Sunday, April 28, 2013

Essay #2

In Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth was prophesied to become king. After deciding that this shall only come true if he takes things into his own hands, he has to wrestle with the guilt and anxiety going on inside his head. Can he pull off this evil dead? Or does he let his guilt overcome him, and wait for a prophecy that might not come true otherwise?

The prophecy foretold by the three witches was an enticing one. Macbeth was told he was to be king, but was not told at what time it would happen. His thinking process moved towards killing King Duncan, and receiving the kingship right away. Once he had his wife, Lady Macbeth, involved, she pushed him even further into that direction. The path he was creating for himself was filled with glory as a ruler. But once he becomes king, he would have to eliminate competition like Banquo, who also received a prophecy that his sons would be kings. To keep in that path of being a king, he would have to kill Banquo, a close colleague.

Then there is the other side to this rise to power: the guilt and regret. Even before killing the king, Macbeth questions his decision to do it. He's not sure that he is able to accomplish such a feat. Later on in the story, Macbeth is not as restrained when it comes to killing Banquo, but his guilt manifests itself in another way. He sees the ghost of Banquo at dinner, while no one else can. Even though he is telling himself that what he's doing is justified, seeing things such as Banquo's ghost is telling him otherwise. He is trying to be pulled away from evil by his own guilt.

This conflict within Macbeth between good and evil helps portray Macbeth as a truly unique character. He is a protagonist consumed by evil, even after his guilt tries to dissuade him from that.

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