At first Lady Macbeth is like the man is the relationship. She is very controlling and wants Macbeth to kill Duncan. Later she starts to feel more guilty (when she hallucinates that blood is on her hands) and becomes more womanly.
Macbeth never forgets his guilt completely. He is still guilty he just tries to overcome his guilt by commiting more murders to "fix" the murders hes already done.
Lady Macbeth at the beginning believes she is stronger than she really is. But after the murder, she starts to feel the guilt that goes along with the crime. And she shows how strong she really is
The roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth sort of switch. At the beginning Lady Macbeth is the one who is convincing Macbeth to go on with the murder of Duncan. He has too much human emotion, supposedly. But after the murder, after the initial shock, Macbeth gets stronger and it seems that the more people he kills, the more confident he is and each killing gets easier and easier. But Lady Macbeth’s guilt grows each day. Macbeth blows her off as just another sacrifice on the way to power, which is now his obsession- not Lady Macbeth’s.
I think that if lady macbeth was incharge that not so many people would have been killed and people might have liked her better. If lady macbeth had not influenced macbeth so much i think that none of this would have happened. it is interesting hoe lady macbeth was questioning macbeth's manhood then twards the end macbeth really rose to the occasion.
Lady Macbeth is very controlling at the beggining despite that women at that tiime were considered like glass. For example when they talk about Duncan's murder they say it is not fit for a women to hear. If she had continued to be controlling then I think that they still would been found out an they would've murdered lots of people but htat Lady Macbeth wouldn't have lost it like she did after Macbeth left because he never would have left.
Lady Macbeth says, "My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white." This means that Lady Macbeth is almost in the same position as Macbeth but she keeps her courage and fears that Macbeth is losing his courage.
I think that Lady Macbeth was definitely the main reason why Macbeth started becoming more confident with the situation, and actually killing the people. Once Macbeth's guilt was gone, Lady Macbeth took the role of the weak, scared part of the relationship, and they swwitched roles. Lady Macbeth was going crazy with insecurity and guilt, while Macbeth finally took control of the relationship and did the things that they had wanted to do in the first place.
I agree with Sophia, I think that macbeth never really forgets his guilt about killing duncan, he always feels guilty about it but during the rest of the play, he is completely power and guilt driven to keep killing more people to keep him self in power and "innocent".
If she stayed the controlling spouse she would have probably done the same thing as Macbeth because they were both paranoid and nervous. She would probably have killed many people to cover up the first murder but maybe not Banquo because she didnt hear the prophecy about he and his sons.Also she might not have killed as many people or became so obsessed with power because she was able to hold in her inner feelings and instincts.
At the beginning, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem really close, they are plotting together, the are a team. But towards the end, Macbeth seems to go off on his own and leaves Lady macbeth to fend for herself. When she goes crazy and dies, it seems like he doesn't even care...
Also at the beggining they really seemed to love each other but after the murder they started to become less close, especcially when she died he didn't seem to broken up about it because they aren't so loving as husband and wife. They rarely talk to each other after the murder except the conversation where he lied to her.
I do not believe that Lady Macbeth was aware at the beginning that killing Duncan would lead to many other murders which is why she was so sure that killing Duncan was the way to the throne.
I think that Macbeth would have been too scared to kill anyone if Lady Macbeth hadn't pushed him and pressured him to do it. Macbeth was obviously upset that he wasn't the first chosen to be king, but I don't think that he would have ever killed Duncan if Lady Macbeth had been more accepting and less greedy.
Macbeth puts the murder to the back of his mind and his able to stop himself from going insane but Lady Macbeth is never able to forget the murder and eventually it comes back to kill her,
I disagree with Bronson about Margot's question. I think that macbeth would never have killed Duncan ijf Lady Macbeth hadn't pushede him into doing it. I mean Macbeth didnt want to do it in the first place but she kept forcing him and mkaing him feel guilty about not doing it. Macbeth would not have been this paranoid mass murderer if Lady Macbeth had'nt forced him to kill duncan in the first place.
Lady Macbeth originally controls Macbeth and convinces him to kill Duncan, so she is the husband at first. Then Macbeth takes his husband role back when he kills Banquo and doesn't tell Lady Macbeth. I think that if Lady Macbeth had remained controlling, Macbeth wouldn't have killed Banquo and he wouldn't have been suspected of murder.
I waswondering about macbeths confidence. Why, in the start, did macbeth not believe the whiches rightaway? then he was very careful about killing people, taking his time, and covering his trail, and making sure he wasn't caught. so why, when the apparitions appeared, did Macbeth believe them right away?
If Macbeth was ever crazy, he didn't really show it, he showed it as more of a manly-ness, i guess... Lady Macbeth seemed to lose sanity with each murder and Macbeth got stronger with each murder.
I think that the witches were giving Macbeth a legitimate prophecy- Hecate scolded the witches for delivering it to him. But she did tell them to give Macbeth a false sense of security with the apparitions, suggesting that they were more having fun than changing futures, so it could go either way...
I agree with Katelyn, once Lady Macbeth realized that killing Duncan hadn't helped her in any way, she started worrying about what would happen if they got caught and trying to get Macbeth to calm down.
Do you think Macbeth was ever aware that the witches were tricking them with their prophecy? Do you think that maybe the witches did not want Macbeth alive and that they were aware that him murdering a plethora of people would soon lead to his death?
Although she pushed him into the murder,I think Lady Macbeth might have also helped keep Macbeth under a little bit more control by calming him and telling him everything will end up fine. Without her speeches to him he might have done a lot worse things.
Lady Macbeth really pushes Macbeth to commit the murder and i believe with out her push to kill Duncan, Macbeth woudnt have killed any of the other people. She in a way unbalanced Macbeth's mental state, and completely unhinged hers. Macbeth then takes over the relationship after completing the murder, and pushes Lady Macbeth into a more submissive state by excluding her from his plans to kill the other people. Once she is put into the lower position in the relationship her mental state continues to unravel at an increasing rate. Each feeds off the other, the weaker her mind gets the more she lets Macbeth take control of the situation, and as she looses the dominance her mental state declines.
I think that the witches were using macbeth because they were trying to find a way to kill him because he was in a way kind of screwing everything up for the witches, so they put these thoughts into his mind about all these people like Banquo taking over the throne, so Macbeth starts freakin out and just goes on this murder run, so i change my mind, i think that Lady Macbeth was one of the main causes for him killing people, but what the witches supposedly "prophicize" also drove him to do it too.
I think that Michelle is right about how after Macbeth sort of forgot his guilt or was able to put it in the back of his mind he left Lady Macbeth behind and without him there to console she couldn't console herself so the guilt began to eat her up. She no longer worked with Macbeth so she didn't know what was going on so she lost her feeling of power and distraction from guilt.
Macbeth is like Jack from Lord of the Flies because at the beginning they both know that killing is wrong but as soon as they have masks to hide behind they are able to go through with it. Jack hides behind a real mask while Macbeth hides behind his wife.
If Banquo had never been killed, I think that his suspicion in Macbeth would continually grow, eventually to the point of 'telling on' Macbeth, and if he had been able to do that, I'm sure he would have been made king.
Maybe the witches were trying to trick him becuase they wanted him dead and they somehow got Lady Macbeth into the plan to trick Macbeth into killing many people to get the throne.Lady Macbeth might have agreed with the witches to help kill Macbeth because she would have the throne to herself.
I agree with Kyle!!!I mean if Macbeth had just become king in the first place, he really wouldn't have to kill someone to cover up the last murder, and then kill someone else to cover up that murder, and so on. He caused all of his problems and brought all this drama and all these troubles upon himself, just with killing Duncan.
I think that was indeed used by the witches. I think they wanted him, maybe, kill some people for him, or that they had something against him and wanted him to kill himself.
If Duncan made Macbeth king from the start, he wouldn't have to kill duncan to get the crown, and duncan's murder was the start of a killing spree. If he didn't have to kill duncan to get what he wanted, would he have turned into a maniac anyway??
I agree with the idea of Macbeth getting into a killing spree, and that alone made him more willing to kill more and more people; no matter the price. His killing spree made him stronger in a way he never would have been without Lady Macbeth's push from the beginning.
I think that Macbeth was pressured into everything he did by everybody. once he killed duncan that death mounted the pressure even more and this happenen till he crumppled
I think the Macbeth didn't know the witches were tricking him he just heard what they said and he started to think about how he could do that As to the wiches knowing Macbeth's killing spree would lead to his death I'd say yes because eventually someone was going get tired of living under his tyranny and kill him, Macbeth couldn't kill everyone and everytime he did he just kept making more enimies
I think that Macbeth got caught up in his actions, he got something that he wanted and then he wanted more....today is the same way because if you get what you want, its only going to be good enough for a while. then you want more, and more.....
I think Macbeth's personality flaw was not so much greed, but obedience. He only obtained the trait of greed from listeing to Lady Macbeth and obeying her orders.
I think Macbeth started leaving Lady Macbeth out of his decisions because he truly thought killing Duncan was wrong and he didnt want her pushing him into more bad decisions.Even though she probably could have helped him.
His personality flaw was that he always wanted more. He was happy that he was Thane of Cawdor and Glamis, but as soon as he heard that he could become king he wasn't happy until he was crowned.
The phrophecy had never been told to Macbeth that it woudnt have come true. By placing the idea into his head of becoming king, it makes him carry out the act of the murders. Just by predicting his reactions to being told something and his reactions to the events following it, they could bulid a phrophecy based on that alone. The phrophecy is more of sparking an idea and determining how that person specifically will act from there on. They are not events that are set in stone. If the witches had never met Macbeth there is a chance Macbeth would have never killed any of them.
Nicole made a good point about competion throughout the book. When i was reading i was thinkling of how in the book that it seems lioke there is always a fight for power, and everyone is struggling to get to the top. Everyone, like Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, would do anything to get their power and keep it. I always thought they were going along with SOCIAL DARWAINISM where the fittest would survive, and i think that's what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were going along with and thought they should be the fittest.
Lady Macbeth was complaining that Macbeth had too much human emotion, but at the end she ultimately goes crazy with guilt, which is a very human emotion. Ironic....
Who is the third murderer? the 3rd murderer could be a witch, for she could have extinguished the light with her “powers” and she would want Banquo dead but not Fleance so that her prophecy would come true-Banquo’s children would be kings but not Banquo, and his death would certainly prevent him from becoming king. If Fleance died that would cut off Banquo’s bloodline, for all that we know.
Lady Macbeth may not have been a witch like Thomas said, but she still could have been in on the plan with the witches. The witches may have convinced and persuaded Lady Macbeth that after Macbeth was killed she would have the glory of having the throne. She may have thought it was the right thing to do, but her real instincts told her it wasn't and thats why she felt the guilt while sleepwalking.
I think that the third murder who killed Banquo could have been Macbeth because he might have wanted to watch and make sure that they completely killed off Banquo. we never find out who the third murderer is but i believe it was Macbeth not trusting anybody, and wanted to get the job done. I also thought it was Macbeth because in a way the third murderer helped Fleance get away.
did Shakespeare like the witches or not?? He spoke down on them via the other characters, but he also gave them a position of power with the prophecy....
I think that if Macbeth hadn't needed to kill Duncan then he would never have lost it because he started killing to cover up his first kill and with no first kill no need to cover it up.
I think that the third murderer could have been Lady Macbeth, because like Molly said, she went even more insane after that murder took place. I also think if she had been the third murderer, she was guilt driven from the first murder, and everything she did was out of fear. She thought she had to get rid of all the people that could get in her way, but she didn't have the strength to do it herself; which is where Macbeth comes in. He obviously felt the same way. He wanted to kill anyone who was a threat to him so that it would be easier for him to get whatever he wanted.
I do not think Macbeth is hero because he listened to Lady Macbeth's orders and killed people instead of backing out. He could've been the hero if he backed out.
I agree with Thomas about the witches thinking it is all a game. They have fun with torturing people because they have an inate sense of evil to them.
I dont think either character was a hero, because Macbeth killed and Lady Macbeth conspired to kill. They are both equally guilty and should not be considered heros.
I think the third murderer might have been Macbeth himself because he could have got nervous after he got the murderers to agree in killing Banquo, and even wanted to make sure the prophecy did not come true by killing Banquo and his son
Witches over the years have evolved, from healers or widdowed women to brightly colored characters. its difficult to judge how we would react to the three witches no as opposed to then. Macbeth wasnt firghtened or tried to prosecute the witches, he fully believed in what they said and never doubted what there intentions were with telling him the phrophecy.
Lady Macbeth could have been planning some things without Macbeth knowing, but one thing that makes that less possible is the fact that she didn't know about Banquo's murder, unless she faked her surprise...
I think Macbeth's personality flaw is his insecurity, at the beggining Macbeth was worried they would fail, and then when he becme king he constintly worried about people finding out or trying to kill him so even when he had eveything he thought he wanted he still wasn't secure in his position
Macbeth doesn't think much about his actions after his first kill because, he just acts on what is best for him. Even at the end he dies rather than going through public ridicule,
going along with what Evan said, he was talking about the apparitions, and i think thats a point in the book that really shows that Macbeth has kind of completely gone phsyco...when he sees apparitions ginving him the idea to kill people, you get this impression that he just fell off the deep end.
I think that Macbeth acts before he thinks. he did something bad then found that the only solution to this is doing something else bad, and with every bad thing, he digs his hole deeper
I think the third murderer could have been one of the witches because they are trying to fufill their prophecy. Maybe their prphecy was that Macbeth would be king..etc. but maybe there was a hidden prophecy under that that said it would lead to his death. By helping to kill Banquo, the witch would've known it'd anger many people to a point where they would want to kill Macbeth.
I agree with Mariah, no one is really sad when Macbeth dies, and he isn't really a hero. Duncan was so well loved and everyone (including the animals and the weather) felt his death.
I don't believe Macduff could really be the hero, he is seeking revenge upon the death of his family. He doesn't kill out of cold blood like Macbeth but still has emotions of hatred that he acts upon and murders someone as well.
I think that it's interesting that Macbeth did believe the witches even though at that time witches were prosecuted, but that could be why he believed them.
I thihnk the third murderer is unlikely to be a women because at that time period women were'n't thought of as strong and I also don't think it could be Macbeth because they wouldn't recognize each other.
I agree with Kelsey that Duncan was the hero. Who says that the tragic hero of the play Macbeth ut HAS to be Macbeth? Duncan has many traits of a tragic hero. He was loved by many of his people and he was a great king but all this ends when he is killed by Macbeth. Both Macbeth and Duncan both die which is one trait of a tragic hero, but Duncan is the one who possesses the trait of being humble and a great king to many of his people.
When the witches say that fair is foul and foul is fair, they are showing that every good person, Macbeth, as some evil in them, and every evil person, Lady Macbeth, has some good in them.
I think that Banquo could have been the tragic hero. He was the one who had been loyal throughout the whole play, especially to Macbeth, but Macbeth just turned around and killed him out of cruelty and greed. I think that people reading the play would have grown attatched to Banquo because of his loyalty and respect for Macbeth, and the fact that he would have never done such a thinkg to Macbeth; no matter what he may have or may have not gained.
I agree with Mariah. She was talking about how wwhen Duncan died that it changed everything, like how the horses went crazy ewating each other, and i agree when she said that he was more of a tragic hero than anyone else. Its like when Simon dies in LOF, Simon's death and Duncan's death both make their worlds completely shift for everyone else in the book. They both show that alot of the order that was there, the boys in LOF had their made-up system of order, and Macbeth in his right mind, is totally just destroyed. The boys go crazy, and Macbeth goes physco, so Duncan and Simon's death both change the books completely.
I also agree with Mariah and Kelsey, with how Duncan's death rattled the earth and set off a huge chain of events. He never commited any crime but was the victim in the story making him a tragic hero.
The killing of Duncan is the initial turning point for Macbeth becoming more of a villian than a hero. Would other characters have killed Duncan to get the power in the first place??
I think the true hero is Macbeth at the beggining untill he is changed by his own acts but then Malcolm ends up as the hero by rising back up after his fathers murder and saving everybody that Macbeth had controlled.
I disagree with Jordan when she said that she thought the third murderer could not have been a woman because woman at that time were not strong. Woman may have appealed as weak on the outiside but many were strong on the inside. In a way they were wearing a "mask" like Nicki made the reference of characters wearing masks.
I think that when the other characters were put in macbeth's place they would both be foul and fair. on that, I agree with Bronson that even if the people look good they might actually be bad in that given situation.
Did guilt over Duncan's death kill Lady Macbeth or did other thing s contribute is something I was wondering? I agree that neither Macbeths wer ethe heroes they both killed people for themselves and like what was said above nobody really felt any remorse over there dead.
Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair, when i hear that i immediatley think of the statement as a bitter sweet kind of idea. That all people, creatures, everything, everything has a good side and a bad.
I think that the quote "Fair is foul and foul is fair" could stand specifically for the mixed interpretations you get from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the beginning, Lady Macbteth would be considered fair, then you see that she truly is foul (evil); and in the end, Macbeth could be considered fair and respectful, then you see that he truly is foul. They switch roles as the play progresses.
Macbeth, at the point of referring to the witches the second time, is so caught up in his actions that he doesn't really think about what the apparitions are saying. he hears what he wants to hear, like you can't be harmed by anyone born to a women. He thinks that means no human, but he is not really thinking...
I agree with hunter that everbody is fair and foul. They have both fair and foul traits just one outshines the other and the other trait is hidden on the inside. For example: Macbeth is foul when he keeps killing people to hide his previous murders but he is fair when he starts to feel guilty and realizes the consequences of his actions.
Also Macbeths followers were fair and foul because Macbeth forced them to join him in his army and be foul but they truly didnt want to so they were fair inside. That is why Malcolm didnt really want to hurt many people in Macbeth's army.
Fair is foul and foul is fair is a theme that applies all across the play, in Lord of the Flies, and in every day life. It has to do with the balance of good and evin with in a person or life in general. Hunter also refered to the inate sence of evil that is a theme in LotF, i also agree that the two themes are very similar. How something is never purely good or evil, but rather a mix of the two and how they increse or decrease.
When I said women weren't strong I meant that peolple at that ime didn't think women were strong, for example people thought Lady Macbeth shouldn't hear the king had been murdered because she was a women
Lady Macbeth was not as strong as she said she was, so when the guilt about the murder caught up with her, it was too much for her to bear and she went insane and died
I was wondering why macbeth did not kill duncans sons after the murder? they would have then taken the thron, even if they were believed to have killed their father, they would have been kings and dismissed the allagations. unless there was an uprising against them they would have been fine.
Jordan, people did believe women were not strong but some women themselves gave other people the idea that they were that way. For ewxample: Lady Macbeth gave people the impression that she wasn't strong when she pretended to faint and know what was going on when Duncan was killed.
I agree with Margot about Kyle's comment that Macbeth was a senseless killer. Macbeth knew what he was doing, i mean he was aware that he was killing people, and he felt guilty about it too so if he didnt know what he was doing there would be no guilt, and he wouldnt have been driven to kill more people. but he was completely aware of what he was doing, even if he didnt realize how much it would affect his life and the lives of the people aroung him.
If Macduff hadn't killed Macbeth right off, would he have showed his guilt? Would he have admitted to himself that he had committed all of the murders?
I think Lady Macbeth went completely insane because she knew it was all her fault whil Macbeth didnt end up like her becuase he was going to spare Duncan untill he was convinced by Lady Macbeth. So he Knew it wasnt all his fault.
I think that they way Macbeth handled the situation is similar to the way people handle things in every day life. The fact that Macbeth kept killing to get the things he wanted is similar to what people do everyday. In example; a person might cheat on every test they take just to get a good grade, but they never learn anything because they never take the time to learn in on their own.
He didn't kill Duncan's sons because then their would have been more of a chance that he would be accused. And since Duncan's sons fled it was obvious to everyone else that they were guilty.
Macbeth's continous killing, and the buliding number of murders he comits in a way is the butterfly effect. With his one murder he sets off a series of murders to cover up his first. He is always building upon the murder of Duncan and the effects of each murder keeps setting off more and more events or murders, also toying with his mental state.
This whole blog describes almost all the parts of Macbeth. The characters,plot,and intire story of macbeth is based around the ida "Foul is fair and fair is foul" The bloggers mentioned this several times because it was such a huge part of the story. One student said that it relates to everything so well because shakespeare shows us the foul and fair side of all the characters and events. Macbeth is mostly fair before he meets the witches, but his foul alter ego takes over when he learns of his future. The opposite happens to Banquo. he become more fair after hearing his predictions, though never fully understanding the meaning. Lady Macbeth was somewhat fair before she learns of her chance of being queen, but the want of power corrupts her and she never fully get back to her fair side before dying of guilt. We first hear the quote "foul is fair and fair is foul" when macbeth describes the weather the day of the battle to Banquo. The day was foul and fair at the same time because the battle was won but Scotland is doomed when their next king is corrupted between his encouraging evil wife, nieve friend, and the three witch's and their prophesies. the wholepoint of the story is showing how everything is foul and fair at the same time no matter how fair it looks. the main thing I took away from this is that everything you do, whether it seems harmless or not, it effects everything in the future for you and everyone aroung you in a foul and fair way. Everything the bloggers spoke about, Lady Macbeth, guilt, murder, leadership, and corruption are all foul and fair in their own ways.
Lady Macbeth is so controlling she would seem to be the husband. Once Macbeth murders Banquo, he takes his "man" part back. I think that if Lady Macbeth had remained controlling, Macbeth wouldn't have gone crazy and killed Banquo and have been suspected of killing Duncan and Banquo.
Lady Macbeth could have easily been planning something all along without telling Macbeth and that is why she felt so guilty. She might have already known that they were eventually going to get caught but she didnt want to frighten Macbeth so she kept that to herself.
Macbeth believed the witches, because at the time, they were discriminated against. Macbeth listened to them, because he knew that they could have been easily telling the truth and he felt sorry for them.
When the witches say "Foul is Fair and Fair is Foul" they are referring to everybody in the story. They all have a sense of evil and goodness in them and this relates to Lord of the Flies in every way.
104 comments:
At first Lady Macbeth is like the man is the relationship. She is very controlling and wants Macbeth to kill Duncan. Later she starts to feel more guilty (when she hallucinates that blood is on her hands) and becomes more womanly.
Macbeth never forgets his guilt completely. He is still guilty he just tries to overcome his guilt by commiting more murders to "fix" the murders hes already done.
Lady Macbeth at the beginning believes she is stronger than she really is. But after the murder, she starts to feel the guilt that goes along with the crime. And she shows how strong she really is
The roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth sort of switch. At the beginning Lady Macbeth is the one who is convincing Macbeth to go on with the murder of Duncan. He has too much human emotion, supposedly. But after the murder, after the initial shock, Macbeth gets stronger and it seems that the more people he kills, the more confident he is and each killing gets easier and easier. But Lady Macbeth’s guilt grows each day. Macbeth blows her off as just another sacrifice on the way to power, which is now his obsession- not Lady Macbeth’s.
I think that if lady macbeth was incharge that not so many people would have been killed and people might have liked her better. If lady macbeth had not influenced macbeth so much i think that none of this would have happened. it is interesting hoe lady macbeth was questioning macbeth's manhood then twards the end macbeth really rose to the occasion.
Lady Macbeth is very controlling at the beggining despite that women at that tiime were considered like glass. For example when they talk about Duncan's murder they say it is not fit for a women to hear. If she had continued to be controlling then I think that they still would been found out an they would've murdered lots of people but htat Lady Macbeth wouldn't have lost it like she did after Macbeth left because he never would have left.
Lady Macbeth says, "My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white." This means that Lady Macbeth is almost in the same position as Macbeth but she keeps her courage and fears that Macbeth is losing his courage.
I think that Lady Macbeth was definitely the main reason why Macbeth started becoming more confident with the situation, and actually killing the people. Once Macbeth's guilt was gone, Lady Macbeth took the role of the weak, scared part of the relationship, and they swwitched roles. Lady Macbeth was going crazy with insecurity and guilt, while Macbeth finally took control of the relationship and did the things that they had wanted to do in the first place.
I agree with Sophia, I think that macbeth never really forgets his guilt about killing duncan, he always feels guilty about it but during the rest of the play, he is completely power and guilt driven to keep killing more people to keep him self in power and "innocent".
If she stayed the controlling spouse she would have probably done the same thing as Macbeth because they were both paranoid and nervous. She would probably have killed many people to cover up the first murder but maybe not Banquo because she didnt hear the prophecy about he and his sons.Also she might not have killed as many people or became so obsessed with power because she was able to hold in her inner feelings and instincts.
At the beginning, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem really close, they are plotting together, the are a team. But towards the end, Macbeth seems to go off on his own and leaves Lady macbeth to fend for herself. When she goes crazy and dies, it seems like he doesn't even care...
Also at the beggining they really seemed to love each other but after the murder they started to become less close, especcially when she died he didn't seem to broken up about it because they aren't so loving as husband and wife. They rarely talk to each other after the murder except the conversation where he lied to her.
I do not believe that Lady Macbeth was aware at the beginning that killing Duncan would lead to many other murders which is why she was so sure that killing Duncan was the way to the throne.
I think that Macbeth would have been too scared to kill anyone if Lady Macbeth hadn't pushed him and pressured him to do it. Macbeth was obviously upset that he wasn't the first chosen to be king, but I don't think that he would have ever killed Duncan if Lady Macbeth had been more accepting and less greedy.
Macbeth puts the murder to the back of his mind and his able to stop himself from going insane but Lady Macbeth is never able to forget the murder and eventually it comes back to kill her,
I disagree with Bronson about Margot's question. I think that macbeth would never have killed Duncan ijf Lady Macbeth hadn't pushede him into doing it. I mean Macbeth didnt want to do it in the first place but she kept forcing him and mkaing him feel guilty about not doing it. Macbeth would not have been this paranoid mass murderer if Lady Macbeth had'nt forced him to kill duncan in the first place.
Lady Macbeth originally controls Macbeth and convinces him to kill Duncan, so she is the husband at first. Then Macbeth takes his husband role back when he kills Banquo and doesn't tell Lady Macbeth. I think that if Lady Macbeth had remained controlling, Macbeth wouldn't have killed Banquo and he wouldn't have been suspected of murder.
I waswondering about macbeths confidence. Why, in the start, did macbeth not believe the whiches rightaway? then he was very careful about killing people, taking his time, and covering his trail, and making sure he wasn't caught. so why, when the apparitions appeared, did Macbeth believe them right away?
If Macbeth was ever crazy, he didn't really show it, he showed it as more of a manly-ness, i guess... Lady Macbeth seemed to lose sanity with each murder and Macbeth got stronger with each murder.
I think that the witches were giving Macbeth a legitimate prophecy- Hecate scolded the witches for delivering it to him. But she did tell them to give Macbeth a false sense of security with the apparitions, suggesting that they were more having fun than changing futures, so it could go either way...
I agree with Katelyn, once Lady Macbeth realized that killing Duncan hadn't helped her in any way, she started worrying about what would happen if they got caught and trying to get Macbeth to calm down.
He believed the witches, because everything they had said had happened.
Do you think Macbeth was ever aware that the witches were tricking them with their prophecy? Do you think that maybe the witches did not want Macbeth alive and that they were aware that him murdering a plethora of people would soon lead to his death?
Although she pushed him into the murder,I think Lady Macbeth might have also helped keep Macbeth under a little bit more control by calming him and telling him everything will end up fine. Without her speeches to him he might have done a lot worse things.
Lady Macbeth really pushes Macbeth to commit the murder and i believe with out her push to kill Duncan, Macbeth woudnt have killed any of the other people. She in a way unbalanced Macbeth's mental state, and completely unhinged hers. Macbeth then takes over the relationship after completing the murder, and pushes Lady Macbeth into a more submissive state by excluding her from his plans to kill the other people. Once she is put into the lower position in the relationship her mental state continues to unravel at an increasing rate. Each feeds off the other, the weaker her mind gets the more she lets Macbeth take control of the situation, and as she looses the dominance her mental state declines.
I think that the witches were using macbeth because they were trying to find a way to kill him because he was in a way kind of screwing everything up for the witches, so they put these thoughts into his mind about all these people like Banquo taking over the throne, so Macbeth starts freakin out and just goes on this murder run, so i change my mind, i think that Lady Macbeth was one of the main causes for him killing people, but what the witches supposedly "prophicize" also drove him to do it too.
I think that Michelle is right about how after Macbeth sort of forgot his guilt or was able to put it in the back of his mind he left Lady Macbeth behind and without him there to console she couldn't console herself so the guilt began to eat her up. She no longer worked with Macbeth so she didn't know what was going on so she lost her feeling of power and distraction from guilt.
Macbeth is like Jack from Lord of the Flies because at the beginning they both know that killing is wrong but as soon as they have masks to hide behind they are able to go through with it. Jack hides behind a real mask while Macbeth hides behind his wife.
I dont think Macbeth ever thought the witches were tricking him because he was so paranoid about everybody else that they were all he had to beleive.
If Banquo had never been killed, I think that his suspicion in Macbeth would continually grow, eventually to the point of 'telling on' Macbeth, and if he had been able to do that, I'm sure he would have been made king.
Maybe the witches were trying to trick him becuase they wanted him dead and they somehow got Lady Macbeth into the plan to trick Macbeth into killing many people to get the throne.Lady Macbeth might have agreed with the witches to help kill Macbeth because she would have the throne to herself.
I agree with Kyle!!!I mean if Macbeth had just become king in the first place, he really wouldn't have to kill someone to cover up the last murder, and then kill someone else to cover up that murder, and so on. He caused all of his problems and brought all this drama and all these troubles upon himself, just with killing Duncan.
I think that was indeed used by the witches. I think they wanted him, maybe, kill some people for him, or that they had something against him and wanted him to kill himself.
If Duncan made Macbeth king from the start, he wouldn't have to kill duncan to get the crown, and duncan's murder was the start of a killing spree. If he didn't have to kill duncan to get what he wanted, would he have turned into a maniac anyway??
I agree with the idea of Macbeth getting into a killing spree, and that alone made him more willing to kill more and more people; no matter the price. His killing spree made him stronger in a way he never would have been without Lady Macbeth's push from the beginning.
I think that Macbeth was pressured into everything he did by everybody. once he killed duncan that death mounted the pressure even more and this happenen till he crumppled
I think the Macbeth didn't know the witches were tricking him he just heard what they said and he started to think about how he could do that As to the wiches knowing Macbeth's killing spree would lead to his death I'd say yes because eventually someone was going get tired of living under his tyranny and kill him, Macbeth couldn't kill everyone and everytime he did he just kept making more enimies
I think that Macbeth got caught up in his actions, he got something that he wanted and then he wanted more....today is the same way because if you get what you want, its only going to be good enough for a while. then you want more, and more.....
I think Macbeth's personality flaw was not so much greed, but obedience. He only obtained the trait of greed from listeing to Lady Macbeth and obeying her orders.
I think Macbeth started leaving Lady Macbeth out of his decisions because he truly thought killing Duncan was wrong and he didnt want her pushing him into more bad decisions.Even though she probably could have helped him.
I think Greed was reflected by macbeth. Every time he got something he wanted more and never had enough. Until it was his demise
His personality flaw was that he always wanted more. He was happy that he was Thane of Cawdor and Glamis, but as soon as he heard that he could become king he wasn't happy until he was crowned.
The phrophecy had never been told to Macbeth that it woudnt have come true. By placing the idea into his head of becoming king, it makes him carry out the act of the murders. Just by predicting his reactions to being told something and his reactions to the events following it, they could bulid a phrophecy based on that alone. The phrophecy is more of sparking an idea and determining how that person specifically will act from there on. They are not events that are set in stone. If the witches had never met Macbeth there is a chance Macbeth would have never killed any of them.
Nicole made a good point about competion throughout the book. When i was reading i was thinkling of how in the book that it seems lioke there is always a fight for power, and everyone is struggling to get to the top. Everyone, like Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, would do anything to get their power and keep it. I always thought they were going along with SOCIAL DARWAINISM where the fittest would survive, and i think that's what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were going along with and thought they should be the fittest.
Lady Macbeth was complaining that Macbeth had too much human emotion, but at the end she ultimately goes crazy with guilt, which is a very human emotion. Ironic....
Who is the third murderer? the 3rd murderer could be a witch, for she could have extinguished the light with her “powers” and she would want Banquo dead but not Fleance so that her prophecy would come true-Banquo’s children would be kings but not Banquo, and his death would certainly prevent him from becoming king. If Fleance died that would cut off Banquo’s bloodline, for all that we know.
Lady Macbeth may not have been a witch like Thomas said, but she still could have been in on the plan with the witches. The witches may have convinced and persuaded Lady Macbeth that after Macbeth was killed she would have the glory of having the throne. She may have thought it was the right thing to do, but her real instincts told her it wasn't and thats why she felt the guilt while sleepwalking.
I agree with Sophia that macbeth had an obidence problem. If he would have been more of a free spirit he would have been out of this mess
I think that the third murder who killed Banquo could have been Macbeth because he might have wanted to watch and make sure that they completely killed off Banquo. we never find out who the third murderer is but i believe it was Macbeth not trusting anybody, and wanted to get the job done. I also thought it was Macbeth because in a way the third murderer helped Fleance get away.
did Shakespeare like the witches or not?? He spoke down on them via the other characters, but he also gave them a position of power with the prophecy....
I think that if Macbeth hadn't needed to kill Duncan then he would never have lost it because he started killing to cover up his first kill and with no first kill no need to cover it up.
Maybe Lady Macbeth was plotting behind Macbeth's back and that is why she felt so guilty.
Lady Macbeth is more of the hero because at the end she shows she is human by her guilt. While Macbeht becomes more of a monster than anything.
I think that the third murderer could have been Lady Macbeth, because like Molly said, she went even more insane after that murder took place. I also think if she had been the third murderer, she was guilt driven from the first murder, and everything she did was out of fear. She thought she had to get rid of all the people that could get in her way, but she didn't have the strength to do it herself; which is where Macbeth comes in. He obviously felt the same way. He wanted to kill anyone who was a threat to him so that it would be easier for him to get whatever he wanted.
I do not think Macbeth is hero because he listened to Lady Macbeth's orders and killed people instead of backing out. He could've been the hero if he backed out.
I agree with Thomas about the witches thinking it is all a game. They have fun with torturing people because they have an inate sense of evil to them.
I dont think either character was a hero, because Macbeth killed and Lady Macbeth conspired to kill. They are both equally guilty and should not be considered heros.
I think the third murderer might have been Macbeth himself because he could have got nervous after he got the murderers to agree in killing Banquo, and even wanted to make sure the prophecy did not come true by killing Banquo and his son
Witches over the years have evolved, from healers or widdowed women to brightly colored characters. its difficult to judge how we would react to the three witches no as opposed to then. Macbeth wasnt firghtened or tried to prosecute the witches, he fully believed in what they said and never doubted what there intentions were with telling him the phrophecy.
Lady Macbeth could have been planning some things without Macbeth knowing, but one thing that makes that less possible is the fact that she didn't know about Banquo's murder, unless she faked her surprise...
I think Macbeth's personality flaw is his insecurity, at the beggining Macbeth was worried they would fail, and then when he becme king he constintly worried about people finding out or trying to kill him so even when he had eveything he thought he wanted he still wasn't secure in his position
Macbeth doesn't think much about his actions after his first kill because, he just acts on what is best for him. Even at the end he dies rather than going through public ridicule,
going along with what Evan said, he was talking about the apparitions, and i think thats a point in the book that really shows that Macbeth has kind of completely gone phsyco...when he sees apparitions ginving him the idea to kill people, you get this impression that he just fell off the deep end.
I think that Macbeth acts before he thinks. he did something bad then found that the only solution to this is doing something else bad, and with every bad thing, he digs his hole deeper
I think the third murderer could have been one of the witches because they are trying to fufill their prophecy. Maybe their prphecy was that Macbeth would be king..etc. but maybe there was a hidden prophecy under that that said it would lead to his death. By helping to kill Banquo, the witch would've known it'd anger many people to a point where they would want to kill Macbeth.
I agree with Mariah, no one is really sad when Macbeth dies, and he isn't really a hero. Duncan was so well loved and everyone (including the animals and the weather) felt his death.
I don't believe Macduff could really be the hero, he is seeking revenge upon the death of his family. He doesn't kill out of cold blood like Macbeth but still has emotions of hatred that he acts upon and murders someone as well.
I think that it's interesting that
Macbeth did believe the witches even though at that time witches were prosecuted, but that could be why he believed them.
I thihnk the third murderer is unlikely to be a women because at that time period women were'n't thought of as strong and I also don't think it could be Macbeth because they wouldn't recognize each other.
I agree with Kelsey that Duncan was the hero. Who says that the tragic hero of the play Macbeth ut HAS to be Macbeth? Duncan has many traits of a tragic hero. He was loved by many of his people and he was a great king but all this ends when he is killed by Macbeth. Both Macbeth and Duncan both die which is one trait of a tragic hero, but Duncan is the one who possesses the trait of being humble and a great king to many of his people.
When the witches say that fair is foul and foul is fair, they are showing that every good person, Macbeth, as some evil in them, and every evil person, Lady Macbeth, has some good in them.
I think that Banquo could have been the tragic hero. He was the one who had been loyal throughout the whole play, especially to Macbeth, but Macbeth just turned around and killed him out of cruelty and greed. I think that people reading the play would have grown attatched to Banquo because of his loyalty and respect for Macbeth, and the fact that he would have never done such a thinkg to Macbeth; no matter what he may have or may have not gained.
I agree with Mariah. She was talking about how wwhen Duncan died that it changed everything, like how the horses went crazy ewating each other, and i agree when she said that he was more of a tragic hero than anyone else. Its like when Simon dies in LOF, Simon's death and Duncan's death both make their worlds completely shift for everyone else in the book. They both show that alot of the order that was there, the boys in LOF had their made-up system of order, and Macbeth in his right mind, is totally just destroyed. The boys go crazy, and Macbeth goes physco, so Duncan and Simon's death both change the books completely.
I also agree with Mariah and Kelsey, with how Duncan's death rattled the earth and set off a huge chain of events. He never commited any crime but was the victim in the story making him a tragic hero.
The killing of Duncan is the initial turning point for Macbeth becoming more of a villian than a hero. Would other characters have killed Duncan to get the power in the first place??
I think that everyone is foul and fair at the same time. This relates to Lord of the Flies, because veryone has a sense of evil.
I think the true hero is Macbeth at the beggining untill he is changed by his own acts but then Malcolm ends up as the hero by rising back up after his fathers murder and saving everybody that Macbeth had controlled.
I disagree with Jordan when she said that she thought the third murderer could not have been a woman because woman at that time were not strong. Woman may have appealed as weak on the outiside but many were strong on the inside. In a way they were wearing a "mask" like Nicki made the reference of characters wearing masks.
I think that when the other characters were put in macbeth's place they would both be foul and fair. on that, I agree with Bronson that even if the people look good they might actually be bad in that given situation.
I think Macbeth is fair and foul because at the beggining he is fair and a hero, but soon his guilt takes over and turns him foul
Did guilt over Duncan's death kill Lady Macbeth or did other thing s contribute is something I was wondering?
I agree that neither Macbeths wer ethe heroes they both killed people for themselves and like what was said above nobody really felt any remorse over there dead.
Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair, when i hear that i immediatley think of the statement as a bitter sweet kind of idea. That all people, creatures, everything, everything has a good side and a bad.
I agree with Mariah that Foul is Fair, means that there isn't just black and white there is a grey area.
I think that the quote "Fair is foul and foul is fair" could stand specifically for the mixed interpretations you get from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the beginning, Lady Macbteth would be considered fair, then you see that she truly is foul (evil); and in the end, Macbeth could be considered fair and respectful, then you see that he truly is foul. They switch roles as the play progresses.
Macbeth, at the point of referring to the witches the second time, is so caught up in his actions that he doesn't really think about what the apparitions are saying. he hears what he wants to hear, like you can't be harmed by anyone born to a women. He thinks that means no human, but he is not really thinking...
I agree with hunter that everbody is fair and foul. They have both fair and foul traits just one outshines the other and the other trait is hidden on the inside. For example: Macbeth is foul when he keeps killing people to hide his previous murders but he is fair when he starts to feel guilty and realizes the consequences of his actions.
Also Macbeths followers were fair and foul because Macbeth forced them to join him in his army and be foul but they truly didnt want to so they were fair inside. That is why Malcolm didnt really want to hurt many people in Macbeth's army.
Fair is foul and foul is fair is a theme that applies all across the play, in Lord of the Flies, and in every day life. It has to do with the balance of good and evin with in a person or life in general. Hunter also refered to the inate sence of evil that is a theme in LotF, i also agree that the two themes are very similar.
How something is never purely good or evil, but rather a mix of the two and how they increse or decrease.
When I said women weren't strong I meant that peolple at that ime didn't think women were strong, for example people thought Lady Macbeth shouldn't hear the king had been murdered because she was a women
Lady Macbeth was not as strong as she said she was, so when the guilt about the murder caught up with her, it was too much for her to bear and she went insane and died
I was wondering why macbeth did not kill duncans sons after the murder? they would have then taken the thron, even if they were believed to have killed their father, they would have been kings and dismissed the allagations. unless there was an uprising against them they would have been fine.
Jordan, people did believe women were not strong but some women themselves gave other people the idea that they were that way. For ewxample: Lady Macbeth gave people the impression that she wasn't strong when she pretended to faint and know what was going on when Duncan was killed.
I agree with Margot about Kyle's comment that Macbeth was a senseless killer. Macbeth knew what he was doing, i mean he was aware that he was killing people, and he felt guilty about it too so if he didnt know what he was doing there would be no guilt, and he wouldnt have been driven to kill more people. but he was completely aware of what he was doing, even if he didnt realize how much it would affect his life and the lives of the people aroung him.
If Macduff hadn't killed Macbeth right off, would he have showed his guilt? Would he have admitted to himself that he had committed all of the murders?
I think Lady Macbeth went completely insane because she knew it was all her fault whil
Macbeth didnt end up like her becuase he was going to spare Duncan untill he was convinced by Lady Macbeth. So he Knew it wasnt all his fault.
I think that they way Macbeth handled the situation is similar to the way people handle things in every day life. The fact that Macbeth kept killing to get the things he wanted is similar to what people do everyday. In example; a person might cheat on every test they take just to get a good grade, but they never learn anything because they never take the time to learn in on their own.
He didn't kill Duncan's sons because then their would have been more of a chance that he would be accused. And since Duncan's sons fled it was obvious to everyone else that they were guilty.
Macbeth's continous killing, and the buliding number of murders he comits in a way is the butterfly effect. With his one murder he sets off a series of murders to cover up his first. He is always building upon the murder of Duncan and the effects of each murder keeps setting off more and more events or murders, also toying with his mental state.
This whole blog describes almost all the parts of Macbeth. The characters,plot,and intire story of macbeth is based around the ida "Foul is fair and fair is foul" The bloggers mentioned this several times because it was such a huge part of the story. One student said that it relates to everything so well because shakespeare shows us the foul and fair side of all the characters and events. Macbeth is mostly fair before he meets the witches, but his foul alter ego takes over when he learns of his future. The opposite happens to Banquo. he become more fair after hearing his predictions, though never fully understanding the meaning. Lady Macbeth was somewhat fair before she learns of her chance of being queen, but the want of power corrupts her and she never fully get back to her fair side before dying of guilt. We first hear the quote "foul is fair and fair is foul" when macbeth describes the weather the day of the battle to Banquo. The day was foul and fair at the same time because the battle was won but Scotland is doomed when their next king is corrupted between his encouraging evil wife, nieve friend, and the three witch's and their prophesies. the wholepoint of the story is showing how everything is foul and fair at the same time no matter how fair it looks. the main thing I took away from this is that everything you do, whether it seems harmless or not, it effects everything in the future for you and everyone aroung you in a foul and fair way. Everything the bloggers spoke about, Lady Macbeth, guilt, murder, leadership, and corruption are all foul and fair in their own ways.
Lady Macbeth is so controlling she would seem to be the husband. Once Macbeth murders Banquo, he takes his "man" part back. I think that if Lady Macbeth had remained controlling, Macbeth wouldn't have gone crazy and killed Banquo and have been suspected of killing Duncan and Banquo.
Macbeth believed the witches, because everything that they had said would happen happened.
Lady Macbeth could have easily been planning something all along without telling Macbeth and that is why she felt so guilty. She might have already known that they were eventually going to get caught but she didnt want to frighten Macbeth so she kept that to herself.
Macbeth believed the witches, because at the time, they were discriminated against. Macbeth listened to them, because he knew that they could have been easily telling the truth and he felt sorry for them.
When the witches say "Foul is Fair and Fair is Foul" they are referring to everybody in the story. They all have a sense of evil and goodness in them and this relates to Lord of the Flies in every way.
I think that "Foul is Fair" can mean that there is always a bad side on something good and vis versa
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