own selfish desire, they were determined to get what they wanted without caring about the consequences of their actions and how it affected everyone and everything, and that's what they did. This theme contributes to the storyline in several ways and sets the start of the timeline for the series of events that subsequently unfold and which then leads to the climax of the story. This theme is important because it is what changed Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's motivation. that they behave in a specific way by making them do the things they did, like assassinate the king, which then triggersa chain reaction of small negative events that constitute the overall problem of the story. This is important because this first complication initiates the plot twist and dictates how the rest of the story unfolds, because the structure of a story relies on the organization of events within the plot. Macbeth sees a ghostly dagger and kills Duncan, he then blames the servants for the murder, the entire kingdom was shocked by the news. Then Macbeth becameThe king and Duncan's children left for England and Ireland. Macbeth begins to fear losing his position as king to Banquo, so he hires three murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, but Fleance survives. Later, Macbeth and his wife host a dinner party. During the party, Macbeth begins to see Banquo's ghost at the table. He starts to feel guilty and starts screaming that he can see it. Lady Macbeth tells everyone that he is tired and they should leave, after the guests leave Macbeth tells her that he saw Banquo's ghost, she told him that he was crazy for having said such a thing. While all this is happening, Macduff is planning a rebellion against Macbeth. Macbeth felt guilty and scared by what he saw, so he visited the three witches. The witches told him three things. First, “Thou shalt not be killed by a man born of a woman.” Second, “beware of Macbeth” and third, “you shall not die until the trees of the forest come to you.” Banquo's descendants are always destined to become great leaders. Macbeth orders the death of all of Macduff's family and people: "When our actions fail, our fears make us traitors" (Lady Macduff Act IIII, Scene II). Macduff is in England with Malcolm and hears what Macbeth has done. Lady Macbeth also begins to feel guilty and begins to imagine her hands covered in blood and is visited by a Scottish doctor (she cries, she bleeds, and every new day a cut is added to her wounds" (Act IV, Scene III) Macduff and his army finally arrive to eliminate Macbeth “Blood will have blood” (Act II, Scene II) Lady Macbeth felt so guilty that she went mad and ended up committing suicide The theme of. guilt is repeated throughout this story this is extremely important This is a major point because it is the climax because these feelings of guilt and paranoia are what drive these characters to continue to take the bad ones. decisions they make to save themselves, this is where the story has reached its climax, where the worst has happened and now it's time to change and resolve the problems. the characters begin to heal, and the story begins to focus on the solution to the problem and the outcome of past events. so that the story can end. Macbeth learns of Lady Macbeth's death. And Macduff arrives at Macbeth's castle at night, camouflaged under trees. Macduff and Macbeth go to war and Macbeth kills Siward's young son. In the final battle, Macbeth and Macduff clash and Macbeth is killed by Macduff. And with Macbeth's death, Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland. This shows that the theme of destiny is intertwined with this story in many ways, some in the words of the story and others more subtle that force the reader to think without them knowing. As mentioned before, an example of this would be the prophecy at the beginning which prompts the reader to think about Destiny and its wonders and how it works, this also leads them to guess which direction the story is going to go, in the form of theories. This encourages them to keep reading because it’s these subtle clues that make the reader want to know more. Others..