Witch-Slapped (#1)
By Elena Rehberg
People who are not evil take the first step towards evil because of a desire for power and wealth. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth undergoes many changes in his character when evil taunts him. After the three witches reveal his fate in a prophecy stating he will be king, he falls into the hands of evil as he slowly ensures the prophecy comes true.
Macbeth took his first step towards evil when he began to desire power and the wealth that came with it, and murdered King Duncan so he could become king, even though Duncan's son, Malcolm, still stood in his way. This is foreshadowed in Act 2 Scene 3 when the Porter speaks of going "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" (Shakespeare 61). When Shakespeare says this through the Porter's comedic character, it's seemingly meant to be a relief from the plot, but instead he uses this dialogue to inform the audience of something important, which later becomes King Duncan's death. Macbeth took his step toward the "everlasting bonfire" as he developed a desire to fulfill the prophecy in order to gain power and wealth.
As Macbeth takes his first step towards evil, as the Porter had suggested he would, he begins losing his mind, which is ultimately the universe's consequence for actions he's taken. In Act 3 Scene 2, Macbeth is speaking to his wife, Lady Macbeth, and says to her, "O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife" (Shakespeare 93), which shows Macbeth has come to regret killing King Duncan and other recent evil acts that have overcome him. This is a result of the prophecy taking over Macbeth's life as he's allowed it to. The consequence for Macbeth is guilt to the point of losing his sanity when he thinks he sees Banquo's ghost after he has him murdered. The audience begins to question his mental stability when he proclaims, "It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood" (Shakespeare 109). When he says that blood will have blood, we know he understands the ramifications of what he's done, but the prophecy has much more in store.
Hey!! I liked your analysis of the literary devices that were included when you talked about Macbeth's steps to evil- i.e. the foreshadowing. I also liked how you developed the idea that Macbeth is sorta too far gone after he has killed King Duncan, he erupts into a man that is so power hungry he is murdering anyone that may be in his way. Overall, I thought this was a very well written post and it was super easy to follow along and comprehend what you were saying!! :)
ReplyDeleteTo start, it would have been beneficial to your post if you included the question in the beginning . I did however, liked your analysis of the literary devices. I loved how you included the foreshadowing seen. Also, how you commented on Shakespeare point in including the porter, to add to the authors purpose. Also, I liked your take on what starts to make someone evil. These two reasons were easily supported through Macbeth's character. I do wish you would have included context within your post to further your argument. If this were a paper 2, the context would help in guiding your analysis. Overall, this was a really good blog post because it was easy to understand and it had some good analysis.
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ReplyDeleteHey Elena !!
ReplyDeleteYour response is very well structured which makes it easy to follow and fun to read. I don't think you lose anything from omitting the question because you restate it in your answer right of the bat. I like how you analyzed the Porter because many overlook his vital role. Your quotation is effective because it directly supports your point and your analysis fits. One contradicting argument I would make is that you should not limit the 'everlasting bonfire' to only King Duncan's death because I think it represents Macbeth's general downfall. Your point about Macbeth being too far gone after killing Duncan in spot-on and I find that you again use super great writing powers.
You're the best <3
E i love you
DeleteGood blog post and good analysis! I agree that Macbeth starts to be "evil" when he decides to murder Duncan. Macbeth even considered it the point of no return. Also, I liked the quote that you used for the foreshadowing example. It really encapsulates that the play has only started and that there is more to come. I also liked how you explained how Macbeths mentality was slowly deteriorating showing how he was losing his mind from guilt. Good Job!
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