Macbeth Rough Draft Essay

     As a young adult, one goes to school, studies hard, maintains good grades, and works to achieve the same goal as everybody else. Everyone wants to obtain power, because power is often equivalent to money. The ambition for power can be seen as a harmless goal, but many times can lead to the downfall of a person. Greed, combined with the addiction to the most power as possible, is not a good combination. In the book Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth hears a prophecy that he will one day be King, and wants to do anything to fulfill it. A once noble warrior is consumed by desire and influenced by his wife, and ends up murdering King Duncan. From then on, he is no longer the same person, and continues to make more bad decisions. He ends up being King, but is swallowed by guilt and paranoia, which eventually are the causes of his death. Too much power in such a short time is overwhelming and controlling. People make bad decisions in the fear of losing it. Macbeth, by Shakespeare, portrays that when one is placed in the hands of power, all morals and beliefs that they once had are forgotten, because power transforms one into a lesser version of themselves.
      Macbeth was once a respected, honorable man, until he received the news that he could possibly be King. From that point on, his character had gone in a downward spiral. "I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erlaps itself." (1.7.25-27) King Duncan was a perfectly good king, but Macbeth killed him for the benefit of his own good. It didn't occur to him that there were other ways to become the King, he chose the easy, quick path, rather than working hard to achieve his goal. "By the worst means, the worst. For mine own good/All causes shall give way." (3.4.137-38) Macbeth decided that he would do whatever it took to fulfill the prophecy, no matter what evil deeds he would have to do. His character is already changing for the worse, just because he's hopeful of the promise of power.
      As the addiction to power becomes stronger, Macbeth loses most of his humanity and emotion. "She should have died hereafter;/There would have been a time for such a word,/To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow." (5.5.17-20) Instead of weeping at the loss of his wife, Macbeth barely thinks twice about it and says that it was bound to happen. There were more important things that he'd rather worry about it, and his wife's death was just a part of life. "The castle of Macduff I will surprise,/Seize upon Fife, give to th'edge o'th'sword/His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls."(4.1.150-53) Compared to his first murder, the vile acts that Macbeth are committing are getting uncontrollable. A person who is capable of killing an innocent child is one who has lost pretty much all aspects of their morals.
      In the end, Macbeth's character is almost unrecognizable. The traits and characteristics that consumed him towards the end made him a totally different person. "Do call it valiant fury: but for certain,/He cannot buckle his distempered cause/Within the belt of rule."(5.2.13-15) Macbeth became this crazy, unpredictable man who lived his life based off of a prophecy that witches had told him. He lost all self control due to the guilt and paranoia that built up in him over the journey to acquire his power. "I have supped full with horrors;/Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts,/Cannot once start me."(5.5.13-15) At this point, Macbeth had lost all feelings and was basically a walking skeleton. The abundance of power that he claimed in such a short time was overwhelming and stripped him of his compassion for others. All ethics and principles that he once followed was forgotten in his race to become the King.
      From his wrongdoings and shortcuts, Macbeth came to a point in which he could no longer be saved. Throughout the book, Macbeth transformed from a person who would do anything to protect his country, to one that almost ended up destroying it. Just from the presence of power, he changed to a unrecognizable version of himself, and forgot everything that he once stood for. Macbeth is a representation of why one should work hard for the things that they want in life, instead of expecting to get by off of cheating. No matter how happy a person thinks they may be from achieving their goal, doing it in the wrong way will only bring them unhappiness in the future.

Macbeth Act 2 Quiz

Macbeth Act II Review

Act II quiz:

1. In your opinion, is Lady Macbeth a cold-blooded murderer? Why or why not?

Yes, I think that Lady Macbeth is a cold-blooded murderer, because although technically she did not murder King Duncan herself, she planned it, suggested it, and played a role in the completion of it. She laid out the dagger, and drugged all of the servants to make sure that they wouldn't wake up. Being the dominant spouse of the two, she convinced Macbeth that doing this would only result in a benefit for the both of them. Lady Macbeth is heartless and refers to Macbeth as a coward for being an emotional wreck after the murder. Her own feelings and emotions are inexistent, as most people would have a mental breakdown after committing such horrid actions.   

"Infirm of purpose!/Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead/Are but as pictures."(2.2.53-54)

"My hands are of your colour; but I shame/To wear a heart so white." (2.2.64-65)

2. Lady Macbeth has her own antics throughout the play. Why does Lady Macbeth faint in Act II? Does it serve its purpose? Explain.

Lady Macbeth faints in Act II to persuade people that she really is innocent, and to convince them of her "disbelief". This way, she is seen as the helpless Lady who had to witness a horrible scene. It does serve it's purpose, because she probably won't be considered as one of the suspects when investigating the murder. 

"Help me hence, ho!/Look to the lady." (2.2.130-31)

"Are stol'n away and fled, which puts upon them/Suspicion of the deed." (2.4.26-27)

3. How does Macbeth's attitude toward Duncan change after the murder?

After coming to a realization of what he's done, Macbeth is overwhelmed with this feeling of guilt . He has all these emotions and regrets about the crime that he just committed. "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!" (2.2.74)  However, Lady Macbeth forces him to face the reality that King Duncan is dead by calling him a coward. By doing so, Macbeth puts all of his feelings past him, and is able to easily lie to avoid getting caught for the murderer. "There's nothing serious in mortality/All is but toys: renown and grace is dead/The wine of life is drawn. (2.3.100-3) Before the murder, Macbeth would've done anything to show his faith to the King, but when placed in the hands of power, all of that was changed in an instant. 

4. If so pressuring on Macbeth, why didn't Lady Macbeth kill the king instead of Macbeth?

Lady Macbeth didn't kill the King herself because she mentioned that he looked a lot like his father in his sleep. "Had he not resembled/My father as he slept, I had done't." (2.2.12-13) Even for a cold hearted person like Lady Macbeth, she couldn't go through with the idea of killing someone that was close to her. Instead of doing the act, she used her dominance to force Macbeth, while she was the mastermind behind the whole thing. "I laid their daggers ready/He could not miss 'em." (2.2.11-12)

5. Now that Macbeth has killed the king, do you think he must do anything else to reign as king? Explain your answer.

Besides avoiding getting caught for the murder, there is nothing else that Macbeth must do to reign as king. In Act 2, Scene 4, Macduff was explaining that he was already selected to fill the king's position. "He is already named, and gone to Scone/To be invested. (2.4.31-32) If he is able to overcome his guilt, Macbeth will reign as the new king. 

Macbeth Anticipation Guide

Macbeth Anticipation Guide
Directions: This is an individual assignment. Read the following statements. Write if you agree or disagree.  Write two sentences AND a personal experience to support your thoughts about each statement. There are no right or wrong answers! Post your answers as a post on your own website/blog and title it Macbeth Anticipation Guide.

1.     Behind every great man is a great woman (every great man is supported, guided, helped and even pushed by a great woman).
I disagree with this statement because every person is capable of being "great", and they don't need anybody else to be able to do so. They are able to be strong and independent on their own, without the need to be pushed by anyone else. My friend has a mom who raised her all by herself, without having to depend on a guy to help her out. It may have been tough at times, but overcoming obstacles and not giving up when things got hard is what made her mom a great mom.
2.     Witches, demons, and evil spirits actually exist.
I disagree with this statement because I have never encountered any of them before, and haven't really heard real stories about them either. I believe that it is more of a superstition, and that it probably doesn't exist in real life. I also believe that there is an explanation for the "mysterious" experiences that people may go through. For example, when I was outside with my dog late at night, I  heard a scary creaking noise behind me, but it was just my grandma walking to get water in her old house.
3.     Sometimes it is necessary to do something wrong to get what you want.
I disagree with this statement, because getting what you want requires effort and perseverance. Bending the rules and trying to cheat gets people nowhere in life. In order to get A's, my friend searches up and tries to find quizzes online so she'll know the questions beforehand. Although she may get A's on the quizzes. by the time the final exam comes, she thinks she gets it and doesn't study, therefore ends up getting C's. 

4.     What goes around comes around (karma).
I agree with this statement because I believe that if a person spends majority of their life doing good things, eventually it'll pay off and they will get rewarded in the end. It may not necessarily happen right away, but when people do or think bad things, it's inevitable that karma will catch up to them. For example, when my friend dropped her phone and it stopped working, I laughed at her. A couple days later I dropped my phone in the ocean.   

5.     Human beings are easily tempted by things they want, even if it’s wrong.
I agree with this statement because human beings act impulsively and tend to go for the things that we can't or shouldn't have. We don't look at the future consequences of our actions, we just know what we want and that we're going to do everything we can to get it. A couple years ago, I liked someone that I knew wasn't right for me, but I wanted him anyway just because of his looks. He wasn't smart, and we couldn't even hold a conversation for a long time, yet we still ended up "talking". In the end, I feel like he got in the way of my academics and kept my focus off sports. I knew that he wasn't right for me, but I was tempted by what I wanted, instead of what I needed. 

6.     If someone feels that the ruler/s of his/her country is destroying the country, that person should try to overthrow the ruler/s.
I disagree with this statement because there are better ways to get things done. Attempting to overthrow a ruler will just cause a big riot and disagreements between the citizens of the country. However, I do believe if the situation is really horrible, such as Germany's with Adolf Hitler, then actions needed to relieve him of his power as soon as possible should be done.
7.     There are circumstances or events that justify murdering someone.
I agree with this statement because often times, one's emotions act before their brain gets a chance to. Not that everybody should do it, but there are certain situations when murdering someone is justified. When I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds, a guy murdered somebody's entire family. When the guy finally found the murderer, he ended up killing him, to get revenge from taking his family away from him. Situations like these makes it understandable, but not necessarily right, when killing someone.
8.     Success is worth any price you have to pay.
I agree with this statement because a person pretty much works their entire life to obtain success. It's the reason why we go to college, strive to get good grades in school, and work hard in extracurricular activities. My mom's friend had to move away from her family and her friends, so that she could be a pharmacist in Washington. She may not have wanted to do it, but it was the price she had to pay to become successful and provide for her kids.
9.     Kings are appointed by God, and they rule as His representatives on Earth.
I disagree with this statement because everybody has an equal chance of becoming a ruler. If they are a hard worker and have the quality of leading by example, then they have a chance of being a King. I don't believe that God assigns certain people to rule as His representatives on Earth, because so many rulers have committed horrible actions, such as Hitler. God would not want a man who has committed so many sins as His representative.
10.  Your astrological forecast (your horoscope) is a good indicator of how your day will go.
I disagree with this statement because there are millions of people who have the same zodiac sign, and all those millions of people will not have the same type of day. Some people have good days, and some people have bad days, but that doesn't have anything to do with your horoscope. For example, yesterday's horoscope told me that by the end of the day, I would have accomplished plenty, but all I did yesterday was watch netflix.
11.  Traitors should be executed.
I disagree with this statement because treason is a very serious crime, so it should be taken seriously. Instead of being killed and freed of their suffering, traitors should spend the rest of their lives behind bars, where they get a lot of time to think about their actions. Death seems like the easy way out, so traitors should not get to take that route. For example, on a movie that I was watching, a citizen tried to leak the U.S. war codes to the Japanese, but was caught. He was sentenced to death but was actually smiling when he died, because he knew that he would no longer have to suffer and be in jail.