This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning).
It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good on form and structure, and perhaps could do with more language analysis of poetic and grammatical devices; as the quality of thought and interpretation is so high this again did not impede the overall mark.
This course includes:
For more help with Macbeth and Tragedy, read our article here .
Macbeth’s ambition for status and power grows throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth as an embodiment of greed and asks the audience to question their own actions through the use of his wrongful deeds.
In the extract, Macbeth is demonstrated to possess some ambition but with overriding morals, when writing to his wife about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth uses metaphors to describe his kind hearted nature: “yet I do fear thy nature, / It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness”. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a more gentle natured being who is loyal to his king and country. However, the very act of writing the letter demonstrates his inklings of desire, and ambition to take the throne. Perhaps, Shakespeare is aiming to ask the audience about their own thoughts, and whether they would be willing to commit heinous deeds for power and control.
Furthermore, the extract presents Macbeth’s indecisive tone when thinking of the murder – he doesn’t want to kill Duncan but knows it’s the only way to the throne. Lady Macbeth says she might need to interfere in order to persuade him; his ambition isn’t strong enough yet: “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear / And chastise with the valour of my tongue”. Here, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative character, conveying she will seduce him in order to “sway “ his mind into killing Duncan. The very need for her persuasion insinuates Macbeth is still weighing up the consequences in his head, his ambition equal with his morality. It would be shocking for the audience to see a female character act in this authoritative way. Lady Macbeth not only holds control of her husband in a patriarchal society but the stage too, speaking in iambic pentameter to portray her status: “To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great”. It is interesting that Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth in this way; she has more ambition for power than her husband at this part of play.
As the play progresses, in Act 3, Macbeth’s ambition has grown and now kills with ease. He sends three murders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as the witches predicted that he may have heirs to the throne which could end his reign. Macbeth is suspicious in this act, hiding his true intentions from his dearest companion and his wife: “I wish your horses swift and sure on foot” and “and make our faces vizards to our hearts”. There, we see, as an audience, Macbeth’s longing to remain King much stronger than his initial attitudes towards the throne He was toying with the idea of killing for the throne and now he is killing those that could interfere with his rule without a second thought. It is interesting that Shakespeare presents him this way, as though he is ignoring his morals or that they have been “numbed” by his ambition. Similarly to his wife in the first act, Macbeth also speaks in pentameter to illustrate his increase in power and dominance.
In Act 4, his ambition and dependence on power has grown even more. When speaking with the witches about the three apparitions, he uses imperatives to portray his newly adopted controlling nature: “I conjure you” and “answer me”. Here, the use of his aggressive demanding demonstrates his reliance on the throne and his need for security. By the Witches showing him the apparitions and predicting his future, he gains a sense of superiority, believing he is safe and protected from everything. Shakespeare also lengthens Macbeth’s speech in front of the Witches in comparison to Act 1 to show his power and ambition has given him confidence, confidence to speak up to the “filthy nags” and expresses his desires. Although it would be easy to infer Macbeth’s greed and ambition has grown from his power-hungry nature, a more compassionate reading of Macbeth demonstrates the pressure he feels as a Jacobean man and soldier. Perhaps he feels he has to constantly strive for more to impress those around him or instead he may want to be king to feel more worthy and possibly less insecure.
It would be unusual to see a Jacobean citizen approaching an “embodiment” of the supernatural as forming alliance with them was forbidden and frowned upon. Perhaps Shakespeare uses Macbeth to defy these stereotypical views to show that there is a supernatural, a more dark side in us all and it is up to our own decisions whereas we act on these impulses to do what is morally incorrect.
You will gain access to over 8 hours of engaging video content , plus downloadable PDF guides for Macbeth that cover the following topics:
There are also tiered levels of analysis that allow you to study up to GCSE , A Level and University level .
You’ll find plenty of top level example essays that will help you to write your own perfect ones!
© Copyright Scrbbly 2022
“kingship, with all its potential for good or evil, is a major theme in the play, macbeth.”, discuss this view, supporting your answer by quotation from or reference to the play. (1995) .
This is a H1 essay. You may also like: Full Notes on Macbeth (€)
Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” contains an elaborate exploration of the theme of power and within that, the theme of kingship. The main character’s evil plan aims at overthrowing the current ruler and assuming power over Scotland. Based on this the playwright profoundly analyses what qualities are the most important in a good king, what qualities are incompatible with kingship and the divine right of kings.
[Duncan as a great king] – you don’t need to put these in, this is just to improve readability
Before carrying out his plot Macbeth weighs up all the reasons why he wanted to proceed with it and all the arguments against his terrible murder plan. One such argument is that “this Duncan… hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels”. Duncan is portrayed as a wise ruler who feels strongly about the security of his country in the ongoing war with Norway. However, our encounter with this noble man is very brief. Macbeth, once he became king, did not know how to rule a country.
[Macbeth as a selfish king]
Macbeth’s major concerns are for his own safety and for the security of his own power: “Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs.”. He doesn’t even consider the welfare of the Scottish people before going ahead with the regicide. This shows that no matter how dedicated you are to your country, even as a great warrior and “Bellona’s bridegroom” – as an ordinary person you may not rule a country. This message is reflective of the prevailing belief in the divine right of kings that existed in Shakespeare’s day. Macbeth is not fit for the task: with him Scotland is “bleeding.” The tyranny is reflected by the darkness and bizarre supernatural events of the play.
[Imagery of darkness used to emphasise Macbeth’s inadequacy as king]
Darkness, nighttime and the colour black frequently referred to in the play demonstrating that there is something worth hiding. Shakespeare uses this to show just how far removed Macbeth’s kingship is from the ideal. It is always at nighttime that the Witches, the “black and midnight hags,” show their faces and act as “instruments of darkness.” After all, it was the Witches who gave Macbeth the idea to kill Duncan. Nighttime serves as the cover for Macbeth’s murders. He pleads: “Stars, hide your fires! Let not the light see my black and deep desires.” His selfish kingship is all about his desires and he knows that this should be hidden. On the night when Duncan was killed it was abnormally dark: “There’s husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out.” Most of the play is set at night time: it is only bright twice – when Duncan arrives at Inverness and when Macbeth is about to die. Both are events that subvert Macbeth’s evil plot and demonstrate Shakespeare’s views on the Macbeth’s legitimacy as a king.
[Imagery of the supernatural used to emphasise the divine right of kings]
Even more broadly, Shakespeare appeals to the supernatural to demonstrate Macbeth’s lack of fitness to be king. This is to emphasise the “unnatural” killing of the rightful king: “Unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles”. The order of things at the time hinged on a belief in the divine right of kings. When the cursed pair carry out their plan, the country descends into violent horror and disarray. Pathetic fallacy, a literary method used to illustrate deeper issues by attributing human qualities to the surroundings, is used here: “A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.” Perhaps, this is the mousing Macbeth trying to be in place of a hawk by slaughtering the towering royalty and violating the divine right of kings? [Imagery of violence demonstrates Macbeth’s inadequacy as king]
The enormous amount of heart-stopping gruesome references to blood and violence emphasise the consequences of the inadequate regime for which Macbeth is responsible: Scotland “weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash Is added to her wounds.” However, the Bard of Avon not only condemns the bad ruler, but he explores the good qualities that a king should possess.
[Malcolm as an ideal king]
Desperate and helpless, Macduff arrives in England to see Malcolm, the legitimate successor to Duncan’s throne. Malcolm is almost an embodiment of all the positive qualities of kings. He, along with his brother, immediately decide to rely on themselves to preserve their dynasty by leaving Scotland despite the obvious and inevitable suspicion that it raises and their own bereavement: “Nor our strong sorrow / Upon the foot of motion.” They handle the situation with wisdom and courage, all for the sake of their kingdom. When Malcolm meets Macduff we see more of his wisdom. He adopts the personality of a man who is “not fit to govern and not even to live.” Malcolm makes sure to not jeopardise his own life and the welfare of Scotland by “testing” Macduff. Malcolm, unlike Macbeth, is able to tell appearance from reality in his superiority as king.
[Examination of ideal kingship]
The main aspects highlighted by Malcolm that are absolutely incompatible with a decent king are lying, voluptuousness and greed. He plans to “cut off the nobles for their lands, / Desire his jewels… Your wives, your daughters, / Your matrons, and your maids could not fill up / The cistern of my lust.” Satisfied with Macduff’s reaction Malcolm opens up: “What I am truly, / Is thine and my poor country’s to command” and admits that he is not ridden with vices as he had pretended. We find out Shakespeare’s vision of king-becoming graces: “verity, temperance, stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, / Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude…” The return of the rightful king is marked by the delight of the army. Macbeth, on the contrary, is full of bravado and feels invincible one minute and then left thinking about “all our yesterdays have lighted fools / The way to dusty death… It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing” as Scotland, Lady Macbeth and his soul are all deteriorating around him.
[Conclusion]
Shakespeare offers a detailed examination of the concept of kingship in this play. However, I cannot quite trust that “Macbeth” was written as a pure form of art. James I, the king of England at the time, Shakespeare’s patron, was one of the main proponents of the divine right of kings and a prominent witch-hunter. On the one hand, I feel that the play is a piece of propaganda written to please the sovereign and this casts a significant shadow on anything Shakespeare has to say about kingship. I ask myself what did Duncan have to do to become king? My suspicion is that it has more in common with Macbeth’s path than Shakespeare dares to admit. On the other hand, I understand that Shakespeare lived at a different time. Notwithstanding all of this, his imagery and plot line emphasise all the selfless aspects of kingship and deliver it through a compelling play.
This is the 1995 English paper .
Paper ii single text question tips, short story: i couldn’t wait to get out of that town for leaving cert english #625lab, “hearth lesson” by paula meehan for leaving cert english.
English Works
MACBETH SHOWS THAT NO ONE IS IMPERVIOUS TO THE EFFECTS OF EVIL
In Macbeth Shakespeare focuses on the evil consequences of one man’s thrust for power. Through their prophecies, the witches plant an evil seed in Macbeth’s mind which has numerous repercussions, not only for Macbeth but for the King, his family and the people of Scotland. Shakespeare shows that once his ambition has been inflamed, no one is immune from the consequences. Whilst both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth sacrifice their honour and pay a heavy price, many others are also killed to satisfy their thirst for power.
From the opening scene, it becomes clear that the witches are determine to use their supernatural powers to plant the seeds of evil and to undermine Macbeth’s honour. They create moral havoc by targeting his ambition. If the witches state that “fair is foul and foul is fair”, Macbeth soon finds that the prophecies “cannot be ill cannot be good”. When the witches plant the seed that Macbeth is likely to become King, Macbeth is captivated by their prophecies. “I stood rapt in the wonder of it”. It is his ambition that promotes evil thoughts that undermine his sanity and corrupt him. As Shakespeare shows, Macbeth’s ambition creates “present fears” that are linked with “deep and dark desires” and that encourage him to put aside his moral compunctions. After he commits the murders, he again seeks out the witches who give him a false sense of confidence. They predict that he will be safe from harm and Macbeth continues on his killing spree.
Lady Macbeth continues the corruption begun by the witches which has an immediate effect on Macbeth and a long-term corrosive effect on herself. Shakespeare depicts the transformative power of evil as Lady Macbeth becomes “top – full of Direst Cruelty” in order to encourage Macbeth to murder King Duncan. She manipulates him, criticises his manhood and suggests that he is cowardly. She states that she would have plucked a baby from her breast and “dash’d the brains out” had she so broken a promise as Macbeth seems to be doing. Whilst she intimidates Macbeth and convinces him that it is cowardly to thwart one’s desires, she, ironically, pays the heaviest price. Her belief that a “little water clears us of this deed” returns to haunt her as she becomes increasingly obsessed with the evil she has unleashed. She is unable to remove neither the stain nor the deaths. She is also dismayed at the tyrant that continues unabated.
Owing to both the influence of the witches and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth succumbs to evil and pays a heavy price. Foolishly, he sets aside his scepticism and renounces his honour as he contemplates the ‘deep and dark desires”. His conscience alerts him to the evil nature of murder; he is fully aware of the “even – handed justice” or “judgement” which instructs people about good and evil. He also knows that “Bloody instructions return to plague the inventor”. Most importantly, Macbeth knows that he should not commit evil deeds, because his conscience will torment him and undermine his honour. Despite all this, Macbeth wields the dagger and King Duncan becomes his first victim. He suffers the shocking consequences of Macbeth’s “overleaping” ambition that causes a “heat-oppressed brain” to turn towards evil.
Macbeth continues to pay a heavy price and does not enjoy his royal status. Owing to his conscience, Macbeth becomes paranoid and guilt gives way to hallucinations and “strange self-abuse”. Macbeth becomes suspicious of everyone. He tries to harden himself to the pangs of his conscience. He wants to fight fear and become fearless by killing more people. He states, “t’is the initiate Fear that wants hard Use”. Macbeth has become a cruel tyrant and transforms Scotland into a country “almost afraid to know itself”. He sets spies on each of his thanes and even distrusts the witches for he is determined to make ‘assurance double sure’ by slaughtering Macduff’s entire family. This propels him to the final showdown.
So the evil effects spread throughout Scotland, and even Banquo suffers from the cruel effects of evil. Banquo is honourable and rightly dismisses the witches even though they predict that his sons will be king. Because of this secret knowledge, Banquo becomes Macbeth’s second victim. Macbeth feels that “under him my genius is rebuked”. He is killed while his son Fleance escapes.
Tragically, many lives are lost because of one couple’s ambition. They both sacrifice their honour and do not enjoy their status because they become paranoid about the consequences. Once Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to commit murder, there is no stopping him. To soften his conscience, he continues killing and changes the whole atmosphere of Scotland. No one escapes. The citizens are so sick of the tyrant that they are relieved by his death. Shakespeare shows that one man’s evil thirst for power does not pay and many other suffer a heavy price.
Return to Macbeth: Study Page
Keep in touch.
Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Plays / Macbeth
The impact of ambition on macbeth and lady macbeth.
Ambition is the desire to do or to achieve something, usually working in hand with determination and hard work. In Williams Shakespeare 's Macbeth, the characters Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a strong desire to ascend to the throne and they are determined to do...
Desire and determination to achieve any success, is what we all strive for. Even though it is a variant from person to person and culture to culture, but the message of ambition remains the same. To have goals and the determination to complete them. While...
We are still able to learn from literature and Shakespeare is one of the greatest teachers because he is able to relate real ideas and themes to life lessons and experiences, like through Macbeth he showed us the corrupting power of unchecked ambition. In William...
What reasonably brainsick actions would somebody do just for their ambitions to turn everyone who she saw was his family, his friends, his allies, against him, Macbeth is a man who has an excessive amount of ambition, he will go to all lengths to get...
In Macbeth, the playwright, William Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s guilt toward the end of the play, to show how power can influence a person's actions negatively and affect them in the long run leading to consequences. The play takes place in Scotland, beginning...
Many famous stories deal with the complex theme of madness and how it can be the erosion of a person. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare explores madness and how it breaks down a once honorable warrior into a paranoid, guilty shell of...
Shakespeare puts forward the theme of remorse and guilt and highlights how once one realizes what they have done, it triggers an obsessive fixation on guilt and remorse leading to corruption and insanity. Even though Lady Macbeth was displayed as manipulative in exploiting her husband,...
What is power? Power is a magnificent thing but at the same time can be evil. People strive to gain power all of their life, how far will they go, to acquire this so-called power? In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, power is a very present...
One of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies tells a story of a paranoid, guilty king, who murdered and deceived his way to the crown and the fine line between love and hate. The play, Macbeth is driven by the force of guilt and paranoia, and...
The character of Macbeth in William Shakespeare's renowned play "Macbeth" has long been a subject of debate among scholars and readers. Is Macbeth a tragic hero, a character who possesses the qualities of a hero but is ultimately doomed by a fatal flaw? This essay...
Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?
Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!
William Shakespeare
Shakespearean tragedy
Lady Macbet, Macduff, Macbeth, Banquo, Duncan, Malcolm, Three Witches
Ambition, Light and Darkness, Loyalty, Sleep, Blood
samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->