Thursday, May 24, 2012
When did it all begin? (Block F)
It's obvious that the downfall of Macbeth is clearly his own fault and that because he made a series of really dumb choices he ended up where he did (dead). However, there is a question that has been much debated over the course of time and since Shakespeare is no longer with us we will probably never get a definitive answer. That doesn't stop us from talking about it though! This weeks question is:
When do you think the idea of killing Duncan and the desire to become King popped into his head?
It has been said that Macbeth may have always had a desire to become King even before the witches met him.
What do you guys think? Remember to back up your ideas with proof from life and the book!!!
***Since this post was a day late (my fault) the close date will be Sunday February 24th 2010.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I believe that Macbeth would have had the desire to be king long before the witches ever told him that he was going to be king, because I know that when I was really young like back in kindergarden I thought it would be pretty cool if I was king, and I'm sure everyone else in the entire class has had the same thought at some point in there life, and I for one have never been told I was going to be king by some witches and its a pretty safe bet no one else has either. Then there's the idea of killing duncan. I really doubt Macbeth would have ever considered killing his cousin before he talked to witches. It was the witches that told him he was going to be king and never specified how, which made Macbeth jump to the conclusion that killing duncan was the only way that could happen. if the witches never told him he was going to be king then there would be no reason for him to kill duncan.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you used the example of your kindergarden days, because it gives us an idea of Macbeth's character and his "desires" which are almost unconventional. Although, I have to disagree with you when you say that it didn't ever cross his mind to kill Duncan, because in order to become King, he still would have to "dispose" of Duncan someway, or somehow.
DeleteI agree with Jasmine on the idea of kindergarten. I too used that idea of how most people aspire to be the best (in this case the king) at some point in their lives. Although I disagree with you Jasmine about the disposal of the king. I think it is absurd to think that he would ever have considered killing his cousin prior to the witches. And, even after that, there are a plethora of other ways that Duncan could have been rid of it that do not involve Macbeth. For example, what if somebody else was to murder Duncan? As you can see, it is not the only way for it to happen.
DeleteI like how kindergarten was incorporated to being king. I always thought that i would hold the power back then, I was a very power hungry child. I agree that if Macbeth hadn't talked to the witches, Duncan would have lived. But that's not what happened; Macbeth's greedy side got the best of him and the king was killed. Luke, i'd never thought of someone else murdering Duncan. That is a thought that made me very curios how the story would turn out. That would change the story immensely. I kind of want to see how that would pan out now...
DeleteDeep down inside, anyone would want to be a king or queen, maybe not for life, but at least a day. I know myself right now would want to know what it would be like to be Queen Elizabeth, it may not be the same as medieval times, but it would be an experience. With saying that, I believe that Macbeth wanted to be king before he met the witches. I think any man would want to be a king in that time period, because of the honour and raw power they could have at their finger tips. However I don't believe Macbeth ever wanted to KILL Duncan, before the witches. After all, Duncan was his cousin, and honour was family bound in that time.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I got out of the story, I believe when Macbeth was confronted by the witches the first time, he had a lot going on in his head like, winning a great battle. I think the idea of magic in front of his very eyes, the feel of victory and confidence running through his veins and a feeling of always wanting to be something better really got to him. We do know that in the book after the witches talk to him, the idea of killing the King in his head does pop up, but I don't think he ever would've killed his own cousin and King to become that position.
I agree with you that Macbeth did not think of killing Duncan until the witches put the idea in his head that he would be king. I do think however that Lady Macbeth wanted to see Duncan dead possibly very early in their marriage. In act one scene 5 she says that she would kill Duncan herself. How do we know that she may have had thoughts of killing Duncan long before this time to advanced her husband`s position and also advanced her own position? If she had thought of the murder earlier she had no plan to carry it out until the witches provided the perfect plan.
DeleteI understand your view point and I agree that Macbeth, like any other individual has always wished to become King. However, I do not agree that Macbeth had never had the thought of killing Duncan before. The confidence and power Macbeth felt may have contributed to why he went through with his actions but they are not the reason for the thought. Also, during such a time period it was not unheard of for someone to turn on someone they were related to in order to gain higher power. Furthermore, when Macbeth decides against the murder it is hinted to the audience (through Lady Macbeth) that the murder of Duncan had been a previous topic.
DeleteI completely agree with your opening sentence. Being part of a royal family seems as if it would be quite the experience. Growing up, I’m sure many girls go through that stage of wanting to be a princess because deep down we all have that fairytale dream in all of us. With relation to Macbeth however, I beg to differ slightly. Macbeth did value his cousin and would have liked to be loyal to him, but in my opinion, I believe he wanted the crown far more than he wanted his relationship with Duncan to be trouble-free. Although he loved and respected his cousin, I believe he was okay with killing Duncan for his own benefit because as we’ve already discussed, Macbeth is not a man of good values. I believe his loyalty to Duncan was what prolonged Duncan’s murder, but I also believe as soon as he was prophesized to he knew what had to be done and was already preparing himself mentally for it.
DeleteI really like your input on how you said the whole concept of magic before him and overconfidence almost overwhelmed him; that is very plausible.
I believe that he probably wanted to be king from before he met the witches. He probably didn't really expect to become king, and that maybe it was a childhood dream, like wanting to become a rich and famous singer. When he was told by the witches that he could and would actually achive becoming king, and that it wasn't just a dream, that was when the idea flashed into his mind to kill Duncan.At first he thought of it as too cruel and unnecessary, but then he probably realized that it was the only way to become king. That's when he really wanted to go through with his plan.Of course Lady Macbeth helped on his decisions greatly. If she hadn't come along, I'm not sure if he would've ever done it. He might've, but farther in the future.
ReplyDeleteI like what you're saying here, Jessica. I deffinately agree that I think MacBeth always wanted to be king, just like you said people now day want to be a singer, but I don't think he ever thought to kill him so he could succeed in his dream. I also agree with you on being unsure what Macbeth would've done if Lady Macbeth wasn't around. Who knows, he could have killed the king with the daggers, but confessed right after?
DeleteLike Megan, I completely agree as well Jessicaa! The encounter with the witches could have been when the idea flashed into his mind, which is what I think it was too. And youre right in saying he might have taken longer to murder Duncan had Lady Macbeth not been such a driving force, it just makes sense that way.
DeleteI agree with Megan and Jessica, I agree with what you are saying. I like how you said that he didn’t expect to be king, and that it could have just been a childhood dream. When the witches told Macbeth his prophecy, if this were anyone I’m sure it would get their hopes up. But since I believe that Macbeth has some evil in him that shows on the battlefield when he is fighting, he decided to kill the king. I don’t think he would have pushed through though with all the guilt he was feeling before hand, had it not been for Lady Macbeth pushing him to do so.
DeleteI agree with all your points, and it is quite clear that Macbeth may have always wanted to be King, but the idea of killing Duncan was never even a thought for him. If all it took was the witches to convince him, then chances are he's pretty dumb, and if he would have thought of the idea before he would've gone through with it anyway.
DeleteI agree with how you said he didn't expect to be King; he was probably satisfied with where he was and hadn't even thought of the idea anyway.
Overall, his stupidity makes his actions show what's on his mind.
In the time period when Macbeth takes place people accepted their position in life more than people do today. In modern times people from humble families sometimes have ambitions to rise above their position in life to something greater. We can see many examples of this. For example Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin and was very poor but he became the President of the United States of America. In Macbeth's time he would never think of rising above his position in life. People have murdered leaders to take their position all through history from the begining of time however I don't think Macbeth would have thought about the murder until the witches came along. He was a war hero, a good person at heart and a man of high principles.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the part that Macbeth may not have thought he could become King. He was already Thane of Glamis, and was surprised to hear he was then Thane of Cawdor as well. So the thought of being King, no matter how bad he wanted that title was a little out of his reach, unless he bent some rules to get his way, which we know he did.
DeleteI however disagree with the part that he was a good person of high principles. He was greedy for power and he did kill his cousin. No matter what, such an act cannot be justified.
I also agree that he probably always wanted to be king. Maybe if he became the king through other means than killing, he would've turned out to be a much better ruler. He basically turned into a different person after killing Duncan to cover up his crimes. The real Macbeth was a good guy, but definitely not the monster he turned into. So in my opinion it wasn't Macbeth who was king, it was his masked self. But he can't have been too kind hearted in the first place. If he was, he never would've killed Duncan.
DeleteI find your point on people during that time period being more acceptable of their position very interesting and I do agree with it. In modern time, everyone has the ability to rise above their current position but back then everything was really structured. There was a no chance of Macbeth becoming king if the witches hadn't ignited the possibility in him. During that period the crown was passed down the bloodline unless the line was cut off.
DeleteAlso, I don't believe Macbeth was completely "a good person at heart" or a man of high principles. If this was the case, he would not have let his lust for power overtake him. Soon, after the prophecy was said the thoughts of murder appeared. And after little persuasion he was ready turn those thoughts into actions. If Macbeth was a man of high morals, he would have never committed such horrific crimes.
I think Macbeth did have the desire to be king before the witches. However, I think he was happy with where he was so he didn’t plan to do anything about it before the witches. Macbeth never actually thought he would become king though; it was probably just something that sat in the back of his mind.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie “A Knight’s Tale”, the main character, Will Thatcher, is a thatcher’s son. Will has the dream to “change his stars” and become a knight. Everyone tells him he can’t do it but when he realizes his father believes in him, he goes to follow his dream. Once Macbeth met the witches, he probably realized that his little dream wasn’t as unrealistic as he had expected. Anybody in that time would have loved to be a wealthy, powerful king. Macbeth was seen to be a god of war. He was an amazing fighter and never lost a fight. Most good fighters have a reason that motivates them to be that good and I feel that Macbeth probably felt a sense of pride and power every time he won a fight. After meeting the witches, Macbeth thought about killing Duncan because of his fighters mind set since he was just returning from a battle. At that moment, becoming king was just another battle for him to fight. He left the thought alone but then Lady Macbeth told him he had to kill Duncan. Again, someone believed in Macbeth and his ambition sparked and he went to achieve his greatest desires. I think if he hadn’t met the witches, he still would’ve wanted to be king, but he wouldn’t have gone and killed his own cousin.
I love that you use the example of Will Thatcher from "A Knight's Tale" because i think that shows a very close and simple relation to Macbeth's situation. I used the idea of young people aspiring to greatness but that example is more applicable as it too is set in medieval times. Furthermore, I strongly agree that Macbeth's reason for thinking of killing Duncan after he receives the Witch's prophecy is because of his fighters mind. it is just a logical and realistic reason for him to think such a thing. Also, I agree that Lady macbeth took his dismissed idea and lit a spark underneath it. She is the one who took the "idea" and brought it to life for Macbeth.
DeleteI think the first time Macbeth thought about being King was when the witches predcted that he would be King one day. And the reason i don't think he may have thought about this in the past is because he was probably focused on being the Thane of Glamis which was his title at the time and he was probably busy with thinking about that rather than being concerned about being King or even Thane of Cawdor for that matter. However, i think after the witches said that he would be King he started thinking about how it is actually a posibility but i think he really got reasured that the witches were predicting the truth when he became Thane of Cawdor just like the witches had predicted. After this happened he probably became greedy because he already had so much that he just wanted more so he wanted to speed up the process of becoming King so he just decided to take out the one thing that was standing in his way; Duncan. I think that the main reason why Macbeth decided to kill Duncan was because of Lady Macbeth presuring him into doing it and questioning his manhood and such. This was probably also the first time that he thought of killing Duncan because he said earlier on in the play that he would wait to see what the future holds until his wife interviened.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, I was completely convinced of the fact that Macbeth might be a good man. In Act one, Scene Three, he is quoted as even saying “If chance will have me King Why chance may crown me Without my stir”. However, now looking back, I believe he was never really a good person. A couple lines before this he is quoted as saying “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”, which means “My mind, which merely contains the thought of murder.” He knew in order to gain the crown; he would have to kill Duncan, the present King. There are few people on this planet that would turn down wealth and power. I believe the instant the witches prophesized to him and Banquo, Macbeth already knew what had to be done to achieve his goals. His loyalty to Duncan was the only thing that prolonged Duncan’s murder. I believe Macbeth had the desire to remove Duncan out of the picture soon after finding out he could be King, because when he met Lady Macbeth before the party in Scene 5, he is very expectant of her reactions and doesn’t object to her demands. Did he have a dream of becoming King long before meeting the witches? Perhaps. But I believe it is the witches’ prophecy that ignited that thought of murder in him.
ReplyDeleteI think that Macbeth was a bad person from the get-go as well. I mean, the first thing we hear about him is from the Sergeant talking to Duncan about how Macbeth is a killing machine. Yes, it was very normal in the time period, and especially with war, but why did Macbeth have to cut the man from his stomach to his throat? I believe that Macbeth was brutal already, and like you said, the witches ignited him.
DeleteI agree with you that Macbeth was never truly a good person in this play. He had a few lines that would make the reader think this, but there were always lines right after that would sway the other way. But I don’t believe the witches are the one that indicated Macbeth thinking of killing Duncan. They may have started to make Macbeth consciously think about it, but I think that in his subconscious the idea of murdering the king was all too relevant. I think that one could even argue that the thought had reached Macbeths mind before the play.
DeleteI think Macbeth was always an ambitious person from early in his life. He always wanted to be king but had no opportunity until the witches and Lady Macbeth gave him the push needed to fulfill his desire. I agree with you that Macbeth felt loyal to Duncan and then had to struggle between loyalty and murder. Before meeting the witches the thought of being king was probably just a dream as you said but after meeting the witches it became for him a reality. Lady Macbeth then gave him the final push which took him over the top.
DeleteMegan: I completely agree. Although at the time I thought Shakespeare was making him out to be so great to make his fall that much harder as any such tragic hero. I don’t see him as a hero though, like at all. Killing in war is one thing but you’re right, the brutal way in which he kills is sickening. It’s almost as if he enjoys it.
DeleteMichelle: Interesting perspective, I wouldn’t have thought of that first. It’s definitely a possibility. Like I’ve already said, who in their right mind would turn down wealth and power that great? So maybe Macbeth had always had it in the back of his head that he would need to kill Duncan. Guess we’ll never know for sure.
Ethan: Seems like we’re on the same page; I agree Lady Macbeth would have been a driving factor as well. Also you seem to be agreeing with Michelle as well in saying Macbeth had always been ambitious and always wanted to be King, it would make complete sense actually.
i agree with what you are saying ethan but i think he had thoughts of maybe one day becoming king but since duncan was his cousin he never followed through until the witches made him believe he could easily become king especially with lady macbeth forcing macbeth into it
DeleteI believe Macbeth has always had the desire to be king long before the witches’ prophecy. Firstly, as soon as the prophecy is said, Macbeth’s devious mind already knows the actions he has to take in order to become king. It seems as though he has previously thought about it but there was no opportunity. In Act 1, Scene 7 it is shown that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had attempted to take the crown before. When Macbeth decides against killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth says “When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both." In other words, Macbeth had been willing to kill the king before but the time and place were not suitable.
ReplyDeleteSo, it is shown Macbeth has this desire long before the witches’ prediction. However, it is the foretelling that brought Macbeths deep desire to the surface again. After Macbeth is named Thane of Cawdor, his ambition only increases.
I believe everyone has the desires to gain higher power or status. They just need the right opportunity. An example of this is seen in retail stores. Many workers hope of gaining higher power at where they work. This desire can range from becoming the manager to the employee in charge of the main floor. As soon as the door is opened, one’s desire seems to increase and people become willing to do anything in order to achieve their goal. In Macbeths case, the witches evoked his desire and later he acted upon a opportunity he had to kill Duncan because of the witches.
Well obviously, a majority of the class is on the same page. In my personal opinion, I think Macbeth has always had this thirst for power. Before the witches, before Lady Macbeth's constant push, he probably had those those thoughts running through his mind. I think we all have that in us. We all would like to be at the top, but it's whether or not we choose to act on it or not, and how we choose to do so. Macbeth had motives, they were just not in the right place. He could have used his qualities for good, but instead he chose to act upon evil. The witches just increased his bloodlust, and his thirst for power. Macbeth's character was already much developed before we even met him, but his actions created an entire new character, and that's what made this a captioning play.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your statement. Macbeth though possessing good qualities actively decides to go with his bad qualities. I also believe that evil would always have won in Macbeth’s life, even if the witches had not appeared, they had only speed the proses up, but eventually Macbeth would have reached that evil by himself. Lady Macbeth and the witches both seemed to bring out the evil within him, but Macbeth always had the evil there.
DeleteBoth of you made really valid points. Macbeth has always had that bit of evil in him, that's what made him such a good fighter. On the battle field, I guarantee that he fought and killed without a second thought. The fact that he started to bring that mentality into his normal life really brought him down and his ambition turned on him and become a very negative trait. His ambition made him want to be king more than anything, the witches and Lady Macbeth really just were there to encourage him.
DeleteI totally agree as well. Like Nekita said, not only Macbeth, but everyone has a that bit of evil in them. Macbeth’s abilities to kill people on the battlefield like that is a sign. I agree when you said he is thirsty for power. Even though it may not state it in the play, Macbeth does seem to be the type to have the urge to be on top, like what he is doing on the battlefield except even further, like being king.
DeleteI agree with you Jasmine. MacBeth has a crave for blood lust and power. I believe the witches just bring it out of Macbeth even more. He definitely has motives and he acts on them without any rational thinking behind it.
DeleteI believe it was always in Macbeth’s character to kill Duncan. It was too suspicious of Macbeth to so easily trust three old witches whom he had never meet before, and then after come to the thought of killing the king so quickly. Macbeth tries to hid from his evil side with guilt, we can see this through the course of this play, and even when Macbeth has a long inner dialogue clearly pointing out numerous reasons why he shouldn’t, he so easily fell back to why he should. I think this is because this inner desire has been in him for much longer then when the play stared.
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t really thought of it like that before, but I agree with everything you’ve said. It is rather suspicious that he would believe three witches of all people. It was pretty convenient that they prophesied to him and he says he isn’t going to meddle with fate but then not long after actually murders his cousin to get what he wants. The only explanation for his behavior, as you’ve already stated is that this thought had definitely crossed his mind before the witches brought it up to him. I also agree that whenever it appeared he was guilty, his actions and words seemed far too forced. So he might have been acting guilty all along when he might not have been guilty at all.
DeleteThat's a really good point. He did spend a lot more time thinking about the advantages to killing Duncan then the disadvantages. I truly believe that's how he thought of it as well. Simply as disadvantages. He didn't think of how it would effect other people all too much. He did a little, but I think he was trying to trick himself into thinking he's a better guy. It didn't work out though, and lead to him killing Duncsn.
DeleteYou make a really good point about how Macbeth trusted the witches right away. Clearly he was just waiting for someone to not look upon killing the king as a negative action. The witches told him that he would be king so he just went ahead and killed Duncan because there was finally someone out there who thought his inner desires were not unrealistic. His ambition definitely led him to killing the king as well. He even speaks about it saying that his ambition is the only thing that drives him to kill Duncan.
DeleteI agree with you Michelle. It's an interesting point in my opinion. He did appear to trust the witches rather quickly. If I were walking down the street and three strange witches came to me, I would be rather confused and I most certainly wouldn't trust them. The fact that he trusted them right away shows that they only approve his thoughts about killing the King that he was previously thinking about before he met them.
DeleteI believe that Macbeth hadn't thought of killing the King until the point the witches brought it up with him. Macbeth seemed to be rather innocent at this time, and seemed like he was happy with where he was, and how highly he was respected throughout the land. After the witches had told him he would be King, it definitley began to mess with his head. Macbeth wasnt a rather bright fellow (proven by his later actions), and the fact that all it took to convince him to kill Duncan was a couple of bored witches, shows his great lack of intelligence. If Macbeth had the idea of killing Duncan before the witches, with his ambition and his stupidity, he probably would have gone through with it anyway. However, he didnt, so it would only make sense that because of his stupidity, it was the witches that were the ones to first plant the idea in his head, and then his ambition and his wife pushed him to do it. I also believe that because of Macbeths innocence in the beggining, it is likely that he was so high off the adrenaline and reward from being this mighty hero that he would have never thought of taking the next step up, being the King. In the beggining Macbeth saw himself as an amazing person, not a traitor, but then later his ambition to be King and his stupidity blinded that.
ReplyDeletePS: I checked the blog post to read the due date, and saw that it was Sunday, but later realized it was Sunday February 24th 2010. So if it was due before, this is my explanation.
I think that no one knows for sure whether Macbeth always had a desire to become king even before the witches met him. I have two thoughts about this. I sometimes think that Macbeth did have the desire to be king before the witches since he is a well known fighter and a relative of the king. As children, I’m sure most of us have thought it would be pretty cool to be king or queen, if not that president or a famous singer. But I also feel that it could have never occurred to him to become king until the witches made their prophesy. And even then, he would have just waited for it to happen, rather than make it happen if his wife hadn’t pushed him into murdering the king. And if the witches never told him that he was to be king then he wouldn’t have kill the king either.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you relate Macbeth's desires to our everyday childhood dreams. However, wouldn't there have to be something on Macbeth that made him act? For example, if a young boy wants to be president, he must have some motivation, musn't he? It only makes sense. There must be somthing that lead Macbeth to make the descision of killing Macbeth so easily. One could argue that it was Lady Macbeth and the wtiches that pushed him to that descision, but that still lead to his internal motivations.
DeleteI like what both of you have suggested. Every kid has a dream, but most dreams do not involve killing someone to make it come true. There's always thought behind a decision, otherwise no decision would be important. Clearly the way Macbeth saw killing Duncan, the positives outweighed the negatives to him. His final decision to kill the king, I think was pushed over the edge when the witches told him that he should be king.
DeleteI think that in the play, Macbeth had a lingering desire to take the crown later in life because he was so worthy of it with all of his achievements behind him. Until he met the witches which he was convinced that he could take the crown now and because the witches prophecy came true, Macbeth fully believed in everything they said, which includes killing Duncan. Macbeth would have disputed for the crown on his own, but if it weren't for the witches and their prophecy, Macbeth wouldn't have taken such hasty actions.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting point to consider. Most people have said that he wanted to be king but never would do anything or that he never wanted to be king prior to the witches. But, this is a different opinion which I actually really like. I know that when we first began reading the play i got the feeling as people described Macbeth and even as he spoke for the first while. I just got a feeling that he was destined to be the king no matter what. Wether or not it was to always be a malicious road to that kingship I do not know. But, I think it was written in the stars and that he expected it somewhere in the back of his head. This probably made it easier for him to be persuaded by lady Macbeth.
DeleteThis is also a very valid point. Although Macbeth may have expected to be King later in life, which I completely agree with, I don't think he ever thought of going to the extent of killing the king to get to that. It seemed to be a mixture of the witches trickery and his stupidity which led him to taking such hasty actions.
DeleteI agree, the witches really sped up the process of Macbeth becoming king, but because of his ambitious traits and the fact that he's a good fighter, he would've gone through with it eventually anyways. Macbeth was just conveniently extremely gullible when he met the witches and I think that's because he really did want to be king, he just thought it was too far out of his reach. The witches confirmed that it wasn't and so he realized what he had to do and he did it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy belief is that Macbeth has always wanted to be the king to some extent. This is due to the fact that I think every single person out there wants to be the best at some point. Some people want to be the greatest hockey player alive, whereas others may want to be the prime minister. In the case of Macbeth, the best would be the king. The question is, how badly and how prominently does he want to be king. He is depicted in the book as a very content and innocent person, who is the greatest warrior in Scotland. Even at the moment that the witches tell him he will become king he scoffs at them. If he strongly desired kingship then I would presume he would jump at the very mention of it happening. Yet, it takes him awhile to actually consider it. Once he does consider it he is shocked with himself and dismisses it immediately. it is not until later when he thinks about it more and more that we see a desire emerge. As far as the idea of killing Duncan, he first thinks of it at the same time that I believe he first shows a tad of desire. That same time that he quickly dismisses it, disgusted with himself. So, I think it originally occurs to him at that same moment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on your points. Before the witches had told him he would be King, he didn't seem as if he would have those sort of thoughts because when he did have the thought of killing Duncan, he was quite shocked with himself. This goes to show his innocence in the beginning of the play.
DeleteI think it would have been something he wanted before the witches brought it up because of just the want. When I was younger, I always wanted to be the "special helper" for the day because it means that you are the most special. Being a King would be like the same thing. Feeling like you have ultimate power over the people who are under you. Macbeth wanted to be King for the single reason that he wanted to have the most power and do whatever he wanted.
ReplyDeleteI believe MacBeth had the desire to be king long before Duncan was killed. In my opinion, MacBeth being an ambitious individual would have somehow figured out a plan to be King. Even without the witches help. I think it appears that the witches provoked him earlier than he anticipated. Causing him to react as soon as he could about the matter, creating a plan to kill Duncan. Regardless, he would have figured out a way to be King one day, even if someone else had to kill the King first. If someone had the ambition to study for example psychology in university, they would have probably displayed some interest in the subject before hand. I believe the same thing goes for MacBeth, he had desire to be king, like learning a subject you want to in university and displaying interest in it. MacBeth always wanted to be King and he succeed causing him into a spiraling downfall of his character.
ReplyDeleteI think Macbeth felt the urge to kill Duncan ever since he had become king. Macbeth was always jealous of his position. Not only did Macbeth have the desire to kill Duncan, I suspect Lady Macbeth wanted him dead as well so she could inherit queen. It seemed like all she cared about was being powerful, and her and her husband withholding all of the power. In real life, everyone wants what they can't have. For some people it's a very nice expensive house, and for others it could the latest computer game. It is all dependent on the person. Here, I sense Macbeth is very power hungry. He just wants all of the power, but in his case, he cannot resist himself from achieving what he wants; killing Duncan to be king.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know that Macbeth was always jealous of his position though? It only shows that Macbeth had interest in being king after the witches had told him he would.
DeleteI do agree with you on the fact that Lady Macbeth was probably crazy all along, considering one of her first scenes is her trying to "unsex" herself.
Macbeth was a person of great power and respect. He also had the urge of going higher and to the top in life and the idea of becoming king popped into Macbeth's head when he met with the witches and the witches told him that he would become king and Macbeth had hope now that he would go to the top. Macbeth didn't want to wait to become king, so that's why he decided to kill Duncan, so he didn't have wait. He was very impatient and wanted his crown now.
ReplyDelete