The Tragedy of Macbeth

William Shakespeare

A famously peculiar feature of Shakespeare's cast in the tragedy Macbeth is the existence of the...more

A famously peculiar feature of Shakespeare's cast in the tragedy Macbeth is the existence of the "Weird Sisters," three rarely spoken but seemingly omnipresent witches. Manifestations of the goddess Hecate, associated with ghosts and the underworld, they are undoubtedly the source of some evil in the plot. Their dialogue involves solely Macbeth and, briefly, Banquo. "Thou shalt get king, though thou be none./ So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! (1.3, 65-6). Upon initial scrutiny, the force of their predictions appears to empower the murderous Macbeth. Critics have often ascribed his "transformation from a reluctant, conscience-ridden conspirator into a cunning and brutal murderer (Paris)," to the witches' influence. "He had put off [the murder of Macduff's wife and children] until he had visited the Weird Sisters (Paris);" "[T]he witches of Macbeth inspire... the mysterious horror and spiritual terror (Schelling);" [T]he Weird Sisters represent, in most appalling sort, the wickedness of the purpose they suggest: so that Macbeth's fears as well as his hopes are stimulated, and his fears even more than his hopes, by the recollection of their greetings: the instant he reverts to them, his imagination springs into action (Hudson). Curiously, the witches go unpunished for their transgressions at the conclusion of the play. It may be surmised that Shakespeare's intent was not to deem the Weird Sisters wholly unaccountable for the evildoings that commence, but to propose a moral scheme that departs from the binary good-and-evil model. He acknowledges the existence of supernatural forces such as the witches, but rather than purporting their instigation of either order or disorder, he presents them as merely containers of the potential for such. It is ultimately the anomaly of the skewed individual that upsets overall social design.    hide

Washing your hands of blood has been done before, likening it to Pontius Pilot washing his hands of...more

Washing your hands of blood has been done before, likening it to Pontius Pilot washing his hands of the blood of Christ, but the stain can never be erased from our memories. Guilt cannot be assuaged by desire for power, Destiny is not ruled by those who tell the future and when man tries to overide his destiny by force of will it provokes the Gods to laughter. That simple words on paper can bring to life a story with such visual clarity, that such power can be transcribed across the ages from its simple tellling, that words can be arranged together in sentences of grace and style that sing as poetry to our ears, words taken to memory and to heart by so many; only proves that the master was at work here be he Shakespeare , or Francis Bacon, or whoever you wish to call him. This work is timeless. As timeless as passion and envy and good and evil. As timeless as . . . the human heart   hide

Should I list it as my fav? absolutely not, at the beginning of the year when I knew this is my...more

Should I list it as my fav? absolutely not, at the beginning of the year when I knew this is my Olevel text for literature, I nearly fainted for the fact that I dont even understand the language But after a while, learning to get into the mind of the murderer, of a brave soldier, the tragic hero who falls for his greed of power, I have to say, I love the play Rich in irony, tension and suspense... Macbeth, though a killer, a tyrant, someone who commit murder of his own best friend, his king and innocent women and children, in the end wins our sympathy as a loner, a king who is loved by none, a husband who loses his wife... His soliloquy in the end was depressing but beautiful: Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets in his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more   hide

Macbeth has to be one of my favorite Shakespearean tragedies, if not my FAVORITE. Lady Macbeth is...more

Macbeth has to be one of my favorite Shakespearean tragedies, if not my FAVORITE. Lady Macbeth is one of the most dynamic and interesting female characters in any of Shakespeare's works, and the weird sisters are certainly memorable as well. I have seen it performed at the Illinois High School Theater Festival, several years ago, and found it to be a very powerful performance. I am partial, however, to the film production starring Judi Dench and Ian McKellan. The "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow..." soliloquy is one of my favorite Shakespearean quotes, right up there with the Hamlet "To be, or not to be" and Kate's discourse at the end of The Taming of the Shrew. Macbeth will have a place on my shelf forever.   hide

As good as Hamlet is, when it comes to my favorite Shakespearean tragedy it will always remain...more

As good as Hamlet is, when it comes to my favorite Shakespearean tragedy it will always remain Macbeth. The reason why is because of how it shows how good and brave men can be tempted and slowly nudged into doing terrible acts. Yet, even after being defeated Macbeth is still willing to challenge his fate and fight back. Plus Lady Macbeth is just an awesome character too.   hide