Macbeth Essay Research Paper In Shakespeare

Macbeth Essay, Research Paper

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, one of the reoccurring themes throughout the

play was “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” This is used to explain that people and

events may seem either good or bad, but after some inspection, turn out to be the

opposite. In my opinion, “Nothing is but what is not,” is similar to “Fair is foul and

foul is fair,” because it is declaring how things are, in fact, what people believe

they are contrary to.

First, throughout the play, many people end up being the opposite of how

their peers actually perceive them. In the play’s opening act, the Thane of

Cawdor is discovered as being a leader of the rebel forces after Duncan had

previously believed in his loyalty. In act one, the same can also be said for

Macbeth. As soon as the witches tell Macbeth of his new title and then foretell

that he will be king, he too begins to turn his once loyal thoughts against the

beloved king. In addition to Macbeth, his wife is also a good example. She is

busily making her castle ready for Duncan’s visit. When he arrives, he gives her

gifts and thanks her for being his host, when she was actually planning his

murder. It is a popular reoccurrence in a number of the Shakespearean plays for

people to appear to be one thing, but on the inside, to be completely different.

Not only does this theme apply to people, but it also applies to different

events during the play as well. There are comments made to how the day is

“Foul and fair.” This simply relates someone’s emotions to the weather. They

could be personally having a terrible day, but the weather outside is simply

gorgeous. The same was said for Macbeth’s castle when Duncan and his

followers arrived for their visit. Duncan himself commented on how nice the

castle appeared. Little did he know that it would be the shelter for his demise.

Next, and possibly the greatest example of “Nothing is but what is not,” is

Macbeth’s will to become the king. He so badly wants to become the king that he

finally takes a man’s life for it, eternally condemning him in the eyes of God.

What Macbeth was not aware of, was that even though he was the most

important man in Scotland, the evil he had caused in Scotland was so great that it

would cause the holy position to be looked at as a curse. Just as people can be

foul and fair, so too can be nonliving things.

One of the reasons that Macbeth is still popular today is because of its

universal themes such as “Nothing is but what is not.” This great theme still

applies to life in the twenty-first century. There are many evil people who are

looked up to, and many lonely or unpleasant jobs or positions that people desire

because they do not see the real substance behind the attractive “gold” covering.

Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses different forms of imagery to add

to the effectiveness of the characters’ actions in the play. Specifically though, I

feel that the supernatural usage of imagery is the most effective form that

Shakespeare used. The supernatural imagery told us a great deal about the

personal troubles that the characters were dealing with.

The first example in the play comes when Macbeth is visited by the bloody

knife in his soliloquy. The fact that the knife had blood on it and the was pointed

toward Macbeth did a great deal in foreshadowing the upcoming events. This

hallucination came at a time when Macbeth was having a rough time deciding

whether or not he would in fact take the life and the throne of Duncan. I feel that

the bloody knife was Macbeth’s will and desire for the throne of Scotland giving

hem the last nudge he needed to push him to become a murderer. The blood on

the knife was of course the soon to be slain Duncan, and the fact that the knife

was right in front of him, easily accessible for him grab, perhaps convinced

Macbeth that the murder conspiracy would, in fact, not be that difficult to perform.

The first supernatural use of imagery served as a catalyst to the upcoming events

that would shape the rest of the play.

In addition to the bloody knife, Banquo’s ghost appearing in the king’s

throne was another great use of imagery. It began to show us the great internal

struggle going on inside of Macbeth. He knew that Banquo was his friend and he

would greatly benefit his cause, but he also felt that he was suspicious of

Macbeth’s involvement in Duncan’s murder. He knew that if Banquo were to rival

Macbeth, it would mean his definite demise. He also was worried about the

witches prediction that Banquo’s descendants would be kings. In order for

Macbeth to stay in power he would have to kill both Banquo and Fleance. In my

opinion, Macbeth felt so guilty for killing his friend that the hallucination of his

ghost was his conscience’s was of getting even with him. At this point in the play,

imagery was used show the repercussions caused

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