At the end of the play, is Macbeth’s death a good or bad thing, i.e., are we satisfied to see Macbeth defeated or upset to see a potentially great man fall? Finally, is Macbeth a tragic hero?
This is an argument. Use your skills! This entry must be at least 300 words, but more if that is what it takes to get the job done!
Macbeth's death is comparable to a candle. His flame, which once produced invaluable light, was contorted to arson by an uncanny force. The inferno which followed had to be ended, or else the unjust would have a lasting reign over the just; i.e Macbeth's death was for the good.
ReplyDeleteI can only be assertive of my own opinion on the matter, but I was satisfied of Macbeth's defeat. I did not see him as a great man. I cannot imagine the potential of someone becoming great when they intentionally use force, betrayal, and terrorism in their kingdom to hold their political power. Macbeth's own army did not fight for him out of love, but rather because of his authority.
In Act 5, Scene 3, this is assured:
"Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach.
Those he commands move only in command,
Nothing in love."
Macbeth had already lost his greatness, a product of his personal overconfidence and excessive ambitions, which is the downfall of many. He already possessed these qualities before the witches even talked to him. This is seen in the battle reports in Act 1, Scene 1, where Macbeth was fearless in the face of adversity:
"The new challenge scared them about as much as sparrows frighten eagles, or rabbits frighten a lion."
I would not consider Macbeth a tragic hero. He did not murder Duncan out of love for his country. He did not assassinate Banquo out of fear that the man's children would have a tyrannous legacy. He did not want to end Macduff's bloodline to prevent future injustice. He did these acts for self-glorification and self-preservation. All his misfortunes were rightfully deserved. Him being killed was not a greater punishment than the crimes he committed. The witches only prophesied that Macbeth would be king, and they said nothing about it being through murder. It was his excessive ambitions and overconfidence along with an urge to be "manly" that caused his fate.
I really enjoyed your comparison of Macbeth's death. It simplified your thoughts down in an interesting way. Honestly I agree with your opinions and you have great examples to back up your position!!
DeleteI also enjoyed how you started off your blog with the comparison to a candle! That was very interesting! Good work!
DeleteTim, your blog hit some great points! The additional quote from the book was a nice add in. It really justified your text.
DeleteI liked the idea of relating his life to a candle, never would've thought of it like that. Nice work.
DeleteThe death of Macbeth is one of the most triumphant scenes from the play. Some may disagree with the positivity of the outcome of the story, but I, for one, was happy to see Macbeth finally killed in the end. He had a ridiculous body count by the end of the story, killing his close friends in the process so that he may try to fulfill a ridiculous prophecy by three hags in the woods. While lady Macbeth may have been slightly more evil than her husband for encouraging his actions and psychologically abusing him, he is the one who gave in and stuck the knife in. After all of these crimes the two committed, it was finally nice to see them slaughtered and beheaded like the animals they had become. He had no potential to be great after he gave in to the witches. The witches didn't even really order Macbeth to do anything, they just gave him a ridiculous horoscope that happened to come true and he took it too literally like seem of the insane people we still see today. Is this the work of Lucifer or a personified devil, or maybe even God? This might sound ridiculous, but in the Old Testament, God instructed Abraham to kill his son, Issac. As he was about to sacrifice this innocent young baby, God stopped him and said "jk don't do it ��." Maybe God just didn't stop Macbeth. We might blame Macbeth and Satan for working together in this scenario. However, I personally can't think of a ton of real life incidents where legitimate satanists have killed people because of a prophecy or supernatural order. In real life, satanists don't actually believe in Satan, they're atheists. So, the witches were either working for a god, or themselves. We could allude it do Hecate, but what deity could Hecate allude to? Most would just shout Satan, but these are obviously ignorant people who don't understand what Satan really is. Christians believe they know who he is, because they created him, satanists didn't. They needed a scapegoat, even though Satan did nothing but rebel and try to destabilize a large organization against Michael. Anyway, enough about the theology of the situation. Macbeth gave in and became evil, regardless of who really started the fire. He will never be a tragic hero in my eyes. He did nothing heroic after the first act. He was a serial killer with a happy backstory. Charles Manson, a real life serial killer, was the same way. He murdered a select number of people with the Manson family, but he enjoyed a successful life as an actor prior to these murders. Should he be considered a hero? Of course not. He's evil, exactly like Macbeth. Macbeth had a purpose for his killings, but it was selfish, and therefore loses all value. He was defending nobody but himself and nothing but his throne he'd already killed for.
ReplyDeleteI understand you are trying to relate this to something bigger here, but I don't think we can compare a mostly fiction story of Macbeth to what you said. Macbeth had the ability to make a choice and he failed to make the right one. He was power hungry and had tunnel vision to that power. This doesn't mean God let him kill all of those people. It's called free will. We choose what we want, good or bad, and it's our decision to make the best decision.
DeleteThis is true, but it is important to note the supernatural overarching themes of the entire story
DeleteFrom the moment we read Macbeth act so eager while listening to the creepy witches talk in the beginning, I knew we would be in a long line of a series of misfortunate events. When Macbeth completely disregarded his supposed "best friend's" helpful advice, he only added to my negative feelings towards him. The beginning of this play did not build a string case for Macbeth, at least for me. Throughout the course of the rest of the play, he continued to add more ridiculous feelings towards himself. I do not believe he ever truly made a decision, good or bad, by himself. He either had his crazy, lunatic wife calling on demons on one side of him and three creepy witches whispering sweet nothings on his other side. How can anyone make an informed decision with those people surrounding them? I think his death was most definitely a good thing because he was an out of control, power hungry guy once the witches came along who was only causing more destruction as time went on. Someone had to end the madness one way or another. I am one hundred percent happy someone defeated Macbeth. He had many chances to turn himself around and not cave in to he evil clawing at him. However, I do believe he had some good in him until the witches came along. He may have had some potential to be a great man, but surrounding yourself with supportive and positive people is going to make you an even more amazing person. That is one aspect where Macbeth fell short. His wife was a huge part of the problem. I do not think she ever loved him, and instead, only saw his potential which made her stay with him until he had a chance to act on the potential. On the other hand, Macbeth must have loved her because he listened to whatever she had to stay, just as a good husband always should do. I would say Macbeth's situation is tragic because of all the glances he had to turn away from the evil. He should have listened to Banquo (RIP) the first time he warned Macbeth. Before he came a crossed the witches, Macbeth was fighting with Banquo in, what seemed to be, a heroic battle. If he would have taken the position King Duncan gave him and done a good job with it, maybe he would have worked his way up the ladder of power. Based on all of the conclusions I have gathered, I would say Macbeth was doomed to be a tragic hero.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinions! I liked how you needed your blog by saying Macbeth was booked to be a tragic hero, I don't think you could of worded it any better!
DeleteBobbi, I liked the way you structure your blog. You began by speaking of Macbeth in the beginning of the book and transitioned his life throughout the play. Nice job!
DeleteBobby, I shared many of the same views concerning his inability to make decisions on his own, influenced by outside forces (wife, demons, witches). There are many "what if's" and I think you covered them well.
DeleteI disagreed at first but you convinced me! Great use of logos to support your argument.
DeleteA tragic hero is one way to describe Macbeth. Without his wife he would never have gotten the motive to kill Duncan then he would not have become the man he did after he killed Duncan. Macbeth became ruthless and power hungry to the point where he would kill anyone who threatened his reign. His death was much a good thing in this sense because he would have continued to kill and bring forth disaster in his kingdom. I say that his death was good in this sense because none of the terrible things that had happened including the death of Duncan would have occurred if Lady Macbeth did not urge Macbeth to kill the first time. Without king Duncan's death Macbeth would not spin into turmoil and become the way he did, a tyrant who would not hesitate to kill anyone who would stand in his way. I believe that if Macbeth did not make the poor judgement to kill the king then his death would have been a bad plot if he did end up becoming king somehow. Macbeth could have become king some other way than killing, the king could have died by sickness and then Malcom could have either been killed by someone else or through a war and thus allowing Macbeth to become king. Then he could rule with a calm mind and not have worry about being killed or his plans revealed by someone else. His wife then would not have killed herself after becoming insane. This play could have had a much different ending and Macbeths death could have been a sad occurrence if only Macbeth did not have such a moldable and convincible personality. However, this is not how the play turned out and Macbeth became evil and his death brought forth liberty and freedom to the land thus making his death be a joyous occurrence and a good plot point in the play.
ReplyDeleteI like how you immediately open with how he was oppressed by his wife. I also agree with you on how joyous it was when he was finally stopped.
DeleteNichole, I disagree with your statement saying that it was King Duncan's death that initiated his spin into turmoil and turn out the way he did. It was the prophesied that sparked this. If it was not for the witches, Macbeth would not have been filled with their ill spoken prophecies. Also, stating the act of killing Duncan was a complete wrong cannot really be proven. The King could have possibly died of sickness, that's a likely claim. However, Malcolm dying in battle or someone killing him in order for Macbeth to rightfully be appointment King is very unlikely. That means everything has to fall into place perfectly and everyone be in the right place at the right time. It's possibly, but not likely. Overall, I enjoyed your take on the blog!
DeleteI agree with you, and I also included in my blog that it was not necessary for Macbeth to be violent in order to be king. Nice work you hit a bunch of good points.
DeleteMacbeth lead the role of a unique character. He was a brave and fierce man. Macbeth began with innocence for life and purpose, but was soon picked up to be a violent harm. A big part of this transition could depend on his wife's skills of manipulation. Lady Macbeth is deemed out to be a female character far from the rest in Shakespeare's works. She can be considered remarkable for her ambition, strength of will, cruelty, and also dissimulation. Her role took on a large effect in Macbeth's lifestyle. Lady Macbeth's opinions, ideas, and attitude all impacted the life of her husband.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth indeed did take advantage over her husband. She did not appear to grant him true feeling of love in passion, but rather she controlled his movement. Macbeth was forced into actions that he first never intended to take part in. Lady Macbeth took over Macbeth's mindset and feelings only to twist him into the life of evil passion. It's the wife to blame for the harsh transition of who Macbeth formed to be. His innocence was vanished by a demon lead lady in hopes of gaining power in her insane life.
The defeat and ending death of Macbeth was surly a blessing. The once fierce and brave man tortured himself in a life full of painful acts against humanity. Macbeth grew out of control and needed to be stopped. His life took a turn for the worse as he developed a self dedicated to killing and harming other beings for a selfish purpose. I don't believe Macbeth was a tragic hero. He was too selfishly caught up with his own being to think about the lives of other people in a humbling standard. Macbeth's death was nothing more than a relief for the people. His evil reign of power and devotion was put to an end. The death was not heartbreaking, but rather it was a sense of relaxation.
Reading your blog makes me feel like everything Macbeth did was Lady Macbeth's fault. It kind of was to be honest, I also said that he was lead by her. But, reading yours actually made me think of this story in a much different way. What if Lady Macbeth were to have died in the story much time before Macbeth decided to be king? Would he have actually carried out the prophecy and still have been as bad as we think he is? I like yours. It really got me thinking.
DeleteLauryn, I like your use of paragraphs to separate ideas from each other. What I recommend doing to improve it further is to add quotations from the book to concrete your ideas. Such as when you were talking about Macbeth not in control of his actions, you could add the quote of him unable to say "Amen" after killing Duncan. Good job.
DeleteIt was a relief, but how can you not feel for the guy? He was good before he listened to evil and his wife.. I'm glad you agree with that part!
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ReplyDeleteMacbeth, like many people who engage in paranormal activities, are quick to believe their remarks and prophecies relating to their life (fortune and/or misfortune). Macbeth was once widely known and considered for his bravery in battle, and it was specifically known by King Duncan. His reputation slowly diminished by the consistency of the three Witches and their desire to meet with him. They first addressed him as "Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, ...shalt be King hereafter" which immediately caught Banquo and Macbeth off guard and made them question their claims. Banquo asks Macbeth after their remarks while saying, "Why do you start and seem to fear things that do sound so fair...my noble parter you greet with present grace and great predilection of noble having and royal hope. Macbeth follows by questioning the Witches saying, "Stay...tell me more! By Sinel's death, I know I am Thane of Glamis, but how Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives." Macbeth knows the of the contradictions with the statements, but yet he acknowledges the possibility of the prophecies having some truth. This exact instance is where Macbeth's intuition has been altered by the "paranormal predictions" of the Witches. Since then, Macbeth's mind has been consumed with this assumption of power and this obsession has led to his death. Macbeth is only executed at the end of the play while King Duncan, Banquo, Macduff's wife and son are put to death by the request and/or action of Macbeth. The emotion towards Macbeth is a double standard. We are satisfied that the man that caused innocent and cruel killing is sentenced to death, but on the other hand, we are dissatisfied to see a potentially great man in battle fall to the poisoned mind influenced by the Witches and urged by Lady M. It is evident that the bad outweighs the good in most situations. The bad that Macbeth had inflicted does not justify the the great man in battle he once was. I do not acknowledge Macbeth as a tragic hero on terms that his destruction was caused not only by his ill intention, but allowing uncredible sources do dictate his future and honorable name.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth's death was a tragic end for a once, great warrior, but a good thing. However, Macbeth was on a self-destructive path lead by his wife, Lady Macbeth. It all started with the three witches telling Macbeth of the prophecy for him to be king. Once he shared this information with his wife, she fueled the fire for Macbeth to be king. In the beginning, he did not wish to be king as he was not sure if that was what he truly wanted. Over time, by testing his manhood over and over, Macbeth eventually craved the power of being king, just as his wife did. I feel he really did love her and wanted to please her and prove that he was worthy of being king. He wanted her to respect him and was willing to do whatever she asked of him to make that happen. Macbeth killed king Duncan, just as Lady Macbeth demanded, as well as the king's servants. Once Banquo figured out Macbeth had killed the king, then of course he bacons disposable as well. Macbeth, a once noble warrior, was reduced to a mere sociopath, killing everyone that stood between him and the throne. This is why I think it was a positive thing that he had died. Would anyone really have wanted a sociopath leading their country?
ReplyDeleteI feel Macbeth was a tragic hero. It all began when he made the decision to become king. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. Macbeth lead himself to his own distraction by making the wrong choice of how to become king. He was a great warrior and was respected for it. Maybe sometime in the future he could have been rewarded with the title of king for being such a great warrior, but instead he panicked and killed everyone who got in his way. He lost his mind and later lost his life. He basically was the means to his own death.
Macbeth was faced with many difference choices in this this play, and it seemed that he a,so contoured to make the bad choices which led to his very tragic death. Every choice that Macbeth always was the one choosing violence, fighting, and mixers as all of the solutions to his problems that he was facing. I feel that Macbeths death could be considered karma just coming back to bite him it the butt. Although he was a great man, he was always choosing blood and fighting. I feel as if his death was just a consequence he had to face with all of the bad choices that he did make when he was alive. The evil of Macbethis so great that ultimately it destroys him completely.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of a tragic hero is described as a noble character you can empathize with, and whose flaw leads to his demise. In this case I do believe that Macbeth is considered a tragic hero. Macbeth had had a big ambition to do different things. Although it was not a strong enough ambition to kill King Duncan at first. Lady Macbeth played a big roll in the the life of Macbeth. Without Lady Macbeth, Macbeth would of of had enough courage and strength to keep his title of King of Scotland. The prophecies that were given to him by the witches, all of Lady Macbeths plans and her great influence, and Macbeths ambition that only God stronger as the play went on all contributed to the downfall of the play, Macbeths death. This shows great reasoning to why Macbeths character displays all the signs of a very strong tragic hero. Lady Macbeth had the biggest influence on Macbeth in this play, which is one of the reasons I consider Macbeth to be a tragic hero.
Cassidy, your blog has some good ideas in it, but they are being obstructed by errors. I recommend rereading what you type before posting it, so your ideas are clear. Nevertheless, good job.
DeleteMacbeth's death was a good thing because he was a horrible man. He gained the title of king through devious and horrible ways. I thought he was an awful man from the moment he let his wife talk him into killing Duncan. He was also just terrible for doing the act of killing him, all to be able to be king. This situation can be related to any high school sport. If you're on a team sport, when there's only so many starters, to become a starter you have to work hard and be dedicated to the sport. You don't just go and purposely hurt one of the starters so you can take their place. Macbeth could have taken many non-violent approaches to become king, not just kill what was standing in his way. Another reason his death was a good thing is because he was a manipulative liar. Instead of owning up to what he did (killing Duncan), he just blamed it on the soldiers and planted the evidence with them. There are many other people that could have reigned instead of Macbeth. Yeah Macbeth was a good fighter, but there were plenty of other people that were good fighters that could also have been great leaders that were truthful. A person isn't a great leader if they lie or make false statements, which is exactly what Macbeth did.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth was not a tragic hero, in fact I'd be lying if I said he was a hero at all. The definition of a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The only one he can remotely be related to is courage, because he was a good fighter. He didn't have many outstanding achievements to make him a good person and he definitely didn't have any noble qualities. He also can't be considered a hero because he didn't do anything good for his people, he only brought them trouble. He may sound like a hero when he says "I fear no man born of a woman" but being fearless doesn't make him a hero. Anyone can be fearless of something, that doesn't make them a hero. Macbeth was an all around bad guy, who didn't deserve to live.
Your tone of sarcasm at the end really puts a spin on your thoughts. I was unsure if you were disappointed of his death or not until your second paragraph though. your blog was very easy to understand and had a nice flow to it. I loved your sports relation!
DeleteI personally and disappointed to see a potentially great man fall under the pressures of society. Did Macbeth really want to be king? Was he really ambiguous or rather was that seed planted in him by the witches? I believe Macbeth was satisfied with his position as Thane, an honored warrior, and beloved husband, until the three witches said he would have/be more. Who wouldn't want to be happier? He began to doubt the prophecy, rightfully so, and what it could really mean for him. Is being king worth killing all these people? He didn't think so. He had a conscience but was too weak to listen to it. He was too easily convinced by his wife to carry on with the idea. Throughout the play, Macbeth showed a great amount of doubt and knowledge that something was off. Each time, Lady Macbeth appeared to convince him that he had to. She is the one I am satisfied with the fall of, not Macbeth himself. He could've been great, but Lady ruined it for him, just as Eve did to Adam. Before Macbeth became the man we saw at the end of the play, the vicious killer, he was a fierce and loyal warrior who fought with Banquo. Some may claim that his violent past proves his actions to be heartfelt, but I believe that the type of violence in war is different than this. During war, you are not fighting against the other team. You are fighting rather for yours. In murder, however, those two are reversed. This is a classic case of a good man turned bad. The important thing is that he was once good. He faced the consequences of his horrible actions, especially from his own mind. However, this does not make him a tragic hero. He isn't a hero at all. Macbeth is the epitome of a weak man, who falls victim to the pressures of the world, such as becoming king. Although he is not, in my mind, a tragic hero, what happened to his character throughout the play is truly a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteYou gave support of why he could have potentially been a great man which convinced me with ease! You ask very good rhetorical questions at the beginning and then answer them in them with the rest of your blog. Make sure to read over your blog before posting it for spelling and grammar! Good job
DeleteWhen you hear of the death penalty you might think of older times when the horrible type of persecution was more popular. You might think of murders being electrocuted to death in a chair with all his victims family watching. However, it is sad to say that this still goes on today. In the state of Arkansas, eight men are planned it be executed in April of 2017. What they did to be diagnosed with this punishment is unclear, but Arkansas has not executed anyone in over 11 years. When Gov. Hutchinson was asked "Why can't they simply be locked up" he answered, "The action is necessary to fulfill the requirement of the law". The executions will take place within a span of 10 days and the men will go in pairs. When the men's attorneys questioned the way of execution, by lethal injection, he stated that it was against the eighth amendment and it was cruel. They should not be able to feel the pain of death. His statement was denied and the penalty went from lethal injection to electrocution, mainly because the drugs needed became limited. This article relates to many of the books that have been read in class. Frankenstein and Macbeth are the most closely related. At the end of the play, Macbeth, Macbeth's death is an awful event. People can change the hardness of their heart if only they have time and being locked away gives them nothing but time. The prisoners from Arkansas could have a chance but it is being taken away from them. There is a young girl in her early 30s that attends the same church as my family and she used to be addicted to drugs. She overdosed on medication and was in the hospital for days. She was then locked away in a treatment center where priests would often visit. She had a complete transformation and there is never a time where you will see a frown on her face. She has come to peace with her past and wants to make her future a more healthy life style. There is also the example of St. Augustine whom was very troubled and had a 180 turn in his life. Conversations take time and it is the job of catholic figures and people within the church community to guide troubled people. If Macbeth wouldn't have been killed the story could have ended with the conversion of someone who was once living in the fire of hell. If the world didn't believe in conversions then jailed people wouldn't be released after so long. Macbeth had the potential to be a GREAT man because no sin it to horrible for God to grant forgiveness. Macbeth was shown as the villain but if the story were to go on I'm sure that Macbeth would have had time to make his heroic conversion.
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