Character Analysis: Macbeth
Macbeth is a man with many characteristics. He eventually lets the dark in him take over, but he still retains his same qualities: Brave, violent, ambitious, loyal. The first time we hear of Macbeth is in the very beginning of the book, before we actually meet him. We learn that he has just savagely won in battle against an army for the king. This shows almost all his qualities in the second scene of the book. It shows that he is brave for going into battle against an army, though there is a great change he will loose. It shows that he is violent because he fought so much and because after he won, beheaded his enemy and put his head on a stick. This scene shows that he is loyal because he fought the war for his king, at the time not planning to kill him. Though these attributes get him far at first, Macbeth also has self-doubt and a guilty conscious which he battles with throughout the play. There are many examples of guilt in the book (read on in the blog). One example of self-doubt is that he lets his wife convince him to kill people to get ahead. He feels he needs to prove his manliness to her, which shows his self-doubt. Another example is when he believes that he wont be able to kill Duncan, and then not being able to clean up his blood. Macbeth is one of the few main characters in books who is considered evil, and he is a wonderful example.
Current Event: Lance Armstrong
For my current event, I chose Lance Armstrong and his doping confession. After his many wins in his races and denying time and time again that he doped, Lance Armstrong confessed during an interview that he doped for his races. Though he did dope, he felt remorseful about it about it and broke down crying when he had to talk about telling his children the truth. This is related to Macbeth because Macbeth also did something that, at the time, seemed like a good idea that wouldn’t go wrong. They both denied what they did, and were eventually found out, but the difference is that Armstrong admitted to what he did and openly felt bad about it, whereas Macbeth pushed his guilt back and continued to enjoy his life as a king, even though he did not deserve it. Another difference is how the public reacted to what they did. Armstrong still had people who liked and respected him, but also lost a lot of followers. Macbeth had his head cut off and mounted to a stick. As you can see, there is a big difference in the public’s reaction but they are related none-the-less.
OUT, DAMN'D SPOT! OUT, I SAY!
Out of the many quotes about guilt from Macbeth perhaps the most famous one is as follows:
"Out, damned spot! out, I say!"
This quote was said by Lady Macbeth while she is talking with a doctor. Lady Macbeth is consumed with guilt after the four deaths she was responsible for and the blood which she sees on her hands (the spot) is just an illusion. The fact that she can't remove the spot is symbolism for the fact that she can't rid her mind of what she has done and the guilt she feels because of it.
Act 5, Scene 1
"Out, damned spot! out, I say!"
This quote was said by Lady Macbeth while she is talking with a doctor. Lady Macbeth is consumed with guilt after the four deaths she was responsible for and the blood which she sees on her hands (the spot) is just an illusion. The fact that she can't remove the spot is symbolism for the fact that she can't rid her mind of what she has done and the guilt she feels because of it.
Act 5, Scene 1
I AM IN BLOOD.
"I am in blood
Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more , Returning were as tedious as go o’er.?
In basic English, this quote means that Macbeth has too much blood on his hands and he cannot take back what he did. Macbeth is feeling regret and guilt about what he did; he feels like he is surrounded by blood and cannot get the deaths which he caused out of his mind. Whenever someone feels guilt in this play, it manifests itself in another way (ex. seeing a dagger, ghost, spot). Though Macbeth doesn't actually believe that he is covered in blood, it is another example of Shakespeare using imagery to capture the reader.
Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more , Returning were as tedious as go o’er.?
In basic English, this quote means that Macbeth has too much blood on his hands and he cannot take back what he did. Macbeth is feeling regret and guilt about what he did; he feels like he is surrounded by blood and cannot get the deaths which he caused out of his mind. Whenever someone feels guilt in this play, it manifests itself in another way (ex. seeing a dagger, ghost, spot). Though Macbeth doesn't actually believe that he is covered in blood, it is another example of Shakespeare using imagery to capture the reader.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Brumfield, Ben. "Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey full video interview: Watch Armstrong admit to Oprah that he 'doped.'" News Channel 5. WPTV, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. <http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/lance-armstrong-oprah-winfrey-full-video-interview-watch-armstrong-admit-to-oprah-that-he-doped>. Authority - The author of this post works for CNN and the webite is reliable becasue it is a truted news website.
Currency - Lance Armstrong went on Oprah in early January and admitted to doping. This is a topic that many people know and care about, and it happened fairly recently, which is why I think that is Current and relevant.
Objectivity - I think that the post that covered this is fairly un-biased. The Oprah interview showed both sides of the story. Though Oprah leads her questions one way, Lance can still answer with his side.
Relevance - I think this topic is relevant to the guilt in Macbeth because Lance feels the same guilt and regret about doping that Macbeth does about killing Duncan and Banquo.
Brumfield, Ben. "Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey full video interview: Watch Armstrong admit to Oprah that he 'doped.'" News Channel 5. WPTV, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. <http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/lance-armstrong-oprah-winfrey-full-video-interview-watch-armstrong-admit-to-oprah-that-he-doped>. Authority - The author of this post works for CNN and the webite is reliable becasue it is a truted news website.
Currency - Lance Armstrong went on Oprah in early January and admitted to doping. This is a topic that many people know and care about, and it happened fairly recently, which is why I think that is Current and relevant.
Objectivity - I think that the post that covered this is fairly un-biased. The Oprah interview showed both sides of the story. Though Oprah leads her questions one way, Lance can still answer with his side.
Relevance - I think this topic is relevant to the guilt in Macbeth because Lance feels the same guilt and regret about doping that Macbeth does about killing Duncan and Banquo.