Verified Document

Macbeth's Desire For Kingship: Conclusion Conclusion

There is no singular discourse that unites all of the characters of the play: rather the witches, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth all share in a particular way of rendering language which begins with the witches' incantation at the beginning of the text and follows through to end of the play. Macbeth receives their language, passes it on to Lady Macbeth in the form of a letter, who then reconfigures it in a persuasive manner to lure Macbeth to kill. The seductive notion that their prophesies can be 'true' causes Macbeth to believe the witches, to trust Lady Macbeth's words, and his character is literally eaten alive and possessed by their words until he is a shell of a man. Banquo, in contrast, merely hears the witches' language, but never adopts their method of speech, and no character 'mirrors' his words as Lady Macbeth's does Macbeth's nor affects...

His inability to assume the witches' language means his actions are unaffected by their words throughout the play.
Macbeth's free will in obeying the witches is only questionable in the sense that our ability to acquire language is an act of free will: the acquisition of language is natural and inevitable, but how we interpret that language and choose to use it does involve some human volition. Through a Lacanian understanding of the play, it is possible to see Macbeth's crime both as chosen consciously, as he chooses to accept the witches' language to characterize the future, even though once he enters into their discursive framework, it becomes increasingly impossible for him to see the world outside of its sing-song terms of violence, destruction, and false promises of safety.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Macbeth Is Noted by Many
Words: 1661 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Thus he sought to kill both Banquo and his son Fleance in order to further decrease the chances of a later betrayal. His actions appear irrational on a surface level, but due to his avid focus on independence he would not seek counsel from Lady Macbeth, someone who is much more subtle and knowledgeable about internal politics and political intrigue. Macbeth's near irrational paranoia finally alienates him not only

Macbeth the Development and Availability
Words: 1399 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

/ He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear / His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear. / And you all know security / Is mortals' chiefest enemy." (Act III, Scene 5). True to the prophesy of the above words, Macbeth destroys both his security and power by succumbing to the illusion of security. The appearance of extreme wealth and power blinds him to the true danger around him and

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now