INSTITUTO PATAGONICO DEL PROFESORADO DE INGLES Nro.

1802
Leandro Alem 437 - TE 4425676 - Trelew Chubut. República Argentina.

Estudio Literario y Cultural en Lengua Inglesa I

Macbeth: Essay writing

Essay question:

Both ambition and the supernatural are equally important themes for the
development of Macbeth. Do you agree?

Write your essay in about 600 words.

You must include significant quotations from the play to support your claims.

Word processing details

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Estudio Literario y Cultural en Lengua Inglesa I – Lic. Alejandro De Angelis

 INSTITUTO PATAGONICO DEL PROFESORADO DE INGLES Nro. 1802
Leandro Alem 437 - TE 4425676 - Trelew Chubut. República Argentina.

Both ambition and the supernatural are equally important themes for the
development of Macbeth. Do you agree?

Throughout the play, Shakespeare made a point of bringing out the supernatural to
Macbeth's life in the very first scene of the play. Consequently, the supernatural and
ambition becomes central themes both in the play and in the character's life, which leads
him to commit the acts that somehow guide him to his own end. Both themes are present
during the play in certain scenes, some of them more direct than others, but in equal
measure, both themes are related to Macbeth's life.

Firstly, when the three witches dictate the prophecies in scene three, Macbeth becomes
more ambitious. The Witches’ second prophecy said “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane
of Cawdor” (p.6), but Macbeth does not know that the actual Thane of Cawdor was
sentence to death, and now it is his title. When he receives the news from Angus, Macbeth
claims “The greatest is behind”(p.9) referring to the two prophecies that were true, and now
the third prophecy “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter”(p.6) must be completed
too, the only controversy is that the actual king Duncan lives, and to possess the throne, he
starts thinking of killing the king. He believes The Witches every time they appear and
even bases his actions on their prophecies. It could be said then, that they planted a seed in
Macbeth. However, it is important to note that without Lady Macbeth, his wife, it is not
known for sure if the main character alone could have carried out the crimes he committed.
His wife is the major influence for him to feel more determined and kill the two guards and
King Duncan in first place. The moment in which Macbeth orders the murderers to kill
Banquo and his son Fleance, and the unnecessary murder of Lady Macduff and her
children, are the clearest examples of Macbeth losing control over his ambition. To some
extent, he is left alone, being recognized as a tyrant whose ambition drove him away from
his affections as his wife or Banquo, whose different sense of ambition from the beginning
was focused on the desire for his children to be kings, as the prophesy suggested.

Estudio Literario y Cultural en Lengua Inglesa I – Lic. Alejandro De Angelis

 INSTITUTO PATAGONICO DEL PROFESORADO DE INGLES Nro. 1802
Leandro Alem 437 - TE 4425676 - Trelew Chubut. República Argentina.

Secondly, Act 1 Scene 3 is a vital and key scene in terms of the supernatural. On one hand
because of the prophecies that cursed Macbeth during the play, but, on the other hand,
because The Witches are one of the largest supernatural influences in the play as well as a
floating dagger- “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?
Come ley me clutch thee” (p.24),” A dagger of the mind, a false creation...” (p.24) which
takes him to King Duncan's deathbed. Moreover, Banquo’s ghost, whose appearance during
Macbeth's banquet in celebration of the throne as a manifestation of fear, guilt and mental
instability for the crimes committed, tormented his mind and soul. The most important
points of the supernatural can be seen, as well as the fact that Banquo refers to the three
witches as "Instruments of Darkness"(p.9), which is a marker of the symbolism that
Shakespeare included in the play so as to portray evil. Although he dislikes their existence,
he needs them to guide and provide him with knowledge, which leads him to his ultimate
passing.

In conclusion, the use of both themes in Macbeth has been equally used by Shakespeare to
narrate the process of development of the story and therefore to show pure darkness within
the play - the uncontrollable ambition that devours Macbeth and turns him into a murderer,
which goes along with the supernatural forces which torture his conscience and soul until
the day he dies. For this reason, I believe that both are vital to the play and it certainly
accounts for a memorable and shocking writing of the time.

Estudio Literario y Cultural en Lengua Inglesa I – Lic. Alejandro De Angelis