macbeth and violence essay

Macbeth and Violence — Example A Grade Essay

Here’s an essay on Macbeth’s violent nature that I wrote as a mock exam practice with students. Feel free to read and analyse it, use the quotes and context for your own essays too!

It’s also useful for anyone studying Macbeth in general, especially with the following exam boards: CAIE / Cambridge, Edexcel, OCR, CCEA, WJEC / Eduqas.

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THE QUESTION

Starting with this speech, explore how far shakespeare presents macbeth as a violent character. (act 1 scene 2).

Debate: How far is Macbeth violent? (AGREE / DISAGREE)

Themes: Violence (break into different types of violence)

Focus: Character of Macbeth (what he says/does, other character’s actions towards him and speech about him)

PLAN — 6–8 mins

Thesis – Shakespeare uses Macbeth to make us question the nature of violence and whether any kind of violent behaviour is ever appropriate

Point 1 : Macbeth has an enjoyment of violence

‘Brandished steel’ ‘smoked with bloody execution’

‘Unseam’d him from the nave to’th’chops’ ‘fixed his head upon the battlements’

Context — Thou shalt not kill / Tragic hero

Point 2 : Macbeth is a violent character from the offset, but this violence is acceptable at first

‘Disdaining Fortune’ ‘valiant cousin/ worthy gentleman’

‘Worthy to be a rebel’

Context: Divine Right of Kings / James I legacy

Point 3: The witches and Lady Macbeth manipulate that violent power

‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ ‘so foul and fair a day I have not seen’

‘Will these hands never be clean?’ ‘incarnadine’

‘Is this a dagger I see before me?’

Context: Psychological power — Machiavelli / Demonology

(Point 4) Ultimately, Macbeth is undone by violence in the end

Hubris — ‘Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d’

‘Traitor’ ‘Tyrant’

‘Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’

Context: Violence for evil means is unsustainable, political unrest equally is negative and unsustainable — support James

Macbeth is certainly portrayed as a violent character from the offset, but initially this seems a positive trait: the Captain, Ross and others herald him as a great warrior, both an ally and valuable asset to Duncan and his kingdom. Furthermore, Duncan himself is overjoyed at Macbeth’s skill in battle. Yet, as the play progresses and Macbeth embarks upon his tragic fall, Shakespeare encourages us to question the nature of violence itself, and whether any kind of violence is truly good. Ultimately, Shakespeare demonstrates that Macbeth’s enjoyment of violence works against him, as it is manipulated by the evil forces at work in the play, and it ends in destroying not only himself but his entire life’s work, reputation and legacy.

Firstly, Macbeth is established as a character who embraces violence, though he uses it as a force for good in the sense that he defends Duncan and his Kingdom against traitors and the King of Norway’s attack. In the play, it is interesting to note that Macbeth’s reputation precedes him — despite being the central focus of the tragedy, we do not meet him until Act 1 Scene 3, and so this extract occurs before we have seen the man himself. The Captain’s speech begins with the dramatic utterance ‘Doubtful it stood’, creating a sense of tension and uncertainty as he recounts the events of the battle to Duncan and the others. Yet, the tone of the speech becomes increasingly full of praise and confidence as he explains how Macbeth and Banquo overcame ‘Fortune’, the luck that went against them, and their strong willpower enabled them to defeat ‘the merciless Macdonwald’, the alliteration serving to underscore the Captain’s dislike of the man, while the adjective ‘merciless’ implies that the traitor himself was also cruel and violent. The sense that Macbeth enjoys the violence he enacts upon the traitor is conveyed through visual imagery, which is graphic and quite repellent: ‘his brandish’d steel… smoked with bloody execution’ and ‘he unseam’d [Macdonwald] from the nave to th’chops’. The dynamic verb ‘smoked’ suggests the intense action of the scene and the amount of fresh blood that had stained Macbeth’s sword. Furthermore, the verb ‘unseam’d’ suggests the skill with which Macbeth is able to kill — he does not simply stab the traitor, he delicately and expertly destroys him, almost as if he’s a butcher who takes pleasure in his profession, and indeed at the end of the play Macduff does call him by this same term: ‘the dead butcher and his fiend-like queen’. Interestingly, much of the violence that occurs in the play happens offstage, Duncan is murdered in between Acts 2.1 and 2.2., as are Banquo and Macduff’s family. Even in this early scene, the audience hear about the violence rather than experiencing it directly. This suggests perhaps that for a Jacobean audience at a time of political instability, Shakespeare wanted to discourage the idea or enjoyment of violence whilst still exploring the idea of it in human nature and psychology. Furthermore, a contemporary audience would be aware of the Biblical commandment ‘thou shall not kill’, which expressed that violence and murder of any kind was a sinful act against God. Therefore, we can see that Macbeth is established as a tragic hero from the offset, though he is a successful character and increasing his power within the feudal world, this power is built upon his capacity for and enjoyment of violence, which will ultimately cause him to fail and in turn warn the Jacobean audience against any kind of violence in their own lives.

We could also interpret Macbeth as inherently violent, but under control of his own power at the beginning of the play, an aspect of himself which degenerates under the influence of evil. Though he is physically great, he is easily manipulated by the witches and Lady Macbeth, all of whom are arguably psychologically stronger. The use of chiasmus in the opening scene — ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ is echoed by Macbeth’s first line in Act One Scene 3: ‘so foul and fair a day I have not seen’. Delving deeper into the meaning of these lines also reveals more about Shakespeare’s opinions on the inherent nature of violence; though the language is equivocal and can be interpreted in many ways, we can assume that the witches are implying that the world has become inverted, that ugliness and evil are now ‘fair’, what is seen as right or normal in Macbeth’s violent world. Macbeth uses similar lines, but with a different meaning, he is stating that he has never seen a day so ‘foul’, so full of gore and death, that was at the same time so ‘fair’, so good in terms of outcome, and positive for the future. Shakespeare is perhaps exposing an inherent paradox in violence here, that war and murder is thought by many to be noble if it leads to a positive political outcome. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth encourages and appeals to Macbeth’s sense for violence by directly associating it with masculinity and male traits that were considered noble or desirable in the Jacobean era. She questions him just prior to Duncan’s death, stating ‘I fear thy nature is too full o’th’milk of human kindness / to catch the nearest way’, using ‘milk’ as a symbol of femininity to imply his womanly and cowardly nature, while in turn asking evil spirits to ‘unsex’ her and fill her with ‘direst cruelty’. In this sense, it could be argued that Shakespeare is commenting on the connections between nature and violence, perhaps a Jacobean audience would have understood that Macbeth fighting for the king was an acceptable outlet for his violence, whereas Macbeth using violence for personal gain and Lady Macbeth’s wish to become more masculine, and therefore more violent, are all against the perceived view of natural gender and social roles of the time. Overall, we could say that the culture itself, which encourages Machievellian disruption and political vying for power through both women and men stepping out of the social norms of their society, encourages more violence and evil to enter the world.

Alternatively, it could be argued that Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s success through violence to criticise the nature of the Early Modern world, and so it is not Macbeth’s violence itself which is at fault, but the world which embraces and encourages this in him. Duncan responds to the Captain’s speech by exclaiming ‘valiant cousin’ ‘worthy gentleman!’, demonstrating his extreme faith in Macbeth’s powers. The Captain additionally terms him ‘Brave Macbeth’, stating ‘well he deserves that name’, suggesting that the general structure of the world supports violent and potentially unstable characters such as Macbeth, enabling them to rise to power beyond their means. Interestingly the downfall of Macbeth is foreshadowed early on in this extract, as the term ‘worthy’ is also applied to the traitor in the Captain’s speech, when he states Macdonwald is ‘worthy to be a rebel’, the repetition of this adjective perhaps subtly compares Macdonwald’s position to Macbeth’s own, as Macbeth’s own death also is similar to the initial traitors, with his own head being ‘fixed…upon the battlements’ of Inverness castle. Through this repetition of staging and terminology, we realise that the world is perhaps at fault more than Macbeth himself, as it encourages a cycle of violence and political instability. Though there is a sense of positivity in extract as Duncan has succeeded in securing the throne and defeating the traitor, the violent context in which this action occurs, being set in 11th century feudal Scotland, suggests the underlying political unrest that mirrors the political instability of Shakespeare’s own time. The play was first performed in 1606, three years after James I had been made King of England (though he was already King of Scotland at this time), and in 1605 there had been a violent attempt on his life with the Gunpowder Plot from a group of secret Catholics who felt they were being underrepresented. Shakespeare’s own family were known associates of some of the perpetrators, so it is likely that he intended to clear suspicion of his own name by creating a play that strongly supported James I’s Divine Right to rule. In this sense, we can see that the concept of a cycle of violence that is created through political instability is integral to Shakespeare’s overall purpose, he is strongly conveying to the audience that not only is Macbeth’s personal violence sinful, but the way in which society encourages people to become violent is terrible and must be stopped, for the good of everyone.

In summary, Macbeth is established from the offset as a violent character, who takes pride and pleasure in fighting and killing. However, Shakespeare is careful not to make this violent action central to the enjoyment of the play (until the very end, when Macbeth himself is defeated), to force us to engage with the psychology of violence more than the physical nature of it. Though the women in the play are passive, Lady Macbeth and the witches prove to incite violence in Macbeth’s nature and lead ultimately to more evil entering the world. Finally, we can interpret the violence of the play as a criticism of the political and social instability of Jacobean times, rather than it being purely Macbeth’s fault, Shakespeare is exploring how the society itself encourages instability through the encouragement of Machiavellian ideas such as power grabbing, nepotism, greed and ambition.

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Theme Analysis . Read our .

To call Macbeth a violent play is an understatement. It begins in battle, contains the murder of men, women, and children, and ends not just with a climactic siege but the suicide of Lady Macbeth and the beheading of its main character, Macbeth . In the process of all this bloodshed, Macbeth makes an important point about the nature of violence: every violent act, even those done for selfless reasons, seems to lead inevitably to the next. The violence through which Macbeth takes the throne, as Macbeth himself realizes, opens the way for others to try to take the throne for themselves through violence. So Macbeth must commit more violence, and more violence, until violence is all he has left. As Macbeth himself says after seeing Banquo's ghost, "blood will to blood." Violence leads to violence, a vicious cycle.

Violence ThemeTracker

Violence Quotes in Macbeth

THEMES: VIOLENCE.

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Explore the theme of violence in Macbeth

Macbeth is an extremely violent play.

Macbeth takes the throne of Scotland by killing Duncan and his guards, and tries to hold on to it by sending people to murder Banquo and Macduff’s family. Finally, he attempts to keep his reign by fighting Macduff. These might be the scenes of violence which are the most obvious in the play, but there are others throughout. Even before any characters are on stage, the theatre’s special effects of thunder and lightning, made with gunpowder, cannonballs and fireworks, would have sounded, and smelled, like a battle.

After the Witches, one of the first characters we see is the Captain, wounded in battle in Act I, scene 2. ‘What bloody man is that?’ asks Duncan, drawing attention to him. So when the play begins, the violence of the battle has already been happening. We are not told the causes of ‘the revolt’ but merely its ‘newest state’, that is, just the latest developments.

Those developments are described very graphically by the Captain, who tells us of Macbeth fighting Macdonwald:

‘Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops, And fix’d his head upon our battlements’ — Act I, scene 2

So, before we even meet Macbeth, he has sliced someone in half and chopped his head off as a prize. This might seem in character for the killer that we know Macbeth to be. The difference is that Macbeth’s actions here are celebrated by the king: ‘O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!’. Later in the scene, Duncan sentences Cawdor to death. So what the play gives us is two different types of violence: one that is acceptable, and one that is criminal; the first holds Scotland together, the second tears it apart.

Violence is definitely linked to power in the play: the most successful king seems to be the one who is the best at killing. What this means is that the world of Macbeth is caught in a repeating circle of violence:

‘It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood’ — Act III, scene 4

is how Macbeth sums this up. It also leaks into the language of the characters, who make their points with bloody images. Perhaps the most unsettling one belongs to Lady Macbeth, who imagines a baby:

‘I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out’ — Act I, scene 7

She is trying to persuade Macbeth to keep his promise, but has to do so like this because the language of violence is the most convincing in Macbeth’s world.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What do you think about violence in the play?

In what ways is it similar to violence today?

How is it different?

Does the play offer alternatives to a cycle of violence?

OTHER RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Get to know the characters we meet in Macbeth

Delve deeper into the language used in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Context & themes

Everything you need to know about the context of Macbeth , as well as key themes in the play

Follow the production of Macbeth through weekly blogs & resources

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Heroic Violence

Macbeth is shown to be a hero at the start because of his violent nature. He kills a traitor. Ironically, Macbeth ends up becoming the traitor that is murdered at the end of the play.

The violent imagery describing Macbeth at the start of the play is honourable: his violence on the battlefield is for the king.
He is praised and rewarded for killing a treacherous thane, Macdonald (sometimes spelt Macdonwald): ‘Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops / And fixed his head upon our battlements’ (1,2).
Macbeth shows his courage and strength by cutting his enemy open from his navel (belly button) to his face.
The violent verb ‘unseam’d’ emphasises how Macbeth opens him up.
It all seems very fluid (free) in motion. This implies Macbeth is very strong and is unphased by horrifically killing another man.

Macdonald's head - message about treason

Macbeth removes his enemy’s head and displays it from the battlements. This might seem grisly, but it has a clear purpose.
When Shakespeare was writing, anyone sentenced to death for treason, such as Guy Fawkes after the failed Gunpowder Plot, would be hung, drawn and quartered (a horrible punishment of partial hanging, disembowelling and cutting of body into quarters) and their heads would be shown on pikes on Traitor’s Gate. This was the gateway prisoners would pass through as they entered the Tower of London.
This was done to make sure people thought twice before acting against their king and country.

Macbeth's head

At the end of the play, Macduff removes Macbeth’s head.
Macduff seems to be displaying it as he asks them to look at it: ‘Behold where stands / the usurper’s cursed head’ (5,9).
This moment makes Macbeth’s heroism at the start somewhat ironic – he was a hero for killing a man who seems to have been a traitor to the king. However, almost immediately after that, he himself becomes a traitor, soon murdering the king and taking over Scotland.
This relates back to the witches’ statement: 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' (1,1) – things and people are not always what they seem.

Heroic code

The warriors fighting believed in the heroic code (defines how a noble person should act): it was honourable to die in battle.
This is why Siward says that his son ‘parted well’ (5,9). The battles were bloody and violent, but participating and fighting, even dying, bravely was very honourable. It deserved praise.
This is why Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan seems particularly evil – he killed him while he slept, without warning.
He did not give Duncan a chance to meet him equally in battle.

Lady Macbeth - Violent Imagery

Lady Macbeth uses very violent imagery to persuade her husband to murder King Duncan. She tells him she would have bashed in the brain of her own baby if she had promised to do it: ‘I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked the nipple from his boneless gums, / And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn / As you have done to this’ (1,7).

Shocking (from a woman)

This would have been very shocking to a Jacobean (during the reign of James I of England) audience.
Lady Macbeth is a woman whose main purpose, according to the values of the time, would be to give birth to and nurture children. The language she uses is very vivid and violent.

'Plucked'

The verb ‘plucked’ is simple, but devastating; it’s as if she casually removed the baby from the breast and broke the connection between them.
In this sense, Lady Macbeth goes against nature by refusing to nurture her own child and, instead, describes the violent image of her murdering it.

'Boneless'

The adjective ‘boneless’ reflects how young the child is.
He doesn’t have teeth in his gums yet. This reminds the audience of how vulnerable the baby is and how Lady Macbeth does not seem to care – again, her careless attitude goes against nature, especially for women at the time the play was set.

'Dashed'

Finally, the verb ‘dashed’ is a very aggressive one. It shows how she would have bashed in her baby’s head if she had promised to do it.

She uses violence to try and show Macbeth how strong her commitment is to anything she promises to do.
She is trying to show him he is a coward for going back on the plan.
She uses an image of violence against the thing she cares most about – her baby. She does this to show him that she’d do anything to keep her word to him and to make him change his mind.
In Lady Macbeth’s mind, this violent description shows her husband the extent she’d go to for him and, therefore, how much she loves him.

Murder and Violence

Violence leads to more violence in Macbeth . Macbeth murders the king and murders to protect his crown thereafter. He even orders for a child to be murdered.

Killing Duncan

The violence of killing King Duncan is clear from the blood on Macbeth’s hands.
King Duncan was sleeping. Macbeth was especially cowardly in the murder and he prevented him from a warrior’s death.
Macbeth refers to his hands as ‘a sorry sight’ (2,2). This suggests that he has done something incredibly weak in murdering a sleeping man, and one who he was honour-bound (morally obliged) to serve and protect.

Other murders

After King Duncan’s murder, Macbeth steps away from murdering others with his own hands. He prefers to send murderers to do this for him.
This may suggest he is still ashamed of using violence against those who don’t deserve it.
Alternatively, this could show that he cares so little about human life that he carelessly gives the job of murdering to other people – his victims do not deserve his attention.

Violence bringing violence

Macbeth says after seeing Banquo’s ghost, ‘It will have blood they say: blood will have blood’ (3,4).
This is a metaphor saying that once a violent act is committed, more violence will follow. This usually happens when a family tries to avenge (get revenge for) the first murder.

One murder after another

After murdering King Duncan, Macbeth continues to kill others in an attempt to stop anyone else from taking his throne.
He hires men to murder Banquo and his son.
He hires men to murder Lady Macduff and her son.
The guilt of murdering Duncan drives Lady Macbeth to suicide.
The murder of Duncan, Lady Macduff, and her son causes Macduff to kill Macbeth.

Protecting the crown

Macbeth will also stop at nothing to protect his crown. He punishes those disloyal to him, including women and children.
He sends murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, who escapes.
After Macduff leaves for England, Macbeth sends more murderers to kill his wife and children in their home.

Murdering children

The murder of Macduff’s son is seen on stage: ‘he has killed me, mother’ (4,2).
The murder of children is very violent and upsetting. Children are symbolic of innocence. They cannot protect themselves.
Calling out to his ‘mother’ is very emotive (brings out feelings), because it reminds those watching of how young he is. This violence reflects how evil Macbeth has become.

1 Literary & Cultural Context

1.1 Context

1.1.1 Tragedy

1.1.2 The Supernatural & Gender

1.1.3 Politics & Monarchy

1.1.4 End of Topic Test - Context

2 Plot Summary

2.1.1 Scenes 1 & 2

2.1.2 Scene 3

2.1.3 Scenes 4-5

2.1.4 Scenes 6-7

2.1.5 End of Topic Test - Act 1

2.2 Acts 2-4

2.2.1 Act 2

2.2.2 Act 3

2.2.3 Act 4

2.3.1 Scenes 1-3

2.3.2 Scenes 4-9

2.3.3 End of Topic Test - Acts 2-5

3 Characters

3.1 Macbeth

3.1.1 Hero vs Villain

3.1.2 Ambition & Fate

3.1.3 Relationship

3.1.4 Unstable

3.1.5 End of Topic Test - Macbeth

3.2 Lady Macbeth

3.2.1 Masculine & Ruthless

3.2.2 Manipulative & Disturbed

3.3 Other Characters

3.3.1 Banquo

3.3.2 The Witches

3.3.3 Exam-Style Questions - The Witches

3.3.4 King Duncan

3.3.5 Macduff

3.3.6 End of Topic Test - Lady Macbeth & Banquo

3.3.7 End of Topic Test - Witches, Duncan & Macduff

3.4 Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.4.1 Grade 9 - Lady Macbeth Questions

4.1.1 Power & Ambition

4.1.2 Power & Ambition HyperLearning

4.1.3 Violence

4.1.4 The Supernatural

4.1.5 Masculinity

4.1.6 Armour, Kingship & The Natural Order

4.1.7 Appearances & Deception

4.1.8 Madness & Blood

4.1.9 Women, Children & Sleep

4.1.10 End of Topic Test - Themes

4.1.11 End of Topic Test - Themes 2

4.2 Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.1 Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.2 Extract Analysis

5 Writer's Techniques

5.1 Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques

5.1.1 Structure, Meter & Dramatic Irony

5.1.2 Pathetic Fallacy & Symbolism

5.1.3 End of Topic Test - Writer's Techniques

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Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 25, 2020 • ( 0 )

Macbeth . . . is done upon a stronger and more systematic principle of contrast than any other of Shakespeare’s plays. It moves upon the verge of an abyss, and is a constant struggle between life and death. The action is desperate and the reaction is dreadful. It is a huddling together of fierce extremes, a war of opposite natures which of them shall destroy the other. There is nothing but what has a violent end or violent beginnings. The lights and shades are laid on with a determined hand; the transitions from triumph to despair, from the height of terror to the repose of death, are sudden and startling; every passion brings in its fellow-contrary, and the thoughts pitch and jostle against each other as in the dark. The whole play is an unruly chaos of strange and forbidden things, where the ground rocks under our feet. Shakespear’s genius here took its full swing, and trod upon the farthest bounds of nature and passion.

—William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays

Macbeth completes William Shakespeare’s great tragic quartet while expanding, echoing, and altering key elements of Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear into one of the most terrifying stage experiences. Like Hamlet, Macbeth treats the consequences of regicide, but from the perspective of the usurpers, not the dispossessed. Like Othello, Macbeth centers its intrigue on the intimate relations of husband and wife. Like Lear, Macbeth explores female villainy, creating in Lady Macbeth one of Shakespeare’s most complex, powerful, and frightening woman characters. Different from Hamlet and Othello, in which the tragic action is reserved for their climaxes and an emphasis on cause over effect, Macbeth, like Lear, locates the tragic tipping point at the play’s outset to concentrate on inexorable consequences. Like Othello, Macbeth, Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, achieves an almost unbearable intensity by eliminating subplots, inessential characters, and tonal shifts to focus almost exclusively on the crime’s devastating impact on husband and wife.

What is singular about Macbeth, compared to the other three great Shakespearean tragedies, is its villain-hero. If Hamlet mainly executes rather than murders, if Othello is “more sinned against than sinning,” and if Lear is “a very foolish fond old man” buffeted by surrounding evil, Macbeth knowingly chooses evil and becomes the bloodiest and most dehumanized of Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists. Macbeth treats coldblooded, premeditated murder from the killer’s perspective, anticipating the psychological dissection and guilt-ridden expressionism that Feodor Dostoevsky will employ in Crime and Punishment . Critic Harold Bloom groups the protagonist as “the culminating figure in the sequence of what might be called Shakespeare’s Grand Negations: Richard III, Iago, Edmund, Macbeth.” With Macbeth, however, Shakespeare takes us further inside a villain’s mind and imagination, while daringly engaging our sympathy and identification with a murderer. “The problem Shakespeare gave himself in Macbeth was a tremendous one,” Critic Wayne C. Booth has stated.

Take a good man, a noble man, a man admired by all who know him—and destroy him, not only physically and emotionally, as the Greeks destroyed their heroes, but also morally and intellectually. As if this were not difficult enough as a dramatic hurdle, while transforming him into one of the most despicable mortals conceivable, maintain him as a tragic hero—that is, keep him so sympathetic that, when he comes to his death, the audience will pity rather than detest him and will be relieved to see him out of his misery rather than pleased to see him destroyed.

Unlike Richard III, Iago, or Edmund, Macbeth is less a virtuoso of villainy or an amoral nihilist than a man with a conscience who succumbs to evil and obliterates the humanity that he is compelled to suppress. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s greatest psychological portrait of self-destruction and the human capacity for evil seen from inside with an intimacy that horrifies because of our forced identification with Macbeth.

Although there is no certainty in dating the composition or the first performance of Macbeth, allusions in the play to contemporary events fix the likely date of both as 1606, shortly after the completion and debut of King Lear. Scholars have suggested that Macbeth was acted before James I at Hampton Court on August 7, 1606, during the royal visit of King Christian IV of Denmark and that it may have been especially written for a royal performance. Its subject, as well as its version of Scottish history, suggest an effort both to flatter and to avoid offending the Scottish king James. Macbeth is a chronicle play in which Shakespeare took his major plot elements from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (1587), but with significant modifications. The usurping Macbeth’s decade-long (and largely successful) reign is abbreviated with an emphasis on the internal and external destruction caused by Macbeth’s seizing the throne and trying to hold onto it. For the details of King Duncan’s death, Shakespeare used Holinshed’s account of the murder of an earlier king Duff by Donwald, who cast suspicion on drunken servants and whose ambitious wife played a significant role in the crime. Shakespeare also eliminated Banquo as the historical Macbeth’s co-conspirator in the murder to promote Banquo’s innocence and nobility in originating a kingly line from which James traced his legitimacy. Additional prominence is also given to the Weird Sisters, whom Holinshed only mentions in their initial meeting of Macbeth on the heath. The prophetic warning “beware Macduff” is attributed to “certain wizards in whose words Macbeth put great confidence.” The importance of the witches and the occult in Macbeth must have been meant to appeal to a king who produced a treatise, Daemonologie (1597), on witch-craft.

The uncanny sets the tone of moral ambiguity from the play’s outset as the three witches gather to encounter Macbeth “When the battle’s lost and won” in an inverted world in which “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Nothing in the play will be what it seems, and the tragedy results from the confusion and conflict between the fair—honor, nobility, duty—and the foul—rank ambition and bloody murder. Throughout the play nature reflects the disorder and violence of the action. Opening with thunder and lightning, the drama is set in a Scotland contending with the rebellion of the thane (feudal lord) of Cawdor, whom the fearless and courageous Macbeth has vanquished on the battlefield. The play, therefore, initially establishes Macbeth as a dutiful and trusted vassal of the king, Duncan of Scotland, deserving to be rewarded with the rebel’s title for restoring peace and order in the realm. “What he hath lost,” Duncan declares, “noble Macbeth hath won.” News of this honor reaches Macbeth through the witches, who greet him both as the thane of Cawdor and “king hereafter” and his comrade-in-arms Banquo as one who “shalt get kings, though thou be none.” Like the ghost in Hamlet , the Weird Sisters are left purposefully ambiguous and problematic. Are they agents of fate that determine Macbeth’s doom, predicting and even dictating the inevitable, or do they merely signal a latency in Macbeth’s ambitious character?

When he is greeted by the king’s emissaries as thane of Cawdor, Macbeth begins to wonder if the first predictions of the witches came true and what will come of the second of “king hereafter”:

This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings: 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 will be defined by his “horrible imaginings,” by his considerable intellectual and imaginative capacity both to understand what he knows to be true and right and his opposed desires and their frightful consequences. Only Hamlet has as fully a developed interior life and dramatized mental processes as Macbeth in Shakespeare’s plays. Macbeth’s ambition is initially checked by his conscience and by his fear of the unforeseen consequence of violating moral laws. Shakespeare brilliantly dramatizes Macbeth’s mental conflict in near stream of consciousness, associational fashion:

If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly. If th’assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease, success: that but this blow Might be the be all and the end all, here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come. But in these cases We still have judgement here, that we but teach Bloody instructions which, being taught, return To plague th’inventor. This even-handed justice Commends th’ingredients of our poison’d chalice To our own lips. He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against The deep damnation of his taking-off, And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself And falls on the other.

Macbeth’s “spur” comes in the form of Lady Macbeth, who plays on her husband’s selfimage of courage and virility to commit to the murder. She also reveals her own shocking cancellation of gender imperatives in shaming her husband into action, in one of the most shocking passages of the play:

. . . I have given suck, and know How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this.

Horrified at his wife’s resolve and cold-blooded calculation in devising the plot, Macbeth urges his wife to “Bring forth menchildren only, / For thy undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males,” but commits “Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.”

With the decision to kill the king taken, the play accelerates unrelentingly through a succession of powerful scenes: Duncan’s and Banquo’s murders, the banquet scene in which Banquo’s ghost appears, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, and Macbeth’s final battle with Macduff, Thane of Fife. Duncan’s offstage murder contrasts Macbeth’s “horrible imaginings” concerning the implications and Lady Macbeth’s chilling practicality. Macbeth’s question, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” is answered by his wife: “A little water clears us of this deed; / How easy is it then!” The knocking at the door of the castle, ominously signaling the revelation of the crime, prompts the play’s one comic respite in the Porter’s drunken foolery that he is at the door of “Hell’s Gate” controlling the entrance of the damned. With the fl ight of Duncan’s sons, who fear for their lives, causing them to be suspected as murderers, Macbeth is named king, and the play’s focus shifts to Macbeth’s keeping and consolidating the power he has seized. Having gained what the witches prophesied, Macbeth next tries to prevent their prediction that Banquo’s descendants will reign by setting assassins to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The plan goes awry, and Fleance escapes, leaving Macbeth again at the mercy of the witches’ prophecy. His psychic breakdown is dramatized by his seeing Banquo’s ghost occupying Macbeth’s place at the banquet. Pushed to the edge of mental collapse, Macbeth steels himself to meet the witches again to learn what is in store for him: “Iam in blood,” he declares, “Stepp’d in so far that, should Iwade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”

The witches reassure him that “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” and that he will never be vanquished until “Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him.” Confident that he is invulnerable, Macbeth responds to the rebellion mounted by Duncan’s son Malcolm and Macduff, who has joined him in England, by ordering the slaughter of Lady Macduff and her children. Macbeth has progressed from a murderer in fulfillment of the witches predictions to a murderer (of Banquo) in order to subvert their predictions and then to pointless butchery that serves no other purpose than as an exercise in willful destruction. Ironically, Macbeth, whom his wife feared was “too full o’ the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way” to serve his ambition, displays the same cold calculation that frightened him about his wife, while Lady Macbeth succumbs psychically to her own “horrible imaginings.” Lady Macbeth relives the murder as she sleepwalks, Shakespeare’s version of the workings of the unconscious. The blood in her tormented conscience that formerly could be removed with a little water is now a permanent noxious stain in which “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten.” Women’s cries announcing her offstage death are greeted by Macbeth with detached indifference:

I have almost forgot the taste of fears: The time has been, my senses would have cool’d To hear a nightshriek, and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir As life were in’t. Ihave supp’d full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, Cannot once start me.

Macbeth reveals himself here as an emotional and moral void. Confirmation that “The Queen, my lord, is dead” prompts only the bitter comment, “She should have died hereafter.” For Macbeth, life has lost all meaning, refl ected in the bleakest lines Shakespeare ever composed:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Time and the world that Macbeth had sought to rule are revealed to him as empty and futile, embodied in a metaphor from the theater with life as a histrionic, talentless actor in a tedious, pointless play.

Macbeth’s final testing comes when Malcolm orders his troops to camoufl age their movement by carrying boughs from Birnam Woods in their march toward Dunsinane and from Macduff, whom he faces in combat and reveals that he was “from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripp’d,” that is, born by cesarean section and therefore not “of woman born.” This revelation, the final fulfillment of the witches’ prophecies, causes Macbeth to fl ee, but he is prompted by Macduff’s taunt of cowardice and order to surrender to meet Macduff’s challenge, despite knowing the deadly outcome:

Yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, And damn’d be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”

Macbeth returns to the world of combat where his initial distinctions were honorably earned and tragically lost.

The play concludes with order restored to Scotland, as Macduff presents Macbeth’s severed head to Malcolm, who is hailed as king. Malcolm may assert his control and diminish Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as “this dead butcher and his fiendlike queen,” but the audience knows more than that. We know what Malcolm does not, that it will not be his royal line but Banquo’s that will eventually rule Scotland, and inevitably another round of rebellion and murder is to come. We also know in horrifying human terms the making of a butcher and a fiend who refuse to be so easily dismissed as aberrations.

Macbeth Oxford Lecture by Emma Smith

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Plays

Macbeth Ebook pdf (8MB)

Macbeth's rites of violence : : essay and review

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The Role of Violence in Shakespeare's Macbeth (Essay Sample)

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Macbeth, written by the literary master Shakespeare, is a story full of tragedy, ambition, and suspense. However, a larger theme of violence encompasses and controls the story and its characters. Violence, playing an important role in the play, depicts Macbeth's degradation from an honorable soldier and thane into an evil and selfish king. As Derek Cohen says in Macbeth's Rites of Violence, “There is no peace in the play. Lurking behind every scene, every dialogue, every fantastic appearance or event, is the spectre of violence with death following in its wake.” (Cohen), Macbeth is wholly centered around violence playing an insurmountable role in the determination of Macbeth's morality. When the Three Witches, speaking in trochaic tetrameter, give paradox in the line “Fair is foul, and foul is fair: / Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Shakespeare 1.1.12-13), they give us the most prominent theme in Macbeth. Paradox, and the “fair is foul” theme, is used throughout multiple events in the play, yet is most present in the role of violence. As Macbeth gradually yields to more violence, he changes from an honorable, honest man who fought for a greater good into a corrupt, evil king who fights for his own gain. Violence throughout Macbeth is viewed as valiant, honorable, and rewarding at the start of the play. However, the honor in violence begins to distort as the play carries on, shifting to selfish and cruel intentions. Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the role of violence emphasizes the shifts in Macbeth’s moral compass and coincides with the theme “fair is foul, and fair is foul” by first being viewed as honorable, representing pathetic fallacy, and ending as a representation of evil.

At the start of the play, the role of violence is one of valor and honor, however this is distinctly different from its role of evil towards the end of Macbeth. When Macbeth returns from the first battle, he is greeted with congratulations and honor. He is rewarded for being a courageous and valiant soldier with a new thane title. The people of Scotland express pride and gratitude for Macbeth's violence in battle and reward him for being ruthless on the battlefront. Macbeth’s friends bare him the great news of his successes: “The king hath happily received, Macbeth, / The news of thy success, and when he reads / Thy personal venture in the rebels’ sight, / His wonders and his praises do contend / Which thine or his” (Shakespeare 1.3.87-91). At this point, Macbeth uses violence for the greater good of defending his country. In Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Plays and Poetry states: “Macbeth encounters three witches who predict that he will become King of Scotland; these prophecies begin the process of awakening his personal ambition for power” (pg. 440). Macbeth's view of violence drastically alters towards the end of the play from one of honor and loyalty, to one of selfishness and treachery, and this change is depicted with the help of pathetic fallacy in Macbeth's surroundings.

Violence is reflected with pathetic fallacy and continuously present throughout the course of Macbeth in the weather, animals, and other characters. As Macbeth progresses, violence increases, and Macbeth grows eviler with each scene. Actkinson states in Enter Three Witches that “As Macbeth ascends to the throne, the court descends to violence and murder”. (Actkinson), further illustrating that Macbeth's increase in power corresponds to an increase in violence in Scotland. Macbeth's submission to violence and commitment increasingly heinous murders following the introduction of the three witches has an apparent negative effect on the weather and depicts a manifestation of evil in Scotland. As Macbeth's morals slip, the weather becomes stormy, and animals begin to act distressed, notably during the murder of King Duncan when Lady Macbeth says, “I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry” (2.2.15). Violence throughout the play also constitutes a disarray of the environment in Scotland and presents a grim, formidable mood with destruction: “The night has been unruly. Where we lay, / Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say, / Lamentings heard i’ th’ air, strange screams of death / .... Some say the Earth / Was feverous and did shake.” (Shakespeare 2.3.28-36). Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to attribute human qualities and emotions to nature, and violence encompasses a larger theme in Macbeth by affecting Scotland negatively. As Macbeth progressively turns to violence, Scotland's environment experiences stormy weather, disturbed animals, and desecrate natural disasters. Because the damaging violence in Macbeth corresponds heavily to pathetic fallacy in weather and animals, this shows that violence is necessary to the progress of the play and essential in explaining the turn and fall of Macbeth into total violence and evil.

While violence in the beginning of Macbeth was viewed as gratifying, the violent nature of Macbeth is gradually warped into a pure evil as he begins to maltreat his people and country. Cohen states that “Macbeth's use of violence is the measure of his depravity. It sinks ever lower in its use of lies, subterfuge and subornation, acts that are necessary to his survival as monarch.” This quote highlights the depletion of Macbeth’s morals as the violence intensifies and escalates throughout the play. Macbeth's morality by the end of the play is completely degraded. He once experienced doubt and hesitation before killing Duncan and had to be persuaded by Lady Macbeth to continue. However, by the end of the play, Macbeth experienced no hesitation or doubt in killing others. Undoubtedly, Macbeth’s forced murder soon harbored into an obsessive need for secured power: “While Lady Macbeth did provoke and shame Macbeth to kill Duncan, he is the one who voluntarily carried out the deed and continued to kill anyone who posed a threat to his position” (Tawakoli). Brutality demonstrates that violence is not as it always seems, following the “fair is foul” theme, in the sense that it can be used in valor, but also in ruthlessness and cruelty. In the same way, Macbeth’s lack of mercy at the beginning of the play was seen positively as he was aiding his country in war, but then manifested into selfish and greedy violence at the expense of his country’s well-being. As Macbeth’s greed for power is continually threatened, he turns to more evil behaviors. It is evident that Macbeth has wholly turned to supernatural evil when he professes, “Seyton! - I am sick at heart,/ When I behold - Seyton, I say! - this push/ Will cheer me ever or disseat me now,” (Shakespeare 5.3.19-21). The allusion in this quote emphasized the effect of intensifying violence in Macbeth and how it has shifted his logic into a distorted logic. It is evident that he has turned to evil as Seyton is an allusion to the real Satan. It is evident that Macbeth has now fully turned to diabolic manners. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth used violence in a brave and loyal sense to protect his country, however at the end of the play, Macbeth used violence in a selfish and cruel way to protect his throne at the expense of others.

Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the role of violence is used to emphasize the shifts in Macbeth’s moral compass and mindset towards his priorities. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is very uncertain about committing to the violence due to his extreme valor but at the end of the play, violence is the only thing he turns to. As violence intensifies in Macbeth, Macbeth sinks lower into a state of pure evil, completely demolishing the once noble, honest character he was. Because Macbeth is driven by the desire for power, he feels that violence is the only option he has to keep his power and so, he experiences a vocation to be a selfish, evil king surrounded with violence. Violence also corresponds with the Three Witches’ alliteration of “Fair is foul, and foul is fair: / Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (Shakespeare 1.1.12-13) in the sense that violence is not what it first appeared to be. Macbeth was first rewarded for his valiant battle in Act 1, however, as he grew in power, his violent acts escalated into evil and had unfortunate consequences including the loss of Macbeth's life. Violence in Macbeth shifts from being perceived as honorable to corrupt, and plays a large role by degrading Macbeth's morals and altering Macbeth from an honorable man to a corrupt king.

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Mr Salles Teaches English

How Does Shakespeare Present Violence in Macbeth?

Student essay 30/30.

I’m writing a guide in which I look at student exam answers to the Macbeth extract question for AQA.

Most students do much worse writing about the extract first. It is a terrible way to structure an exam question.

The very best students can make this work, especially, as here, the extract appears toward the beginning of the play. Because the best way to write an essay is to move through the play chronologically. There are lots of reasons for this, which I’ll go through in a later post.

The 30/30 Essay

Shakespeare portrays Macbeth’s violence in this extract and the play as a whole, offering us HYPERBOLIC and graphic description. When faced with a problem, Macbeth’s first thoughts always appear to be violent.

The captain in this extract portrays Macbeth wielding a sword which appears to be designed for murder, “ with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution .” The speed of his fighting is conveyed with “ smoked ”, and the “ execution ” is so sudden that we can imagine smoke literally rising from his sword. Our first impression of Macbeth is that he kills enthusiastically. Its “ brandished steel ” portrays how well suited Macbeth is to battle, which suggests he has always been predisposed to violence. We understand that Macbeth’s violence is admirable and a sign of his bravery. The effect of Macbeth’s violence is to exhaust his enemies, so that they were “ as two spent swimmers that do cling together ”. The verb “ cling ” implies their desperation.

We understand what a powerful warrior Macbeth must be, and that he uses his violent skill loyally to fight for Scotland. The captain calls him “ brave Macbeth ” to emphasise how his violence makes him a superior warrior. This loyalty is honourable. Shakespeare glorifies Macbeth at the beginning of the play to prepare for the shocking CONTRAST of his downfall. Macbeth has a dramatic effect on others, as we see when he exhausts the army, like “ two spent swimmers ”.

Initially, therefore, Macbeth’s violence is a sign of his skill and loyalty to King Duncan and protect his country. The description that he “ unseamed him from the nave to th’ chaps ” is graphically violent, but Macbeth’s enthusiasm is portrayed as loyalty to Duncan. He basically rips people apart to be sure they are totally dead. He wants to be certain he has performed his role properly.

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Macbeth Sample Essay: Evil and Violence

The language of the play “macbeth” contributes to the creating of the atmosphere of evil and violence which pervades the play., discuss this statement with reference to the play..

Post author: Martina
Post published: April 25, 2012
Post category: English / Macbeth - Single Text

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Violence in “Macbeth”

The violence in “Macbeth” becomes an evil force, determining the fortune of people and their storyline. However, real wars of external conflicts occurred in a very rough manner that revealed the outward factor of power intrigues. Meanwhile, internal conflicts among characters like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suggest that their decisions are psychologically charged. The motif of blood strengthens this investigation, symbolizing the inevitable consequences stemming from their actions. Such elements intertwine (perfectly), which symbolizes the ubiquity of violence in its raw form and the horrible traces left after it has been committed on victims’ souls. From this perspective, “Macbeth” is a classical story of ambition that dehumanizes man and also becomes an enlightening study of how violence forms the human mind.

The violence from the outside world, which is described throughout “Macbeth” as nothing more than background, cannot be so easily confined to that role. It is rather the ever-present power that moves events through a line of violent and aggressive actions fueled by endless desire. The opening setting of the play on a battlefield is indicative of how power and violence are inseparable. The first valor, bravery demonstrated by Macbeth in the war that lies ahead of a bloody trial until his journey’s end, prepares for an outward conflict. This shows the concept of the masculinity of women in the play; “Femininity gives birth to masculinity and keeps it alive. No matter how independent men and masculinity would like to be of women, in Macbeth, masculinity cannot help but justify itself through Femininity.” (Rosenström, 48). The key time point is the predictions made by witches, for Macbeth has a dose of ambition and violence in his future.

However, the killing of King Duncan marks a new beginning of Macbeth’s terror rule. This is the highest level of external conflict as Macbeth succumbs to the witches’ predictions. The physical and emotional aspects of violence are shown as Macbeth struggles to adapt or account for his actions that result in these effects. The struggle for power from the outside gets joined with an internal war, representing the complex conjugation of desires and morals. Thus, blood can be considered a recurring motif within the play, and Macbeth thus stands as an outer violence that violently consumes him. “Lady Macbeth holds evil intentions and plots for the murder of King Duncan; her ambitious desire to hold the title of queen devours her mind”(Dridi, 37). This visceral cue stems literally from the fact that his crimes are visible in blood stains on his hands. This imagery also touches on the psychological response of his moral mind that Macbeth would have had. Bloody deeds taken are the portrayal of an external conflict, which by itself is a reflection of what goes inside their minds.

A blood theme indicates madness in Lady Macbeth. Nevertheless, the soliloquy of her mind’s agonizing cry for supernatural powers focused on his thickening blood beguiles psychological damage into self-control conflict with a disposition from outside. With the blood metaphor being so thick, a necessity for emotional painkillers is indicated as there will be a need to safeguard herself from horrors that were left behind through distressing exchanges between herself and her husband’s acts of violence. Sleepwalking augments the violence of her internal struggle since she washes off invisible blood stains from her hands as a reflection of how guilt accompanies this character wherever he goes. Nevertheless, internal conflict does not only involve the Macbeths. However, it is sorrow that makes Macduff join the camp of protest against tyranny in Scotland under King Macbeth. “Under my battlements. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood” (Dridi, 37-38). However, his internal battle is no longer an element of external violence as he tries to take revenge. In this complicated tapestry of violence, Shakespeare subtly weaves the character’s external and internal struggles. So, the significance of blood lies not only in their deeds but also embodies other results that cannot be reversed and reflection on violence as injury. As blood would have it, the play demonstrates an intricate web of guilt and insanity that defines their characters’ path into tragedy.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth uses deep, vigorous language and descriptive images to immerse the audience in war drama before it succumbs to external violence. As a representation of his inner conflict, Macbeth’s soliloquies outline the irresistible pressure making him move outwardly to violence. With the murders of Banquo and Macduff’s family, external violence intensifies, eventually reaching its peak. Hence, the pattern of growing brutality creates an impression that it was made to be so revealing how limitless ambition goes empty as they end in destruction only.”Banquo’s single eye works as a projection of Macbeth’s evil eye for what Macbeth envies the most about him—namely, his succession of heirs to the throne, starting with Fleance, who is certainly precious, but fragile” (Aguero, 77). This complex network of words and deeds is the cloth that Shakespeare uses to weave an immortal play on madness in a violent world.

In conclusion, Macbeth’s violence is on many levels and influences the characters outwardly as well. Basic aspects of physical and psychological conflict lie at those places where power, ambition, and morality are unfolded in this play. The symbol of blood is another dominant image, the indelible spots of guilt and brutality in striving for power. By skillful use of language, imagery, and structural devices, Shakespeare attempts to fathom human nature; he shows the cruelty that is perpetuated by uncontrolled ambition – violence that erupts in individuals as well as society.

Aguero, Dolores Aronovich. “Strange images of death: violence and the uncanny in five productions of Macbeth.” (2012).

Dahbia, Dridi. “The Motif of Madness in Shakespeare’s selected tragedies” Hamlet and Macbeth.” (2021).

Rosenström, Mirella. “The Lost Boys: Masculine Confusion and Anxiety in Macbeth.” (2013).

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EXEMPLAR ESSAY on the theme of VIOLENCE in 'Macbeth' GCSE 9-1 English Literature

Subject: English

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29 April 2023

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How Macbeth Addresses Power and Ambition

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare that was first performed back in 1606. Macbeth dramatizes the psychological and physical damaging effects caused by the political ambition of those who look for power just for their own sake.

The driving force in this tragedy is the ambition, or more specifically, the ambition that goes unbridled by any theory of morality. And that is why the theme of ambition in Macbeth starts to look like a dangerous quality. We did some research on this topic and went through some of the free paper and essay examples on https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/macbeth-ambition/ . And many of the students who have written Macbeth essays on ambition state that all of his actions were inspired by his ambitions, and that led to horrific punishments and deaths of many characters, it even caused the downfall of both Lady Macbeth and him.

The source of Macbeth’s ambition

Macbeth’s ambition is driven by various factors. To begin with, he has a deep desire for advancement and power, although that is not the only thing that made him turn to crime. It took two other factors that forced that hunger and made him take various violent actions just to obtain power.

The three witches were the ones who initially made Macbeth act on his ambition. Still, his wife, Lady Macbeth, was the one who gave him ideas and pushed him to murder. She was constantly telling him to focus on his ambition and not pay attention to his conscience. She encourages him to feel free and put aside his guilt, and murder Duncan.
Throughout the whole tragedy, the witches make many prophecies, and Macbeth believes them every time and allows the prophecies to influence his next actions. As an example, Macbeth kills Banquo just because he was a threat to the throne. The prediction always ended up being true. However, it is unclear whether they are truly predictions of fate or simply were self-fulfilled due to the manipulation of Macbeth.

Controlling Ambition

The ambition of Macbeth starts to get out of control and makes him repeatedly kill, just to cover up his previous murders. His first victims are the people that he framed for the murder of King Duncan. He killed them as a “punishment.” Later, his fear of Macduff makes him murder Macduff and his family. That unnecessary murder of Macduff’s wife and his children clearly showed that Macbeth lost control over his ambition.

Balancing Morality and Ambition

We also see some honorable examples of ambition in Macbeth . Malcolm decides to test the loyalty of Macduff. So he starts pretending to be lustful, greedy, and power-hungry. However, Macduff condemned him and cries out for the future of Scotland. With that, he showed his allegiance to the country. Macduff’s steps and Malcolm’s decision to test him demonstrate that the moral code is a powerful position that is more important than just ambition to get there.

Consequences

The consequences of the ambition in this play are dire. Many innocent people are killed, and Macbeth dies known as a tyrant, which is a significant downfall because he started as a noble hero. Also, neither Macbeth nor his wife get the opportunity to enjoy the things that they gained. Thus, forming a summary and telling the readers that it is more fulfilling to achieve your goals in a fair way than achieve them through corruption.

Macbeth and his wife see how their ambitions made them cross many moral lines that lead them to their downfall. Once Macbeth killed Duncan, his ambition to hold the title of a king becomes very intertwined with his paranoia, and he becomes obsessed with maintaining the power that he got instead of enjoying the fruits of his ambition.

Macbeth’s ambition can be contrasted with the ambition of Banquo, who also listens to the witches’ predictions and had many ambitions for his sons. However, Banquo’s morality didn’t allow him to pursue his goals at such a terrible cost. At the end of this tragedy, Macbeth had achieved everything that he wanted but was left without anything. With Lady Macbeth’s death, he had no hopes of producing a prince, so he finally understands that his ambition made him lose all that he holds dear.

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Hi! I really like your thoughts and the way you expressed them so clearly. However, there seems to be a problem in the text: the passage “his fear of Macduff makes him murder Macduff and his family” seems to be wrong, since Macbeth does not kill Macduff. It is quite the opposite, actually. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

The ambition, or more especially the ambition that is unrestrained by any idea of morality, is the driving force behind this catastrophe. And for this reason, Macbeth’s theme of ambition begins to seem like a potentially deadly one. Razones por Divorcio en Estado de Nueva York Abogados de Divorcio de Rochester Nueva York

Theme of Revenge in Macbeth

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How to Write a Grade 9 Macbeth Essay ( WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

English Senior Content Creator

How to Write a Grade 9 Macbeth Essay

In the WJEC Eduqas English Literature GCSE Shakespeare exam, you will complete two types of essay questions on Macbeth:

One extract-based question worth 15 marks

One longer essay question worth 25 marks

You will need to answer both of these questions and you have 60 minutes in which to do so. The exam board recommends that you spend 20 minutes on the extract question, and 40 minutes on the longer essay.

The requirements for these two questions are quite specific, so read on for guidance and advice on how to get full marks for both types of literature essay.

How do you start a Macbeth essay?

Extract or essay question first.

Start with the extract-based question, as the exam paper has been designed to ease you into the longer essay by giving you a shorter question first (and you have all the evidence you’ll need to include in the extract).

Know your exam timings

Once you’ve decided which question to begin with, plan your timings. Twenty minutes should be enough time to answer the first question, so check the exam hall clock and write down what time you will start wrapping up your answer.

Many students spend too long on the extract question and don’t leave enough time to properly answer the essay question, which is worth 10 more marks. Don’t leave any marks behind in the examination room!

Plan, don’t write

Before you begin writing, make a plan.

Students often want to begin writing immediately as they believe the more they write in an essay, the more marks they will receive. However, this is not the case. Instead, follow the maxim: “plan more, write less”. The more you know in advance what your argument will be, and what evidence you can use to support that argument, the more marks you will likely be awarded.

What should I include in my plan?

Essay writing is all about planning. A good plan includes the following:


Thesis statement
Topic sentences
Evidence

A really good plan contains each of these three elements and it means your argument will be what examiners call “coherent”, which means joined-up. Furthermore, once you’ve got all the pieces of your essay together, it makes it much quicker to write!

Example plan

Below is a model plan for this past paper 25-mark essay question:

Guilt is a key theme in Macbeth. Write about how Shakespeare presents guilt at different points in the play. Refer to characters and events from the play in your answer.

You’ll see that you can write your plan in note form to save time:

Outline of an essay on guilt in Macbeth, detailing paragraphs on regicide, mental consequences for Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth’s ultimate guilt, with supporting quotes.

How do you write a good introduction for GCSE English Literature?

The key to writing a good introduction to a Macbeth essay is simple: make sure you plan it first. You should know what your argument is before you put pen to exam paper. What is your personal “take” on the question and what evidence proves this?

Here are some tips to help you to write an effective introduction:


Is short: one or two sentences is plenty	Is long and rambling
Just contains your thesis statement: a short summary of your argument and personal opinion	Contains many points and so doesn’t present a single, clear argument
Doesn’t include evidence	Includes quotations, or a lengthy introduction to the plot, characters or context
Takes a whole-text, or whole-extract, approach	Focuses on only one scene, or just one aspect of the extract

How many paragraphs should a top marks Macbeth essay be?

For the 15-mark extract question, which you should spend only 20 minutes on, try to plan and write two or three paragraphs (at most) aside from your introduction and conclusion.

For the 25-mark question, you should try to write a longer essay — comprising three or four paragraphs — but it doesn’t need to be any longer than that. The more focused your response, and the more time you spend planning your answer, the better you will do.

Here is a model essay structure for GCSE:

Diagram explaining essay structure. It highlights the thesis statement in the introduction, topic sentences for paragraphs, and a brief conclusion summarizing the argument.

We have created a top grade model answer for the extract question , as well as a Macbeth Grade 9 example answer for the essay question ; both are answers to past WJEC Eduqas English literature papers.

Do I need to include a conclusion in my Macbeth essay?

It is always a good idea to include a conclusion to any GCSE Macbeth essay because it signals to the examiner that you have created a coherent response, and that you have sustained your argument all the way through your writing. However, given that the questions are only worth 15 or 25 marks, you don’t want to spend too long crafting a perfect conclusion.

Aim instead to create a simple, one- or two-line conclusion that sums up the argument you put forward in your thesis statement.

How many quotes do I need to include in my Macbeth essay?

Students are often taught paragraph frames, or scaffolds, like PEE, by their schools or teachers. Although these can be useful when learning how to write essays, it’s really important to note that examiners at GCSE think these scaffolds limit students’ answers and can result in lower-mark responses.

One of the reasons for this is that a PEE structure suggests you should only include one piece of evidence for each point you make. In fact, the more evidence you have – in the form of textual references or direct quotations – the better your argument will be.

So try to include multiple quotations or references for each topic sentence point you make. Don’t forget that a textual reference doesn’t have to be a direct quotation: you can paraphrase a quotation, or include stage directions, plot points, or comments about characterisation or (for the 25-mark essay question) changes and contrasts across the text. These all count as “evidence” and will make your argument stronger.

You must not include quotations from elsewhere in the play when answering the 15-mark extract question, as you will be given no credit for this. Instead, examiners want to see candidates using quotations from the beginning, middle and end of the extract.

For the longer 25-mark essay, examiners suggest students learn a range of shorter quotations (rather than fewer really long ones). They also want to see students take a “whole-text” approach, so try to learn quotations from all points of the play.

See our Macbeth Quotations and Analysis page for some of the best quotes to learn, arranged by character (Macbeth; Lady Macbeth; the three witches).

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Author: Nick Redgrove

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

Understanding the Definition and Impact of Gun Violence

This essay about projectile violence examines its definition and impact on society, including various forms such as murders, suicides, domestic violence, accidental shootings, and mass shootings. It highlights the causes, consequences, and potential solutions, emphasizing the need for stricter gun control laws, community interventions, and public education to reduce harm and promote safety.

How it works

Category projectile every violence has legible caractéristiques and plays in favour of postmen, asks, for access done directed an order he and adjured them.

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A picture of the first lady, Jill Biden, smiling with her hands clasped at Joe Biden.

Opinion ‘Michelle Cottle

The ‘Philly Girl’ Shielding Biden From the Bad News

Credit... Damon Winter/The New York Times

Supported by

By Michelle Cottle

Michelle Cottle writes about national politics for Opinion and is a host of the podcast “Matter of Opinion.”

July 3, 2024

Amid the public fretting and finger-pointing rage over how to deal with a Democratic presidential nominee who most Americans think is too old for the job, some of the frustration is being directed at the first lady, Jill Biden. Which has me thinking back to one of the viral moments from her husband’s 2020 campaign.

On the night of Super Tuesday, as Joe Biden was delivering his celebratory speech at a rally in Los Angeles, two anti-dairy demonstrators rushed the stage , only to run smack up against the protective wall of Dr. Biden. With impressively fleet feet — rocking metallic sling-back pumps, no less — she inserted herself between her man and potential harm. There is an amazing photo of her grimacing and holding a protester at bay by the wrists as Mr. Biden looks on with concern. “We’re OK,” she assured everyone once the spectacle was over. “We’re OK.”

Notably, this was not the first time the candidate’s wife had served as a human shield for him in that race. Less than a month earlier, on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, she blocked an aggressive heckler and then showed him the door, joking afterward , “I’m a good Philly girl.”

Philly tough. That is who Dr. Biden is, fiercely and reflexively, when it comes to protecting and supporting her husband. This has been her role since the couple’s courting days, when he was a young senator struggling to recover from losing his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash. And those looking to recruit her to encourage Mr. Biden to reconsider his presidential bid may sorely misunderstand her — and their marriage.

“She gave me back my life,” he gushed of Dr. Biden in his 2007 memoir, “Promises to Keep.” Even before officially joining the family, she became a surrogate mother to his two young sons. And for nearly half a century since, she has sustained her husband through enough high-intensity drama to shatter a lesser spouse: his near-fatal aneurysm, the death of his oldest child, the disastrous drug addiction of his younger son, multiple presidential runs.

Which means that if Mr. Biden is determined to stay in this race, Jilly, as he calls her, is going to have his back. Period. Even if much of his own party suspects that he is very much not OK. In fact, the more that elite establishment types clamor for him to move aside, the more Dr. Biden is likely to get her back up.

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Basketball program aims to uplift inner cities plagued by an uptick in violence this summer

Young3 is a community outreach offering training in basketball and life skills.

Dribbling a basketball from one hand to another, DaJuan Summers shows a packed gym of young aspiring basketball players, including his son, how to make a perfect layup.

Sporting blue and white "Young3" jerseys, they each watch and mimic the pivots and movements of a professional basketball player while attempting to shoot the ball.

The Young3 is the community outreach division of the BIG3, the premier professional 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Ice Cube, and works to uplift the communities of inner cities the league visits, which are often faced with an uptick of violence in the summer.

"I know for me, growing up here in Baltimore, we didn't have all the resources that we would have liked to have. As I started getting better at basketball, it started opening up better opportunities for myself," Summers, who plays for the BIG3 Ball Hogs, told ABC News at a recent YOUNG3 event.

(4th of July mass shootings increased over the past 3 years, group says:)

Each Young3 event provides an afternoon of BIG3 basketball skill development, motivational speaking, and meet-and-greets with BIG3 players and coaches.

"Getting to the kids at this level, at the grassroots level, is so important for their memories so they believe in themselves, and they can always know that their dreams are possible," said Summers.

"Watching us and seeing us doing this, especially guys like myself from here, makes it even more believable and that they can achieve their dreams," he added.

The Young3 says the goal of this initiative is to provide a safe space for young people to develop confidence, teamwork, and self-belief while promoting conversations about mental health and inner-city adversity affecting children.

"Young3 is an integral part of the fabric of the league," a BIG3 spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

"Everyone involved with the BIG3 has experienced the transformative power of basketball and wants to share that with the next generation. In the cities we are visiting this year like Oakland, Baltimore, Newark, this is more important than ever. We are honored to provide a safe space for these kids to develop their basketball skills, learn from our players, and facilitate conversations around mental and physical health," the statement continued.

According to data from The Gun Violence Archive , an independent organization that gathers information about gun violence and tracks mass shootings in the United States, gun violence incidents involving children and teens saw an uptick during the summer months last year.

In January of 2023, 72 children ages 0-11 were injured by gunfire nationally compared to 94 in June 2023, the data showed. Among teens 12-17 years old, the numbers rose from 396 nationally in January 2023 to 516 in June 2023.

This year, 67 children ages 0-11 were injured by gunfire nationally in January. That number rose to 89 in June. Among teens ages 12-17, 341 were injured by gunfire in January this year, compared to 406 in June.

"The research lens supports that when we see higher temperatures, we tend to see more aggressive behavior, a correlation between things like feelings of irritability, frustration, that can lead to violent behavior," Thaddeus Johnson, a senior fellow with the Council on Criminal Justice, told ABC News.

Johnson, a former high school basketball player himself, said basketball programs like the Young3 serve not only as a positive reference for vulnerable juveniles dealing with gun violence but for citizens in general.

"Basketball is always a reference no matter what's going on around you in these areas," said Johnson.

"You need to have programs like these basketball type programs embedded, [as well as] other broader comprehensive programs that can really take advantage and serve our most vulnerable juveniles and vulnerable citizens in general," he added.

Midwives can aid maternal mortality crisis in U.S.

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Violence in 'Macbeth': detailed exploration + essay question
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Macbeth
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EXEMPLAR ESSAY on the theme of VIOLENCE in 'Macbeth' GCSE 9-1 English

VIDEO

Use This Sentence To Start ANY Macbeth GCSE Essay!
👀Betrayal essay question for Macbeth? No problem, here's some ideas and suggestions
Macbeth & Violence
Macbeth GCSE Lesson Eight = Analysis, Quotes and Model Answer for Theme of Violence in Macbeth
Essay Plan
Macbeth: One FULL Essay Plan Which Fits EVERY GCSE Question

COMMENTS

Macbeth and Violence
THE ESSAY. Macbeth is certainly portrayed as a violent character from the offset, but initially this seems a positive trait: the Captain, Ross and others herald him as a great warrior, both an ally and valuable asset to Duncan and his kingdom. Furthermore, Duncan himself is overjoyed at Macbeth's skill in battle.
Violence Theme in Macbeth
To call Macbeth a violent play is an understatement. It begins in battle, contains the murder of men, women, and children, and ends not just with a climactic siege but the suicide of Lady Macbeth and the beheading of its main character, Macbeth.In the process of all this bloodshed, Macbeth makes an important point about the nature of violence: every violent act, even those done for selfless ...
Violence
THEMES: VIOLENCE. Macbeth is an extremely violent play. Macbeth takes the throne of Scotland by killing Duncan and his guards, and tries to hold on to it by sending people to murder Banquo and Macduff's family. Finally, he attempts to keep his reign by fighting Macduff. These might be the scenes of violence which are the most obvious in the ...
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Violence In Macbeth
Violence in Macbeth is highlighted by the theme broached by the witches: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." Violence is either viewed as valorous, or cognitively detrimental. Macbeth is a soldier ...
How is Violence Portrayed in Macbeth?
This cyclical structure, demonstrates how Macbeth is "smoked" in eternal damnation for his instinctuall violence and brutality to fulfil his own self-serving ambition. (Your conclusion effectively summarises the key points of your essay, reinforcing the idea that Macbeth's violence is a product of his ambition and societal pressures. However ...
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The violent imagery describing Macbeth at the start of the play is honourable: his violence on the battlefield is for the king. He is praised and rewarded for killing a treacherous thane, Macdonald (sometimes spelt Macdonwald): 'Till he unseam'd him from the nave to th' chops / And fixed his head upon our battlements' (1,2). Macbeth shows his courage and strength by cutting his enemy ...
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This essay, will argue that violence is not merely actions performed by the characters but the skeleton of plot and theme. For the sake of a clear analysis, first an outline the concept of karma and karma of violence in Macbeth. Then the essay will conclude that the karmic effect of violence drives the development of plot and reflects moral judgement.
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s on transfers all that built-up rage into it. Lady Macbeth is shown by Shakespeare to be strongly emotional, passionate and ambitious; these act almost as her ham. rtias leading to her eventual suicide in act 5. Shakespeare's specific portrayal of Lady Macbeth is done to shock the audience, she. is a character contradic.
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Shakespeare portrays Macbeth's violence in this extract and the play as a whole, offering us HYPERBOLIC and graphic description. When faced with a problem, Macbeth's first thoughts always appear to be violent. The captain in this extract portrays Macbeth wielding a sword which appears to be designed for murder, " with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution."
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The language of the play "Macbeth" contributes to the creating of the atmosphere of evil and violence which pervades the play. Discuss this statement with reference to the play. Click here for the first part: Violence. You may also like: Full Notes on Macbeth (€) Paragraph 3: Disease Shakespeare's references to blood throughout the text give the […]
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The Tragedy of Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare that was first performed back in 1606.Macbeth dramatizes the psychological and physical damaging effects caused by the political ambition of those who look for power just for their own sake.. The driving force in this tragedy is the ambition, or more specifically, the ambition that goes unbridled by any theory of morality.
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Published: Mar 14, 2024. Revenge is a powerful and enduring theme in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth. From the very beginning of the play, we see the seeds of vengeance planted in the hearts of the characters, driving their actions and ultimately leading to their downfall. In Macbeth, the titular character's desire for revenge is sparked ...
How to Write a Grade 9 Macbeth Essay
A good Macbeth essay introduction. A not-so-good Macbeth essay introduction. Is short: one or two sentences is plenty. Is long and rambling. Just contains your thesis statement: a short summary of your argument and personal opinion. Contains many points and so doesn't present a single, clear argument. Doesn't include evidence
Macbeth: the Complex Intersection of Ambition Morality and Fate
Essay Example: William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is a profound exploration of the dark side of ambition and the consequences of unethical behavior wrapped within a dramatic and thrilling narrative. This tragic play steeped in witchcraft prophecy and murder offers a timeless analysis of the human
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1. The document provides revision material on violence in Shakespeare's Macbeth, including key quotations and essay questions. 2. It examines how Shakespeare uses increasingly graphic depictions of violence to show Macbeth's descent into tyranny and the disruption his crimes cause to the natural order. 3. The suggested essay would argue that Shakespeare uses violence to both engage audiences ...
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This essay about projectile violence examines its definition and impact on society, including various forms such as murders, suicides, domestic violence, accidental shootings, and mass shootings. It highlights the causes, consequences, and potential solutions, emphasizing the need for stricter gun control laws, community interventions, and ...
Opinion
"She gave me back my life," he gushed of Dr. Biden in his 2007 memoir, "Promises to Keep." Even before officially joining the family, she became a surrogate mother to his two young sons.
Basketball program aims to uplift inner cities plagued by an uptick in
Basketball program aims to uplift inner cities plagued by an uptick in violence this summer Young3 is a community outreach offering training in basketball and life skills. By Abby Cruz

Macbeth and Violence — Example A Grade Essay

Thanks for reading! If you find this resource useful, you can take a look at our full online Macbeth course here . Use the code “SHAKESPEARE” to receive a 50% discount!

THE QUESTION

PLAN — 6–8 mins

Point 1 : Macbeth has an enjoyment of violence

Point 2 : Macbeth is a violent character from the offset, but this violence is acceptable at first

Point 3: The witches and Lady Macbeth manipulate that violent power

If you’re studying Macbeth, you can click here to buy our full online course. Use the code “SHAKESPEARE” to receive a 50% discount!

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Violence ThemeTracker

Violence Quotes in Macbeth

THEMES: VIOLENCE.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

OTHER RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Context & themes

Heroic Violence

Macdonald's head - message about treason

Macbeth's head

Heroic code

Lady Macbeth - Violent Imagery

Shocking (from a woman)

'Plucked'

'Boneless'

'Dashed'

Murder and Violence

Killing Duncan

Other murders

Violence bringing violence

One murder after another

Protecting the crown

Murdering children

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

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