Shakespeare's Tragedies. Macbeths Journey - Book Report/Review Example

? Shakespeare’s Tragedies Macbeth’s Journey The Shakespearean play of “Macbeth” traces the journey of a man who was driven form his own desires to destruction. The particular language used by Shakespeare in describing the particular traits, attitudes and voice of this character creates a unique personality that plays different roles in the play while clearly exposing the different themes as depicted in play. The story of this character is therefore very rich coupled with numerous intertwining layers. This paper therefore traces the journey of Macbeth as presented in the entire play through a complexity of the themes within the play. Shakespeare first presents Macbeth in the captain’s account of his battlefield experiences as a brave and ambitious warrior. This impression fast changes when Macbeth makes a connection between Macbeth and the three witches. The physical courage presented earlier is fast concealed by feelings of self doubt-at the prospect of being a king brings him joy but also it casts on him doubt- “If good why do I yield to that suggestion…and make my seated heart knock at my ribs.” (Act.1 S.3) Arguably, Shakespeare display of Macbeth show the effects that ambition and bravery can bring unto a man who does not have inner strength and self will. Due to his character as displayed in the play, a description of Macbeth as evil can be made, but this weak self will character stands out to separate him from Shakespeare’s earlier works and villains- for instance Iago who appears in the play Othello. (Simpson & Weiner, 1989) Though a great warrior, Macbeth is unable to keep up with the consequences of his actions. Before he attempts to kill Duncan Macbeth ponders about the consequences and almost withdraws from committing the crime. Apparently it takes spirited efforts of Lady Macbeth to enable him commit the crime. After the crime, a new personality is presented as the older bravery personality slowly fades away. He fluctuates between several characters as he conducts series of murders to safeguard his throne, and depicts circumstances of guilt –with the re-appearance of Banquo’s ghost- and pessimism when his wife dies and he becomes desperate. These fluctuations display the tension that is within Macbeth, at one point he is over ambitious such that he contends murdering someone, and again too impressed by his acts when he murders someone. As things continuously fall apart for Macbeth when the play ends, Macbeth is a relieved person and can return to his warrior life. In argument, this happiness displayed at this point reflects upon two things, his belief in the prophecies of the witches and the fact that he has gained entrance back into the battlefield where he has succeeded in the past. As the story ends, Shakespeare creates a sharp contrast in Macbeth from his earlier characters in his previous works, as Macbeth do not seem to worry about committing suicide: “why should I play the Roman fool,” he asserts, “…and die on my own sword?” (Act.5, S.10, 1-2). Shakespeare therefore succeeds in presenting Macbeth’s character through a myriad of actions and themes as one driven by his own desires to destruction: the story opens with a brave and ambitious Macbeth who succeeds in the battle field and closes with Macbeth losing the battle. Tragedy: Corrupting Power that emanates from unchecked ambition This is one of the most obvious themes that Shakespeare exposes in Macbeth-implying that destruction occurs when personal ambitions override morality. This tragic theme as exposed in the play is particularly advanced by the play’s two most prominent characters- Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a courageous warrior who does not associate himself with any criminal activity, yet with a deep passion and desire for power and personal advancement. As the play advances, Macbeth finally kills Duncan against his personal will and judgment that put him into great guilt and desperation associated with bloodshed. But as the play comes towards a close, Shakespeare creates a character in Macbeth who is frantic and subsequently boastful. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is a determined lady with great desire to achieve herself interests, and yet she is unable to withstand the consequences that are associated with her own actions and immoral doings. Arguably one of most Shakespeare’s well created female characters, she exerts a great influence on the husband, and uses the husband to achieve her immoral acts, and in this she convincingly urges Macbeth to eliminate Duncan and further offers emotional console to Macbeth to overcome Duncan’s absence. As the play advances, Lady Macbeth is distracted consciously by her husband’s repeated guilt over Duncan’s death. In both circumstances, ambition played a role assisted by prophetical predictions of the witches; this is portrayed metaphorically by the witches words in the play as they say that, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (Act.1, S.1.10) to this the witches describe the state of affairs that occur within Macbeth in that evil has replaced good; these circumstances play a significant role in enabling the two characters in committing these atrocities. (Simpson & Weiner, 1989) The problem as suggested by Shakespeare is a situation that depicts one deciding to employ the use of violence to advance one’s interest for power acquisition becomes inner passion that is essentially difficult to contain. The play shows that there are usually potential threats that are associated with the throne. Shakespeare exposes three characters, Banquo, Macduff among others, and leaders are often tempted to use violent mechanism to always keep power in check and dispose these threats eliminate these personalities. Both characters therefore clearly promotes the theme of how corrupted power that emanates from unchecked personal ambition. The personification of these two characters displays greed for power and evil. Shakespearean plays: the Comic tragedy Shakespearean tragedy commonly denotes opposite of comedy; it seeks to advance the notion that human beings are particularly doomed by their actions or failures that they make in life or also through ironic human actions or the natural nature of human’s fate and destiny. In simpler implications, it denotes a play or literary material that is characterized by unhappy ending. Historically, the aspect of tragedy is found in Greek writings and dramas that included the works of Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Aristotle works shows that tragedy in writing incorporates a protagonist of high social class who moves from being prosperous to a misery life promoted by a complex of life reversals and due to human error in life. A contrasting display view within tragic play of writing also characterizes a protagonist as a good person in the society. (Simpson & Weiner, 1989) Most of the Shakespeare’s literary works fall into more than one category and subsequently overlap in style. In a more consistent trend, Shakespeare tragedies have common characteristics that they share between them which include; the heroes are usually flawed, relationship of their size and their easiness of falling, and the falling of these heroes as a result of an external pressure. Shakespeare displays the tragedy theme in various plays such as Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet among other plays. While Shakespeare’s much ado about nothing takes a comedy format, it is also intertwined with tragic themes. On several occasions, Shakespeare’s much ado about nothing is considered comedy as it combines a components of hilarity with significant issues of court politics, and shame, and ends the play with a joyful comedy that closes the play with numerous marriages with no deaths. While departing from the normal tragic style of writing where one Shakespeare’s character dies, this comedy piece is also characterized with death of a character. Often, the comedic genres are having a more accepting attitude of death by treating it as part of life cycle that occurs naturally and as such much ado about nothing cannot be considered an exception of this comedic creation. However, as the play advances, the crisis formed in the audience minds is perpetuated by the author’s advancement of the themes of betrayal, anger, and hatred evident in the main characters, and even though these play crisis seems to end quite quickly it does not escape the feelings that the play is a tragedy. Within these arguments, it can be noted that Shakespeare’s separation between comedy and tragedy is quite minimal. Several observations point that the author’s plot in the play shares certain significant components with earlier the author’s earlier writings and an attempt is made to link this similarity to Romeo and Juliet and other Shakespeare’s latest plays including The Winters’ Tale. (Simpson & Weiner, 1989) It seems however that the difference between comic writings and tragic plays is in the essence that comics associate themselves with situations that do not expose them to tragic outcome. In contrast the feeling created by tragic characters as the consequences experienced by tragic hero appears loyal to the traditional tragic ending, where characters used in the play arguably play a role in merely supporting the plot of the play as the unfolding events lead the characters to their downfall. In other instances though, the tragic events allude to irony, whereas the characters avoid destiny or portray desire to make right decisions, their destruction appears already predetermined for instance in Macbeth. It becomes apparent therefore that the endings of these two different genres serve to separate the two and under detailed analysis it seems apparent that Shakespeare’s writings have a characteristic tragic comedy feature. (Simpson & Weiner, 1989) Bibliography Simpson, J., & Weiner, E. (Eds.). (1989). Oxford English Dictionary . USA: Oxford University Press. Read More