There is an obsession with mortality because at that time, and still today, death intrigues people to watch. ... Two sinister sets of prophecies and six peculiar predictions that lead into a bloody battle of life and death. ... If a man were porter of hell-gate/ he should have old turning key " ( II.iii.1-2).The drunk porter compares Macbeth's castle to hell, which is ironic because only Macbeth and Lady Macbeth know about the darkness and sin of King Duncan's death so far. ... Not only is it dark the next day, but everyone else, especially Lady Macbeth, feels the darkness and sorrow...

• Word Count: 1978
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Ultimately, light and darkness represent good and evil.  ... Light and darkness are also used to illustrate life and death. ... Lastly, Macbeth responds to the news of Lady Macbeth's suicide by proclaiming "out, out brief candle" (5.5.3), using the candle's flame as a metaphor for her short life and sudden death. ... Darkness is evidently used much more than light, and when light is mentioned, it is usually snuffed out or overtaken by darkness. ... Metaphorically, the hour will be dark because that's when they will meet the final darkness of death. ...

• Word Count: 1376
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

It is used to demonstrate the darkness in a tragedy. ... The darkness symbolizes many things. First, it stands for the death and evil in the play. ... A " constant idea in the play arises out of the symbolism that light stands for life, virtue, goodness; and darkness for evil and death. angels are bright ; the withes are secret, black and midnight hags; and, as Dowden says, the moment of the whole play might be summed up in the words, "good things of day being to droop and drowse""(Van Doren, 330). ... No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red"(I...

• Word Count: 1850
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The sunset symbolized his death or him being overthrown. ... This imagery of light and dark continues throughout the play. ... The owl is a bellman because, according to superstition, the hoot of the owl predicts death. ... An atmosphere of death is symbolized by the behavior of the animals of the night. ... The raven, a symbol of death, announces the arrival of death for Macbeth with a voice hoarser than usually would be. ...

• Word Count: 1290
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The atmosphere of the play has a feeling of darkness and despare; however, it also presents souls of good nature. ... The setting and atmosphere in Macbeth gives off an aura of evil and death. ... The witches also play a large role in tempting Macbeth down the path of darkness. ... A good example is his reaction to Lady Macbeth's death, "Macbeth's reaction to Lady Macbeth's death is the wretched cry of a man so used to evil that he has lost his emotional reflexes" (392 Boyce). ... When Macduff fled Scotland he realized that "only with Macbeth's defeat and death can hone...

• Word Count: 1772
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

" Harvey Dent spoke these words in the 2008 adaptation of Batman: The Dark Knight. ... Furthermore, the darkness within her is brought forth by her inner desire for power leading to her suicide. As a mere shadow of the man he once was, Macbeth reacts apathetically to the news of his wife's death. ... Macbeth is now a tyrant who has become completely numb to death. He sees himself as playing a powerful role that will only end in death. ...

• Word Count: 1338
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The witches, like in most other situations, are used to symolise "the intruments of darkness" and evil spirits. ... While the witches appeal to Macbeth's dark side, Banquo is set as a contrast to the dark Macbeth. ... This can be seen in the way Macbeth and Macduff take in the death of their most beloved. ... He does not "yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet, (Act five, Scene 8, line 32), even if it means death. ... Throughout the play, the witches appeal and bring out Macbeth's dark sid...

• Word Count: 1847
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Macbeth uses imagery of darkness to show that good prevails over evil. ... Darkness symbolizes evil as opposed to light symbolizing good. ... Darkness and evil go away once peace is restored in the kingdom. ... Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to achieve what their hearts desire, but in reality they only gain torment and death. ... He defies the laws of the gods and is punished by with the death of his wife and son. ...

• Word Count: 2016
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Being totally rash, Lady Macbeth summons the evil as if she can undermine the power of darkness to her advantage. ... She embraces the darkness and welcomes it. ... This behavior is an indeed pathetic attempt to try and fend off the real, evil darkness with a man-made light. ... The darkness had stripped her of her "mask," and she is now engulfed in agony and sorrow. ... Just before Lady Macbeth's death, she blurts out, in the company of two strangers, that "all the perfume/of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" (V-i, 48-49). ...

• Word Count: 2456
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

He does not know Macdonwald who has been sentenced to death for betraying his country. ... After the death of Duncan, in Act III, Scene IV, Lady Macbeth once again undermines his masculinity by saying; 'Are you a man?' ... After the death of Duncan, Macbeth became more independent. In his planning of the death of Banquo and Fleance he did not tell his wife anything about it. ... In Shakespearean times it have been said that he was the victim of the powers of darkness such when Lady Macbeth thought up the powers of evil and pr...

• Word Count: 2124
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

As a result of Macbeth's fathers death he became Thane of Glamis and Duncan, King of Scotland, proclaimed Malcolm, his son, as Prince of Cumberland and therefore his successor. ... That will make his friends turn on him and, ultimately, lead to his death (Clifford 593). ... Macbeth now after this hideous action is more dominant, and seems to rely more on darkness and evil than his wife, as he no longer tells her about his plans ("Play Synopsis"). ... Even at the death of the wife who had been his strength and strong partner and leader to the death of Duncan and his ambition, Macbeth only ...

• Word Count: 1355
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

A change in character is highlighted in Macbeth, with his reaction to his wife's death. ... We as human beings,realize that death will one day overtake us and that we have no possible way to avoid this. ... The fact that in pure darkness of a single flicker can be obviously seen. ... Macbeth firmly believes that there is no hope for anyone because we are all sinners and will live in eternal darkness, (hell). ...

• Word Count: 1477
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography

He is appreciative of Duncan's good qualities, and feels that everyone will mourn his death and really he has no justification apart from his ambition for killing him. ... I think It is ironic that she questions his manliness as if that is what is required to give him strength to commit evil; yet in order for her to do the same, she pleaded with the powers of darkness to unsex her right at the beginning of the play. ... Having relied so much on the powers of darkness to hide her previous actions, she is now no longer able to sleep without a light burning. When Macbeth hears ...

• Word Count: 1639
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

When the reader is first introduced to Lady Macbeth she is already planning the death of King Duncan. ... She then goes on to plot the death of the King, then realizing that Macbeth would not go through with the plan unless she pushes him to do it, "Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o" th" milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. ... Meanwhile at the castle, Lady Macbeth was caught sleepwalking by the gentlewoman and she also noticed that Lady Macbeth could not be in a dark room without a candle lit. ... Her guilt that she thought was washed away with water was her death. ... H...

• Word Count: 1285
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The BBC used red and yellows which I thought showed royalty where as the RSC was all dark with barely any colour, at first you would think it was black and white. I think that they did this to show the seriousness of the play and to represent the deaths in the play. ... I prefered this compared to the dark colours in the RSC. ...

• Word Count: 1255
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

In his hallucination he ponders over a dagger, his murder weapon for King Duncan's eventual death. ... Snape was forced to murder Dumbledore, by Dumbledore in order to prove his fake-allegiance to the Death Eaters. ... Snape on the other hand, did not have the luxury of mourning Dumbledore's death. ... Dumbledore knew this and instructed Snape beforehand to kill him, thus proving to the Dark Lord that he is truly one of them. ... Macbeth could not relate to this because he was able to enjoy the King's death due to his subsequent earning of greater power. ...

• Word Count: 1418
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

However, when Macbeth comes upon three witches who give him a prophecy that predicts his future ruling over Scotland, Macbeth's dark thoughts and ambitions replaces his moral character. ... As a result of the prophecy, Macbeth develops dark thoughts after hearing King Duncan declare his son, Malcolm, as the heir to the throne. ... " (III,iv, 54-55) Although nobody else can see Banquo's ghost, Macbeth is furious and cries that he can not be blamed for his best friend's death, proving that Macbeth's mental state is far from stable and he is now suffering the repercussio...

• Word Count: 1455
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

It was completely his fault and because of his dark and evil intentions being so full of greed and power, he has now messed up his life along with friends he used to love, treasure, and cherish. ... The witches, out of pure evil and darkness, had told Macbeth that he would be Thane and that Banquo's children would also be Thane some day. ... Macbeth had his reasons for not telling Lady Macbeth about the preparation for Banquo's death but the fear of Lady Macbeth tarnishing the whole plan was his biggest yet. ...

• Word Count: 1443
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

"Lady Macbeth is a powerful and dramatic character, but her death at the end of the play is no surprise to the audience." ... To her, the death of Duncan is the only thing that must be done, and then the couple will lead a life of luxury. ... This behavior is an attempt to try and fend off evil, the darkness, by a man-made light. ... Thus, her death is no surprise. ...

• Word Count: 1636
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

As is only expected in traditional tragedy, Shakespeare's dark tale Macbeth, concludes with a righteous character, Malcolm, the heir to the Throne of Scotland, commenting on what has passed. ... The witches themselves are rebuked by their leader Hecate for their 'saucy and overbold' actions of daring to 'trade and traffic with Macbeth in riddles and affairs of death'. ... More pointedly, though, when he determines that 'the very firstlings of [his] heart shall be the firstlings of [his] hand', he sends others to complete the dirty deeds of killing Banquo...

• Word Count: 1419
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Shakespeare Coursework Macbeth Essay Task: By careful study of the play decide, in committing Duncan's murder how far Macbeth is driven by his own ambition; how far he is dominated by his wife's; and how far he is influenced by the witches. The play Macbeth gives the audience plenty of oppor...

• Word Count: 1681
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory an outrage sacred to the gods! ... She still retains her courage against Creon's death penalty and her confidence that serving the dead was more important than serving the living. ... I will suffer nothing as great as death without glory.... Consequently, Lady Macbeth must disseminate her sinister, dark qualities to Macbeth. ... By rendering Creon's most powerful judgment on her-death-useless to rid her of her will and glory, Antigone has succeeded in resisting against Creon's authority. ...

• Word Count: 1748
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The owl is often associated with death. ... She does this when she calls upon the spirits of darkness to rid her of her natural womanliness and to instead "make thick" her blood and to fill her "direst cruelty". ...

• Word Count: 1620
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

"Lady Macbeth is the embodiment of evil and we are not meant to feel any sympathy for her."" Discuss this statement with reference to the play. The play "Macbeth" was written by William Shakespeare in the Jacobean era. Judging by the plays themes of Scottish monarchy, loyalty to the crown and...

• Word Count: 2244
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

Macbeth is very ambitious, courageous, and a moral coward: all these things lead to his tragic death at the end of the play. ... These demons in the guise of witches cannot read his inmost thoughts, but from observation of facial expression and other bodily manifestations they surmise with comparative accuracy what passions drive him and what dark desires await their fostering. ...

• Word Count: 2254
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate