Macbeth

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

is central to action. The play begins with a battle against rebel forces in which Macbeth distinguishes himself as a valiant and loyal warrior. Later, Macbeth's murder of King Duncan is condemned as an unnatural deed but the play also raises the question of whether or not there's any real difference between killing a man in combat and murdering for self gain. Violence in all forms is frequently associated with masculinity - the play is full of characters (Macbeth, Macduff, Young Siward, and so on) that must prove their "manhood" by killing. Even Lady Macbeth asks to be "unsexed" so that she may be "filled with direst cruelty." At the same time, the play also suggests that unchecked violence may lead to a kind of emotional numbness that renders one inhuman.

Questions About Violence

1.The battlefield is central to most characters in the play, who have won their honors by killing others in this arena. Can the political realm of these players also be described as a ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

they have supernatural powers but their power over Macbeth is debatable. At times, the weird sisters seem to represent general anxieties about the unknown. They also seem to represent fears of powerful women who invert traditional gender roles. Elsewhere, the witches appear rather harmless, despite their malevolent intentions. Ultimately, the weird sisters are ambiguous figures that raise more questions than can be answered.

Questions About The Supernatural

1.How do Banquo and Macbeth react when they first encounter the weird sisters in Act I, Scene iii?









2.The witches accurately predict Macbeth's future but do they control his fate? Why or why ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: