Curiosity Killed the Cat
Shane Martin
The Death of Macbeth Due to Macbeth
The cause of Macbeth's downfall was due to Macbeth himself. More specifically his own mind. The beginning of Macbeth's downfall begins when Macbeth first encounters the witches on the foul and fair day. Macbeth was walking with Banquo when the duo encountered three witches. When the three witches begin prophesying the futures of Macbeth and Banquo, Macbeth considers the witches prophecies saying, "Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more" (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 3) . Macbeth asking for more information is about the prophecy is the first mistake leading to the downfall of Macbeth. If Macbeth would have taken Banquo's approach and used better judgment to decide the witches were trying to trick Macbeth into doing something bad Macbeth never would have killed Duncan and Macbeth never would be killed by Macduff. The second mistake by Macbeth is taking it upon himself to force the witches prophecies to become true. When Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor and he believes that the witches only spoke the truth; Macbeth decides to help himself along to the throne and kill King Duncan. Macbeth is ready to kill and exclaims that, "I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat" (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 7). It is starting to become evident that Macbeth's mind is slipping reality. In the final act that kills Macbeth, Macbeth has lost his mind so badly that he starts reasoning that what the witches say about him being invincible is true. Macbeth does not think that any Earthly force can kill or harm him. He even tells his eventual killer that, "I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield To one of woman born" (Shakespeare Act 5, Scene 8). Macbeth's mind was obviously completely lost, for no reasonable human would use a witches word for way to reason with reality. In conclusion Macbeth's mind was the complete and total reason for the untimely death and downfall.
Gladiator - Trailer
Gladiator
In the movie "Gladiator" the crazy Roman emperor Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, believes himself to be all powerful and will kill anyone who stands in the way of his power. Even his own father. When a general in the Roman army begins to gain power Commodus plans to have the man executed, but he flees when he was supposed to be killed and later becomes a gladiator. Commodus eventually goes mad crazy and in his craze and steps into the arena with the gladiator and gets killed. Macbeth was much the same. Macbeth went so far to have his opponents killed that in the end it drove him to the point where he died in battle fighting an opponent. Neither Commodus or Macbeth thought that anybody could kill them so they went into their final fight underestimating their opponents.
This piece of artwork symbolizes Macbeth leading to his own destruction, because Macbeth brought so much death and bloodshed to Scotland killing innocents that Macbeth believed would try to overthrow him or find out that Macbeth killed Duncan. In the days before Macbeth was to be killed in a glorious battle with Macduff, England was invading Scotland to overthrow the terrible Macbeth. This piece of beautiful Middle Aged artwork also symbolizes a war scene that was present at the time of Macbeth's overthrow. All of the bloodshed brought by Macbeth's wrongful ambition and paranoia is shown by this artwork.
Literary Devices
In the Shakespeare work, Macbeth, the play starts with the murder of King Duncan. This represents tragedy for Duncan was a beloved character who Macbeth killed. It is known that Duncan was beloved because after the news of death is told Macduff cries, "O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee! (Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 3). Duncan's son was completely shattered by his fathers death.
Irony is at use in the play as well, for when Macbeth has Banquo killed, Macbeth says that, "I wish your horses swift and sure of foot, And so I do commend you to their backs. Farewell" (Shakespeare Act 3 Scene 1). Macbeth doesn't really want Banquo back safely. Really Macbeth doesn't ever want to see Banquo alive again.
Lastly in this play is analogy. The analogy is shown when the witches recite, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair Hover through the fog and filthy air" (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 1). This analogy means that you get what you deserve and deserve what you get. The witches did not place any bad doings in Macbeth. The witches only fueled what was already there. Therefore Macbeth got what he was already deserving of.