Macbeth Themes Analysis Essay Example

Macbeth’s, written by William Shakespeare in 1606 is a tragic play that focuses on power, lust, and paranoia. Macbeth is about deception and the lengths to which a person will go because of their ambition for power. Shakespeare utilizes Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the Three Witches to show the ability to deceive others to appear as one thing but underneath they are someone else. Macbeth's ambition for his future such as him being Thane of Glamis then becoming Thane of Cawdor and later being crowned as King of Scotland relied on the prophecy that had two truths to it. Shakespeare warns his viewers about the evils that come from the supernatural world through the Three Witches. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both reflect on the idea of guilt at the end of the play. This play explores appearance vs. reality, ambition, guilt, and the supernatural.

Appearance can be deceiving which leads to many people getting tricked into believing fake realities. Macbeth's ability to use the public image as he is seen as a noble soldier allows him to conceal his horrendous acts and has earned him a high level of esteem. King Duncan quotes “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name” which reinforces the idea of him being seen as loyal and noble. However, he fails to see past the witches' assertions which leads to his downfall. The use of alliteration where Macbeth quotes “fair is foul and foul is fair'' implies that things are not always what they seem to be and that appearances may be misleading. This statement illustrates the difference between appearance and reality. It is a complicated and challenging idea, but somehow it implies that in this world you can never be certain if anything is true. Fair implies as equal but the statement also includes foul meaning evil which shows the juxtaposition between good and evil. Macbeth says that what looks good and equal may not be good but what seems bad and unsafe may be good. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by saying “look like th’ innocent flower but be the serpent under’t”. This portrays her ambition towards the murder of king Duncan and towards her becoming queen of Scotland. The quote uses metaphor as Lady Macbeth is telling her husband to be harmless but also hide his intentions. This means that she wants Macbeth to seem welcoming and unthreatening but not forget his intention of killing King Duncan and taking the throne. Juxtaposition is used when the comparison of serpent and flower occurs. Serpent directly links to the sinister and supernatural and the flower links to angelic and sweet strikes fear within the viewers. Moreover, the use of antithesis where Lady Macbeth says “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” highlights how Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to put a false face on meaning to seem happy and pleasant so that he could conceal his false heart. Macbeth has come up with a plan to kill King Duncan while hiding it under his false face and acts. King Duncan trusts Macbeth as well as believes that he is very loyal, however as seen in the play Macbeth betrays his trust and murders him in his sleep because he wished for more superiority. Shakespeare uses antithesis to put the contrasting ideas into one quote which would leave the audience in suspense as well as excitement to find out what the future holds for Macbeth. Thus, appearances cause many people to get tricked which is the reason Macbeth failed to see past the witches' false statements. 

Macbeth's ambition consumes him and leads to an abuse of power, culminating in evil deeds. Macbeth acknowledges that his ambition is causing him to commit regicide. The use of hyperbole where Macbeth quotes “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hack'd '' conveys Macbeth’s reassurance that he will keep fighting until his last breath. In this quote, Macbeth is seen as confident and will not give up his place as king which reveals his ambition. Moreover, the use of imagery where Macbeth stated’ “The firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand” reveals how ambitious he is and how he will do anything to get where he wants to be no matter the number of innocent people he kills. This epitomizes his ruthless and unforgivable thoughts and how cruel he has become. This leads him into becoming a tyrant. The use of foreshadowing where Macbeth Hallucinates a dagger before murdering King Duncan reveals the growth of his ambition and that his ambition has led him into betraying King Duncan’s trust. Therefore, Macbeth leads himself into his downfall because of his ambition.

Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were both consumed by guilt towards the end of the play because of their actions. The use of metaphor where Macbeth quotes “I have almost forgot the tastes of fears” reveals that Macbeth had forgotten what fear feels like because everything was going according to his plans and the witches’ prophecies were becoming true. Macbeth seemed doubtful about the witches’ prophecies but was also consumed by guilt because of his past actions that had led to this situation. Moreover, the use of hyperbole and rhetorical questions where Macbeth says “will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine” depicts how guilty he feels after killing Duncan. He uses the dramatic language “will all Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand” conveying his guilt overtaking him and that he cannot take back what he has done. It reveals that his actions cannot be hidden but just washing his hands and that it will forever haunt him. Furthermore, the use of repetitive language where Lady Macbeth says “To bed, to bed there’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come give me your hand. What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed” are the last words she speaks before committing suicide. As she goes mad she downs in guilt. The juxtaposition between her confident and strong personality that was shown at the start of the play as well as the chance of herself towards the end. Towards the end, she feels the need to be taken care of rather than being the dominant self she was at the start. Therefore, both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffered and suffocated in guilt because of their actions. 

People were superstitious in the medieval age, which led to the belief in witches. Shakespeare uses the witches as supernatural beings in the play to inform us that the witches are a sign of wickedness and chaos. The usage of stage directions in Act 1 scene 1 when the witches enter, when there is lightning and thunder, creates a troubling and unsettling mood. This leads to superstition, as witches are seen as wicked creatures and are thought to be a sign of impending doom. It foreshadows potentially harmful and damaging occurrences in the future. This makes the audience consider the possible consequences of the witches' appearance. The witches' use of foreshadowing in Act 4 Scene 1 when they say "double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble" shows the witches' evil intentions. The inclusion of the word toil, which means hard work, as well as double and trouble, creates a sense of anticipation in the reader. According to the witches, the trouble and toil will multiply, exposing the sad yet beneficial things that will happen to Macbeth. Furthermore, the usage of exits in Act 1 Scene 3 when the witches depart, makes the viewer wonder if Macbeth would believe them. This is due to Macbeth's quote, "say from whence you owe this strange intelligence, or why Upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greetings? speak I charge you," which conveys the use of high modality that creates suspense among the audience because the witches had stated three prophecies that could change Macbeth's life and his morals. He is first seen as a royal and well-respected soldier but his ambition takes over which results in him becoming ruthless. As a result, Shakespeare employs superstition to interest his audience in his play.

In conclusion, the play Macbeth was full of deception which was appealing to the audience. It is a tragic story that is based on Macbeth getting consumed by his ambition. Shakespeare shows appearance vs reality through the usage of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, and the Three Witches. Ambition is portrayed greatly in the play as it epitomizes Macbeth’s consumption of power. Guilt is manifested throughout the play through Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s actions. The Three Witches were the symbol of corruption in the play which led to the idea of the supernatural world. Lastly, these three themes impacted the audience as they made the audience feel different types of emotions such as excitement and suspense.