How Did Shakespeare Decide To Kill Duncan In Macbeth (2023)

991 Words |4 Pages

Macbeth’s rough journey towards taking over the throne cuts through many hard objectives. The first objective, which is a sign for further objectives, is the murder of the former king, Duncan. The beginning of the plan to kill Duncan starts with the old witches prophesying that Macbeth will take over the throne. Macbeth wants to follow this prophecy due to his true ambitions. However, the prophecy is followed only because his wife, Lady Macbeth leads Macbeth through this decision. It is truly Lady Macbeth who causes the death of Duncan.

730 Words |3 Pages

Macbeth’s greed, hunger for power, and deception lead us to the conclusion that Macbeth is solely guilty of this crime. We see that these characteristics all lead to the tragedy of King Duncan’s death. King Duncan entered Macbeth’s home with no clue that this would be the place of his death. Macbeth committed this crime with a conscious mind. It is necessary to point out that he did not kill just anyone, but he killed the king. Macbeth should suffer the greater consequences for murdering such a significant

359 Words |2 Pages

When ambition is overlooked, it has the ability to become extremely dangerous. Macbeth from Shakespeare is a clear example of this. As he rises to power, he becomes more and more of a threat to those around him, killing those he was once loyal to. Destruction when ambition goes unchecked is present throughout the play because of Macbeth’s strong desires that ultimately lead to the deaths of Duncan, Banquo, and nearly Macduff.

727 Words |3 Pages

However, when they are telling Banquo his prophecies, he chooses not to act upon it, and the prophecy of his children becoming kings never comes true. In Act 4, Scene 1, the witches show Macbeth a line of eight kings; the last one with a mirror in his hands, followed by the ghost of Banquo. On the other hand, this prophecy never comes true because Banquo never acts upon it. In the play Macbeth, Banquo says, “May they not be my oracles as well,/And set me up in hope? But hush, no more.” (3.1.9-10). This means that Banquo will not act upon what the witches are telling him. What the witches are telling Macbeth would also never be coming true if he hadn’t acted upon it. As Banquo puts it in the play, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s/In deepest consequence.” (1.3.126-128). To reinforce what Banquo says, Macbeth already knows that he is thane of Glamis. There is a battle going on, and the thane of Cawdor died, but Macbeth has yet to hear wind about it. The witches could have knowledge about this, and just told him what he wants to hear about being king

1088 Words |5 Pages

In Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, Macbeth was a victim of both free will and fate. One

2055 Words |9 Pages

A foil, according to our textbook, is defined as “a minor character whose attitudes, beliefs, and behavior differ significantly from those of a main character.” (Glencoe Literature British Literature 319). The motive of a foil in a book is to bring attention to the imperfections of a main character and present an idea of the main character had they not had any of these flaws. Throughout William Shakespeare’s well-known tragic play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, the main character Macbeth was presented with many contrasting minor characters that serve the play as his foils. All but very few characters

673 Words |3 Pages

Macbeth shows that he is willing to kill King Duncan because he is interested in the witches prophecy, after they tell him that he will become ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and then the King.

999 Words |4 Pages

From honored soldier to murderous tyrant, Macbeth killed his way into power. He was informed of his “destiny” and stopped at nothing to achieve it. He had multiple chances to rethink his actions. He didn 't however, he kept on his march to power leaving only himself to blame. Macbeth is the only one to blame for his actions and ultimately, his death.

1051 Words |5 Pages

In our world, manipulation takes place in everyday life as a natural impulse for both men and women. In Macbeth, manipulation is centralized around the mask of ambition displaying dominance over humanity. Certainly the witch’s, Lady Macbeth, and our fallen hero Macbeth become puppets of Manipulation it self. Consequently the witch’s power to influence decision-making causes the initial deterioration of Macbeth, along with Lady Macbeth’s influential desire for the throne, and thus Macbeth use of manipulation to create a new embodiment of a mask suffused in ambition for his own cruel deeds.

1020 Words |5 Pages

Macbeth was always power-hungry as soon as he found out that he can kill Duncan , his first thoughts about it was “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man ,That function is smother 'd in surmise, and nothing is but what is not.” Macbeth’s first thought after realising that he can be a king was to murder Duncan, That indicates that Macbeth always wanted to kill King Duncan to take the throne and when Lady macbeth got the letter from his husband explaining that the witches prophesied him saying that he can be a king the first thing that came in her mind was to kill Duncan and take over. She also talks about Macbeth always wanted to do it but he isn’t man enough to do this task “ Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be ,What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o ' th ' milk of human kindness ,To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it.” Also concludes that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth always wanted to kill King Duncan from the very past and that when they got to know that they can be the king and queen they were ready and prepared to kill Duncan

1191 Words |5 Pages

Macbeth evidently undergoes a mental process by which he come round to the idea or murdering Duncan. He does this as a result of his wife’s manipulation, her leverage being his manliness.Without the role of Lady Macbeth, the murder of King Duncan would never have occurred in the play. Lady Macbeth had already been plotting for the murder since she received the letter concerning the three prophecies by the witches. Although Macbeth had sinister thoughts about having the throne, Macbeth would have never dared to take it upon himself to kill King Duncan and steal the throne from

1021 Words |5 Pages

He goes from being a loyal soldier to a cruel tyrant killing all of his enemies. In the beginning of the play he is presented as a loyal soldier to King Duncan and he is widely respected and admired by people. It can seem questionable as to why Macbeth is an antagonist when he has the trope of a hero. Despite that image, his inner thoughts begin to reveal themselves, showing another side to Macbeth that people don’t know about. Macbeth soon admits to his dark lust for power and status beyond his capability. At first these thoughts remain hidden, but when the witches approach him with their predictions his desires reform his character. The witches wait for Macbeth and tell him series of predictions. The specific prediction, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51) causes Macbeth’s desire to become more intensified. Their prediction that he would become king brings a change in his character. The audience can now see his desires as well as his ambition. At this point, Macbeth is still hesitant of revealing his true nature, but the audience gets a peek of what he yearns for. In addition, the witches’ predictions are known to be paradoxical, their predictions are never straightforward; they tend to have different interpretations. Macbeth kills King Duncan to obtain the power he was told he’d get. Despite that, the witches never said to kill King Duncan; they told him he would become king. Macbeth’s true character reveals his natural cruelty when Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill Duncan for

832 Words |4 Pages

Macbeth is responsible for his destruction because in life we make our own decisions however he was heavily influenced by the three witches and Lady Macbeth. The witches foretell Macbeth becoming king and Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill the king, which backfires on her. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can be compared to Ahab and Jezebel in the Bible in that they both got selfish and went after things that would catch up with them and cost them their lives.

653 Words |3 Pages

Based on the witches predictions, it may seem like Macbeth’s fate is sealed. However, both Banquo and Macbeth face a similar obstacle. Their differing actions show that their actions lead them down different paths. However, even though one can choose to be good, like Banquo, fate can find a way to ruin that too, as mirrored by Banquo’s