Macbeth Play Themes Essay

Submitted By yashsaraf97
Words: 3014
Pages: 13
Open Document
Macbeth play

Themes:
Corruption (deception, betrayal, murder, supernatural)
Trust
Manliness (good at first, then it works against him when it is corrupted)
Betrayal

Our main theme is manliness. Due to the qualities that make Macbeth a man, he either gets people to trust him or he trusts others, which is our second theme. However, Macbeth’s manliness is corrupted by outside influences thus leading to betrayals committed by either him or others. Therefore corruption and betrayal are our third and fourth theme.
Manliness is defined as:
Courage
Loyalty
Resiliency
Resolution
Personal Responsibility
Self-Reliance
Integrity
Sacrifice
Honor

1. Duncan’s talk with Malcolm demonstrating his trust in Macbeth.
2. Maidens appear while Macbeth and Banquo are walking after the battle. Macbeth trusts the word of the witches.
3. He trusts Lady Macbeth by divulging the prophecy told to him by the witches to her
4. Turning point: While talking to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth becomes more certain about his ambition of becoming king. ( happens inside castle. Macbeth has conversation with lady Macbeth. In conversation he reveals king is in the castle and argues with lady Macbeth about killing Duncan and at the end lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan.)
5. Kills Duncan = first betrayal (minor betrayal as he isn’t close, corrupted by wife as he taints his manliness with disloyalty)
6. Kills Banquo – second betrayal (first, he just killed his best friend and he betrayed his wife as he did not tell her. His manliness also disappears, as he doesn’t do the deed himself)
7. Maidens appear to tell MacbethKills Macduff’s family (betrayal of honor and also a betrayal of the person he once was)
8. Gets killed by Macduff (betrayed by one who should have been his thane and also by the witches)
9. Donalbain gets corrupted by witches by trusting in them (infinite loop of tragedy)

Ideas for symbolism/scenes in the movie:
Black gloves (shows Macbeth is turning dark and the fact that he wants to hide the deeds that his hands have committed)
Consider the length of the sword (should become shorter as he loses trust)
Skin color of Macbeth
Weather
Young seductress witches vs old hag witches (becomes boys)
All scenes should start and end with a rhyme of some sort

Scene 1:
Duncan:
Sergeant, please do share
Tell us how the battle fares
Is the enemy in despair?
And victory been declared?

Sergeant:
My lord, the battle was quite stale
Both sides were about to bail
But when our side was going to fail
Valorous Macbeth donned his chain mail
And the enemy commander, he did impale
Causing the enemy to turn tail

Duncan: I thank you for the good tidings. (Turns to Ross) I always knew Macbeth was my right-hand man. He has proved himself today with his prowess in battle. Come here Ross, hear my message and take it to Macbeth.

Ross: I will see it done.

Duncan:
As Macbeth was the manliest of all
Bestow upon him a worthy hall (referring to the Thane of Cawdor)
For no favor is too tall
To give to the one who stopped my fall

(Ross salutes and leaves)
Explanation of Scene 1: Basically, it proves that Macbeth is manly in a good way. He took “personal responsibility” and cut down the enemies himself. It also demonstrates Duncan’s trust in him that will u be betrayed.

Scene 2:
Witch 1: Three honors you shall receive
But that is only if you believe

Witch 2: Due to your great ardor
You shall be Thane of Cawdor

Witch 3: But there is one last swing
To the position of king

All witches:
But wait
Macbeth will be great
But the inheritance of the state
Will be a child of Banquo’s fate
(magically disappear)

Macbeth: Woah, have angels descended to tell me my fate?

Banquo: Or are they devils dressed up in false clothes?

Macbeth: Hmm, there is no reason to doubt a prophecy that bears no ill will to me. Innocent maidens of the night would never wish me harm and shame it would bring upon me to think
Show More

Related Documents: Macbeth Play Themes Essay

Macbeth Universal Theme Essay

stories with universal themes. In the well-known play Macbeth, a few of these universal themes are used. For example, ambition, guilt, things not being what they seem, and fate versus free will. These themes really give the play a relatable factor. Ambition is the strong desire to achieve something. In the play Macbeth ambition is exhibited through many of the characters. For example, in one scene Macbeth was second guessing killing King Duncan. To encourage him, Lady Macbeth says, “We, fail? If you…

Words 668 - Pages 3

Theme Of Evil In Macbeth

The three themes that This essay will be focusing on are evil, desire, and fear. Evil, desire, and fear are very commonly used in life, for example when someone thinks of evil they think of crime, or the bad guy in a movie or that dark corner in your room that keeps you up at night, or maybe the fear of getting out of your bed because you're afraid that something is going to grab you from underneath your bed, these are just some of the things someone might think of when they imagine the word evil…

Words 562 - Pages 3

What Is The Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth

Macbeth is a play of contradiction and ambition. Driven to becoming King, Macbeth will kill all and any that get in his way. He puts his faith in the words and prophecies of three witches, after their first one (stating that he will become the Thane of Cawdor) comes through. Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, is instrumental is Macbeth's ambition, egging him on when he fears he has gone too far, and scheming of greatness. The themes of Macbeth, like in most plays, have one distinct theme they stick to…

Words 806 - Pages 4

Shakespeare Writes About Issues That Are Still Relevant Today Essay

issues that are still relevant today because his themes are universal, his plays have been updated and remade and there are various schools of thought who argue about his plays. His universal themes of vaulting and corrupting ambition, a reliance on superstition and gender tell us that the play Macbeth explored themes that are still seen in today’s society. The updated and remade film versions of Macbeth (also known as The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Macbeth (BBC’s Shakespeare’s Retold Series) tell us that…

Words 1301 - Pages 6

Macbeth Final Essay

`Macbeth` was a play written by William Shakespeare. `Macbeth` is about the betrayal of the king. `Macbeth` explores many themes but the main theme is Guilt, this theme is expressed with many techniques such as key scenes, conflict and characterisation. These techniques explain how the character affects our understanding of this theme. `Macbeth` is about a man named Macbeth who is convinced by Lady Macbeth and the three witches to kill the king so that he can be in power. After Macbeth has done…

Words 972 - Pages 4

Macbeth Themes: Fair Is Foul and Foul Is Fair Essay

The theme of ‘Fair is foul, foul is fair’ permeates throughout the play 'Macbeth.' Explain what it means, providing examples from the play to support your answer: One of the most important themes in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare comes from one of the last lines in Act 1, Scene 1 of the play. The three witches speak this simple line ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair,’ shortly before they disperse and it becomes a prophecy and an underlying warning for the rest of the play. The connotations…

Words 906 - Pages 4

Macbeth (Witches Effect) Essay

witches to Macbeth? Discuss the effects of the witches on character, plot, themes and audience. In the play of ‘Macbeth' by William Shakespeare the witches have an important effect on Macbeth, the characters, the plot, the theme and the audience. They help construct the play and without them it would have been a totally different story line. The three weird sisters influence Macbeth in his acts, they effect characters lives, orientate the plot, they are related to most of the themes and appeal…

Words 1134 - Pages 5

Compare and Contrast Essay on King Lear and Macbeth

Shakespeare had written many plays in his life time, some of them included various tragedies which included King Lear and Macbeth. All of Shakespeare’s plays had a theme which was used to help the story’s plot to advance further, making events much more interesting. King Lear and Macbeth both have a common theme of madness that is apparent throughout the play which has been depicted differently. They are both written in different ways but still share a same purpose. The essay will be broken down…

Words 898 - Pages 4

Unnatural Events In Macbeth

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare there are many interesting catching themes such as, Ambition, Guilt, Trust versus betrayal, Fate versus free will, and Nature versus the unnatural. These themes brought a wide variety of interesting plot lines to engage the reader or viewer in this play. William used these devices to help him surprise and engage the viewer to understand the main idea of the play. For all of the characters the theme helps the viewer understand the character development.…

Words 530 - Pages 3

Essay On Gender Roles In Macbeth

Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare gender roles and the opposition to them are central thematic topics that are heavily portrayed by the characters. The play takes place in sixteenth century Scotland, where King Duncan and his noblemen are the elite group of Scotland. Macbeth is apart of King Duncan’s court and his ambition along with Lady Macbeth’s to become King becomes vital to the play. However, the change of Lady Macbeth’s character through out the play emphasizes the theme that cruel…

Words 684 - Pages 3