Abstract
This paper discusses Shakespeare's use of Macbeth to illustrate the universal theme that a lack of strength of character will lead to one's downfall. Macbeth's actions and the motivations behind them are demonstrated with examples from the story and text.

From the Paper
"Many a great man has fallen prey to greed, ambition and power. Macbeth is no exception. His ambition to control the power of the thrown confuses his judgment. He succumbs first to the prophecies of the three witches and then later, murderously, to his wife's bidding.
Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. Although the play was written in 1600 England, its theme is universal and cares not about time. It is Macbeth's lack of character strength that is his demise.
The reader is introduced to Macbeth by way of description. A "bleeding sergeant" meets the good King Duncan and his son, Malcolm. The sergeant tells a tale of the recent battle in which "brave Macbeth" fought bravely (I.ii.19). At first introduction, Macbeth seems to be the perfect soldier, "carving out his passage" (I.ii.22). Between meeting the witches and his wife's immoral determination, we are left wondering if Macbeth ever really stood a chance against fate. Perhaps had he not started his crime wave, he might not have ended so horribly and would not have become the "tyrannt" everyone calls him by the end of the play."

Tags:ambition, greed, power, Duncan, murder, battle, tyrant

Abstract
This essay discusses how the characterizations of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are enhanced by contrast in the scenes that precede and follow the murder of Duncan in Act 11. Macbeth undergoes a frightening change in his fortune -- a change for which he himself bears at least a partial responsibility. Lady Macbeth is directly involved in this transition.

Tags:macbeth, lady, macbeth

Abstract
"Macbeth", possibly one of Shakespeare's most well-known plays, is most well-known for its striking portrayal of a decorated Scottish general and his wife and their quest for absolute power. This paper focuses on the topic of evil combined with unrestrained ambition in Shakespeare's "Macbeth". It considers possible explanations for Macbeth's murders and analyzes the text to determine why Macbeth turned to evil.

From the Paper
"MacBeth, possibly one of Shakespeare's most well known plays, is most well known for its striking portrayal of a decorated Scottish general and his wife and their quest for absolute power. Shakespeare's shortest tragedy is also known for its study of human nature, namely, the conflict between the forces of good and evil in the human psyche. Like all tragic heroes, Lord MacBeth has a fatal flaw: ambition. This flaw consumes him throughout the course of the play leading to his inevitable downfall at its conclusion. However, MacBeth is not simply Shakespeare's study of ambition; its focus is much more precise. MacBeth is a study of the evil to which ambition leads when unrestrained by morals."

Tags:ambition, evil, macbeth, shakespeare

Abstract
This paper examines how Lady Macbeth and the witches play a vital role in pushing Macbeth to choose the evil path to the crown in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth". It looks at how Lady Macbeth plays the masculine role during the opening scenes of the play and forces her ambitious ways upon Macbeth and how, throughout the play, her famous speeches and soliloquies show the extent of her influence on Macbeth. It also explores how the witches use Macbeth's character flaw to their advantage and entice Macbeth to act on his ambition of obtaining the crown.

From the Paper
"Lady Macbeth is part of the instigation behind the unleashing of Macbeth's evil side. Lady Macbeth's words to her husband as well as her many influential soliloquies show her longing for power and therefore she urges Macbeth to murder Duncan. Macbeth and his wife have a very strong relationship in which they greatly influence one another's actions. In the first two acts it becomes apparent that Lady Macbeth's words mean a great deal to her husband, which gives the impression that she is the dominant figure in the relationship. In Act 1, Scene 5 we find out that as soon as she receives her husband's letter she instantly begins to plot and scheme. We immediately become aware of the fact that she wants Macbeth to become king, so she can become the Queen of Scotland."

Tags:evil, duncan, murder

From the Paper
"Othello has often been termed a "tragic hero," however, that definition might not be the most accurate or useful one to fully understand the implications of this complex Shakespearean hero. Standard dramatic criticism argues that a "tragic hero," is "a good and noble man brought to a bad end because of some flaw in his character that leads him to the wrong course of action." Implied in that definition are four concepts, or templates, against which Othello can be measured: a) good and noble man; b) tragic flaw; c) wrong course of action; and d) bad end..."

Abstract
This paper is a look at how various animal images in the play "Macbeth" such as the owl, serpent, falcon, raven, rhinoceros, etc. contribute to the powerful impression the Bard leaves on his audiences. The author uses quotes from the play to back-up the explanations.

From the Paper
" In William Shakespeare's play MacBeth, Shakespeare uses imagery to help convey the words his characters speak in their dialogs. Throughout this play, animals are used to describe situations for characters. These characters include Lady MacBeth, MacBeth, Lady MacDuff, Ross, and an old man speaking with Ross. Animal imagery is used to illustrate evil, deceit and fearlessness made by characters who are indeed fearful, and paranoid with unnatural events occurring throughout the course of the play."

Tags:animals, imagery, macbeth, shakespeare

Abstract
A discussion of the contributing factors to the demise of one of Shakespeare's most controversial characters. Includes an analysis of Macbeth's character, supernatural forces, and Lady Macbeth.

From the Paper
"Macbeth, arguably one of Shakespeare's bloodiest characters has numerous inherent flaws, the three most apparent being self-doubt, ambition and a tendency to violence. These fatal traits are demonstrated early in the text when the reader first encounters Macbeth on the battlefield, having presumably murdered many of his Norwegian opponents in the name of his country. He is presented as a "brave" General, who is praised and greatly rewarded for his ability at the front. The audience quickly realises that Macbeth is a capable solider with a natural ability in and tendency toward war and violence. His second fatal flaw becomes evident soon after, when Macbeth is confronted by the "weird sisters." His delight and excitement at their prophecies, naming him Cawdor and King is obvious, though the nature of the prophecies themselves at first draw scorn. Once the first has been fulfilled however, and Macbeth is awarded the title Thane of Cawdor for his military efforts, the idea of becoming King is far more tangible and exciting for Macbeth. The audience notes the way it consumes his thoughts when he is distracted from conversation with his fellow Thanes and also that he lies about his thoughts, claiming "nothing" to be the subject of his internal contemplation. This is confirmation for the audience that the suggestion of Kinship is greatly appealing to Macbeth and has an almost instantaneous negative impact upon his character, encouraging him to deceit amongst friends. Macbeth's ambition is a constant theme throughout the play, continuing to develop as he arrives home to plot Duncan's murder with hi wife. His desire for power is soon coupled with an implantation of self-doubt and insecurity, the combined effects of which lead him to continue to kill in order to retain his royal position."

Tags:macbeth, shakespeare, lady, tragic

Abstract
This paper examines how the facades that characters present throughout "Macbeth" are often very contradictory to their true nature and intentions. It attempts to show how the play demonstrates that although appearances can always be deceptive, in the end the truth cannot be concealed.

From the Paper
"Macbeth trusts the witches and they deceive him, leading him to destruction. They appeal to his ambition and pride. 'All hail Macbeth! That shalt b e king hereafter!" With the witches prophecy Macbeth converts to a path of wickedness, murdering the king and becoming increasingly evil. The witches deceive Macbeth with simple truths. Banquo illustrates this theme. "But 't is strange: and oftentimes to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence." When Macbeth is on a harmful path and seeks reassurance the apparition deceives, "The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth." Macbeth is betrayed into feeling out of harm's way. The apparation also prophesises, "Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be, until great birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." This foresight is supposedly correct but misleads Macbeth to further destruction. "

Tags:witches, deceipt, murder, lady

Abstract
A paper which focuses on the psychological aspects of dreams and psychoanalysis in order to make sense of Lady Macbeth's actions. The author of this paper examines how Lady Macbeth turns from a single-minded, ambitious, unforgiving murderer to a guilty, sleepwalking, absent-minded mess. The author delves into instances from the text that suggest what Lady Macbeth was going through at the time and shows how, psychologically, Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis would be suited best to find the reasoning behind Lady Macbeth's metamorphosis.

From the Paper
"In order to make any headway into this subject, an overview of Freud's psychoanalytical theory is needed. Psychoanalysis is a theory that derives on the idea that the unconscious mind is driven by the sexual urges and primal instinct of man (Quigley 2). One of the most significant points in this theory is the idea that our inborn desires are governed by three separate entities designated as the Id, the Ego, and the Superego (Quigley 3). The Id is the part of the unconscious mind that contains the sexual, instinctive urges of man (Quigley 3). The Superego is the unconscious purveyor of the internalized rules of society; better known as the cautious part of the mind (Quigley 3). The Ego, on the other hand, is the medium between the Id and the Superego; the Ego takes the primal urge under advisement, brings the Superego into the equation, and comes to an eventual compromise between the two (Quigley 3)."

Tags:imagery, King, Duncan, sanity, hand, washing

Abstract
"Macbeth", written by William Shakespeare, is the tragic tale of Macbeth, a virtuous man, corrupted by power and greed. This desire leads him to murder the king but also leads him to insecurity. This paper analyzes his uncontrollable ambition and how these desires take control of his actions which lead to his ruin.

From the Paper
"Throughout the play, Macbeth's character grows stronger as Lady Macbeth's will regresses. It even gets to where Macbeth will not include his wife in his villainous schemes, where at one time, it was Lady Macbeth who was implementing these schemes in his head in the first place. In a sense, the two characters switch roles. The turning point for Lady Macbeth is when she learns of her husband's slaying of Macduff's family. She realizes that this is all a result of her greed for power, power that led to the corruption of her husband and allowed her to create a monster out of a once, at least, worthy man. In this state, she turns to sleepwalking, which reveals her guilt. "Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One, two. Why, then "tis time to do't... The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne'er be clean?..." This guilt and paranoia eventually leads to Lady Macbeth's violent death at her own hands."

Tags:villain, murder, king, power, greed, ambition