Back To Macbeth's Side In Fear Macduff example essay topic

In the play "Macbeth", Macbeth destroys himself as a human being by killing Duncan because he was eventually consumed by the same thirst for power that drove him to his evil ways. This thirst for power caused him to become paranoid and to begin losing his sanity. Consequently, he became more murderous and by listening to the witches' prophecies, he became overconfident and completely ignored his surroundings. This lead to his demise. Macbeth ultimately destroys himself through his paranoia, which causes him to lose his sanity. Macbeth was a very nervous king, he wanted all the power that he could achieve but was always in constant fear of his life.

Therefore, his fear played tricks on his mind that made him believe that he would also be killed by someone seeking the same power he sought. The end-result was that Macbeth slowly lost his sanity and was very apparent to the people of his court. Macb. Which of you have done this? Lords. What, my good lord?

Macb. Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me. Ross. Gentlemen, rise. His Highness is not well.

( . IV. 62 - 66) At a banquet, that Macbeth holds, he gets news of Banquo's murder and is told that Flea nce, Banquo's son, had escaped. After hearing this, Macbeth's mind starts to play tricks on him and he believes that he is seeing the mangled, bloody ghost of Banquo.

As he reacts to the sight of this, his noblemen and thanes begin to wonder what is wrong with their king. Macbeth's paranoia sets in so deep that by the end of his life he finds no reason to live anymore since everyone will have wanted to kill him. Macb. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in the petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more.

It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. (V.V. 21-30) This "tomorrow" speech demonstrates his paranoia by seeing his life as a brief short time filled with nothing but what you put into it and worrying that it was meaningless and signifying nothing. Because Macbeth felt his life was insignificant, he began to seek power and became murderous. Through his thirst for power, Macbeth showed that he was willing to do anything in order to stay king. So he became murderous, though before he killed Duncan he was not murderous at all.

It took his wife's planning for him to be able to kill Duncan, but after it was done he became completely wrapped up in what he was doing. At first he did not slaughter all that he could. Over time, he didn't care how many he killed even if they were women and children just as long as he got all of his rivals out of the way. Macb... and though I could With barefaced power sweep him from my sight And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, For certain friends that are both his and mine, Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall Who I myself struck down. And thence it is That I to your assistance do make love, Masking the business from the common eye For sundry weighty reasons. ( . I. 125-140) Macbeth did not want the murder of Banquo to be a predominant thing since Banquo was a friend of his, but wanted it to be discreet so as that people would not get suspicious and try to kill him.

Unfortunately, this did not go as he had planned. Some of his thanes and noble men did get suspicious, more importantly Macduff, who went to England to get the English army on his side in order to over throw Macbeth. Of course, when Macbeth found out about Macduff's defiance he orders a surprise attack on Macduff's castle. Macb... The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to the edge o' the sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his line.

No boasting like a fool! This deed I'll do before the purpose cool. (IV.I. 166-174) Here, Macbeth proves that he really doesn't care who knows about what has been done. He believes that by doing this he will be able to scare Macduff into coming back to his side for fear of his own life and it will also teach people to not be treasonous against him.

Again, this did not turn out the way Macbeth had planned. Instead of coming back to Macbeth's side in fear Macduff was enraged and vowed revenge against Macbeth, which in time he did deliver. This thirst for power, which made him into a murderous king, is also what made him overconfident about the witches' prophecies. Achieving greatness was always on Macbeth's mind and it was by having this thought on his mind, which lead him to believe anything that had to deal with him gaining or keeping power. This is what brought him to believe wholeheartedly that what the witches' proclaimed in their prophecies was the absolute truth.

The witches had told Macbeth that he would not be killed by anyone of woman born and that he would only meet his end when Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane Hill. Hearing these prophecies, Macbeth believed that he had nothing to worry about since none of the events in the prophecies were likely to happen. Mess. As I did stand my watch upon the hill, I looked toward Birnam, and anon methought The wood began to move. Macb. Liar and slave! (V. VI.

36 - 39) When Macbeth heard this he shunted the claim aside since he didn't believe it could happen and that someone was playing a joke on him. It wasn't until "Birnam Wood" actually did come to Dunsinane that Macbeth finally believed what was going on and knew that he could no longer rely on that prophecy as being true. So he fell back on the next prophecy, "laugh to scorn / The pow'r of man, for none of women born / Shall harm Macbeth". (IV.I. 89 - 91).

Macb. They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly, But bearlike I must fight the course. What's he That was not born of woman? Such a one Am I to fear, or none. (V. VII.

1 - 4) Even in the face of peril, Macbeth would not give up his stubborn, overconfident ways. Therefore, when he fought with any of the men from the English army he did it with a sense of knowing. A knowing of that he would always emerge victorious from any of these hand to hand combats since all of the men that he fought were of women born. Consequently, his overconfidence, given to him by this prophecy, was his undoing. Although it is apparent that Macbeth destroyed himself as a human being by lusting for power, his killing Duncan was not the beginning of the decline of his humanity. Instead, he began his descent from being human long before he killed Duncan.

It occurred when he became the Thane of Candor. His thirst for power began here and grew rapidly. He was willing to do anything to quench his thirst and appease his wife who was the driving force behind his need for power. However, Macbeth became paranoid that others would try to kill him, which caused him to turn to the witches prophecies to help him predict his future. Instead, Macbeth's paranoia caused him to misinterpret the prophecies and become too overconfident of his own sovereignty. The result, his overconfidence allowed Macduff to kill him.