The updated and remade film versions of Macbeth (also known as The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Macbeth (BBC’s Shakespeare’s Retold Series) tell us that people still enjoy watching the issues in Macbeth. And the various schools of thought Psychoanalytical, Feminist, and Marxism tell us that people still care about Macbeth as they argue about the issues. Shakespeare writes about themes that are still relevant today because his theme of vaulting and corrupting ambition is seen so often in the media and politics.
In Macbeth this theme is seen when Macbeth’s ambition to become king leads him to mercilessly kill Duncan. Macbeth was typically of good nature, but his ambition led him to do evil deeds and eventually to his downfall. A recent example in modern politics is Peter Costello. In 2006 Peter Costello leaked information that John Howard would be retiring soon and would hand the prime ministership to him. But John Howard replied by saying to the Australian public that he is not planning to retire and is not going to hand over the prime ministership to Peter. Peter was then shamed by the media.
Peter Costello’s over ambition to become prime minister led him to his downfall. In the play the line “I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself” (Act 1, Scene 4), shows us that this theme was one that Shakespeare wished to communicate with his audience. Therefore through the theme of vaulting ambition it can be seen that Shakespeare is still significant to people in modern day times. Shakespeare writes about themes that are still relevant because his theme of a reliance on superstition is still present in today’s society.
The Essay on Macbeth – Blind Ambition
Q. The play Macbeth explores the dangers associated with blind ambition. Discuss. William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is primarily concerned with exploring the dangers associated with blind ambition. Shakespeare presents the audience with a character faced with clear moral choices and who is led down a path towards destruction because of his tragic character flaw, his overarching ambition. We can ...
In Macbeth the theme of superstition appears right at the beginning with the witches’ predictions and carries through the play with more witch predictions. In the play it is seen that Macbeth starts believing in the witches’ predictions and his destined fate. He soon forms a reliance on the witches’ predictions and seeks them out for more prophesies. In today’s society we see that now more than ever do people want to know about their future, with the businesses of taro reading, psychics and astrology booming. There are also many television programs and movies like Charmed and Harry Potter, whose main theme is superstition.
In the play the line “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill/Shall come against him” (Act 4, Scene 1), shows us that this theme was one that Shakespeare wished to communicate with his audience. Therefore through the theme of superstition it can be seen that Shakespeare is still significant to people in modern day times. Shakespeare writes about themes that are still relevant because his theme of gender is still seen in modern societies. In Macbeth gender is explored when Lady Macbeth questions her husband’s manhood in order to persuade him to kill Duncan.
She says that if he can kill in war, he can kill now. Lady Macbeth also wishes that she could be unsexed. In modern societies we see that many people question their own gender and wish that they too could be of a different sex. There are many transsexuals in society who are slowly becoming accepted. An example of a transsexual who appeared on many television programs is Miriam. In the play the line “Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here” (Act 1, Scene 4), shows us that this theme was one that Shakespeare wished to communicate with his audience.
Therefore through the theme of gender it can be seen that Shakespeare is still significant to people in modern day times. Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant today because people are modernising them and making updated film versions including: Macbeth (also known as The Tragedy of Macbeth) 1971, directed by Roman Polanski and Macbeth (BBC’s Shakespeare Retold Series) 2005, written by Peter Moffat. This shows us that Shakespeare’s play are still relevant to modern audiences because they are using the same issues that are in Macbeth but are using modern day techniques.
The Term Paper on Macbeth Play Act Duncan
... plot for Macbeth. People around that time were not very fond of witches. The fact that Shakespeare added witches in the play brought attention ... modern viewer can use Macbeth as a guide to imagery and archetypes. Imagery is what developed the plot of Macbeth and its theme. From Macbeth, ...
Like in The Tragedy of Macbeth soliloquies were performed differently than how they would have been in the play. In the movie all the characters, except the one saying the soliloquy freeze, and the character saying the soliloquy walks around while their voice is projected overhead, while in the play characters would be on stage by themselves and would say their soliloquy. Therefore through the updated versions it can be seen that Shakespeare is still significant to people in modern day times.
Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant today because the various schools of thought still argue about Macbeth. In the Psychoanalytical school of thought they believe that through examining the repressed emotion and unconscious state of the two main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, they are able to see their motives for their actions. They believe that Lady Macbeth is extremely isolated and suffers from a mental dissociation. They believe that because of these factors she is completely focused on her husband’s glory and that is why she persuaded him to kill Duncan because his glory is her glory.
Psychoanalytical critics believe that Macbeth always had the unconscious wish to become king and when the witches’ prophesised about him becoming king, it encouraged his unconscious wish and that is why he killed Duncan. In the Feminist criticism they believe that the play gives disturbed images of males and females. They believe that Lady Macbeth is portrayed as the driving force behind Macbeth’s cruel murder. Feminists see that Macbeth did the killing not Lady Macbeth and she just cleaned up. Feminists also believe that there are stereotypes assigned to male and female roles in the play.
They believe that female behaviour is powerless and Lady Macbeth’s wish to be unsexed supports this because she has to sacrifice her womanliness to gain any power. Males on the other hand possess all the power in the play. Feminist believe that these roles reflect the society in which Shakespeare lived. In the Marxist thinking the belief is that the play gives an idealistic picture that if you try and challenge the law and the way things are you will be punished. Marxists also believe that Macbeth should not be used in schools because it gives the impression that change is undesirable and unlikely to succeed.
The Research paper on Lady Macbeth Shakespeare Play King
Macbeth Literary Analysis Krystal Macbeth Literary Analysis Essay, Research Paper Krystal Abbott Pat Patterson English IV Friday, December 03, 1999 Macbeth In Shakespeare? s lifetime he wrote many plays. Many of them were critically acclaimed and others cast aside. The crowd always wanted to be more thoroughly entertained and Shakespeare always tried to keep up with the people? s needs. In 1605, ...
Therefore through the different criticisms it can be seen that Shakespeare is still significant to people in modern day times because what Shakespeare had to say about human nature still applies today as people still argue about the characters, ideas and motives. In conclusion we can now see that Shakespeare writes about issues that are still relevant through his universal themes of vaulting and corrupting ambition, superstition and gender, through the updated film versions of The Tragedy of Macbeth and BBC’s Shakespeare Retold Series and through the different criticisms of psychoanalytical, feminist and Marxist.
Through Shakespeare’s universal themes we can now see how they are still intense issues in today’s society and how there are many modern examples. Through the updated film versions we see that people even now enjoy watching the ideas and issues in Macbeth. And through the different criticisms we see how people still argue about their different points of view about the characters and motives. Ashika English 10. 1 Bibliography -Notes in class -Google
