Macbeth Paragraph - Ambition Fatal Flaw

What evidence does Act One provide to support the claim that ambition is Macbeth’s fatal flaw?

Ambition is Macbeth’s fatal flaw as he is powerful but gentle, not good at deceiving others and moves with ambition which makes people rush ahead of themselves toward disaster.

After Lady Macbeth reads the letter from Macbeth, she says “milk of human kindness” regarding Macbeth. This is one of Macbeth’s flaws as he is ambitious but too gentle. The technique used is a paradox which shows that even Macbeth himself has two opposite qualities which betray him throughout the play. This also relates to how Macbeth wants to do everything as a good man which involves not cheating but on the other hand wants what isn’t his.

While Lady Macbeth is sharing her plan to kill King Duncan, she notifies Macbeth saying “Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters.” She is telling Macbeth that he can’t deceive others as people can read him like a book. The technique used is a Metaphor which is applied to Macbeth as he is compared to a book. This gives an example of how easy Macbeth is to decipher.

Macbeth’s soliloquy before the murder of King Duncan also shows how ambition is one his fatal flaws. Macbeth says “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other.” Macbeth admits that he moves and acts with ambition which makes people rush ahead of themselves towards disaster. Macbeth is saying that ambition leads to fatal disasters emphasising that ambition is a fatal flaw of all people.

Overall, ambition is Macbeth’s fatal flaw as he is too gentle wanting to be a good man, is easy to interpret and undeceivable and makes rushed actions leading to disasters.

Macbeth Essay - Heroes

“Macbeth is a play without a hero.” Discuss.                                                                              

A hero is a person who is admired for courage or noble qualities. Shakespeare’s Macbeth does not essentially have a “hero”, but instead a “tragic hero”, which is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. Many factors contribute to Macbeth’s description as a tragic hero. He is a victim of inevitable fate; his judgment is influenced and manipulated by Lady Macbeth, and his ambition drives his desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character degenerates from a noble man to violent individual.

Macbeth himself is a tragic hero because he is a victim of preordained fate. This is shown in Act 1, Scene 3, when three “weird sisters” appear. They call Macbeth “thane of Glamis”, “thane of Cawdor” and “king hereafter”. This incremental chant builds tension in the scene for the possibilities of Macbeth’s future.

In Act 4, Scene 1, Macbeth goes to the three “weird sisters”, demanding a prophesy. The sisters answer Macbeth’s demands by showing him the future, but in a cryptic way. There is a certain doom implied in the witches’ prophecies. The first apparition is that of an armed head, which warns him to "beware Macduff", the second is a bloody child who eerily says that "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth"; the third is a crowned child, who says “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” Macbeth accepts the prophesies with confidence, not expecting any harm from these cryptic apparitions. In Act V, Macbeth is told that Birnam Wood is moving against him, his Queen has taken her own life, and lastly, Macduff informs him that he is not of "woman born" but was "from my mother's womb untimely ripp'd." This results in Macbeth’s downfall, tragically beheaded by Macduff, becoming a victim of preordained fate.

The prophecies which were told by the sisters are one of the factors which contributed to the deterioration of his character. If it had not been for the sisters telling him that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self with driving ambition. As a result of the prophecies, this provoked Macbeth's curiosity regarding how he could be King of Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches prophecies to influence, manipulate and corrupt his character.

The influence and manipulation of Lady Macbeth also contributes to the degeneration of Macbeth’s character. In Act 1, Scene 5, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan will be staying with them that night. Lady Macbeth sees this as a perfect opportunity to influence and manipulate Macbeth into becoming King, and, in her view, a true man.

Lady Macbeth plays an important role in this production as she provides the scheme that is used to assassinate King Duncan.  She is very provoking to Macbeth, saying that he is as easy to read as a book and that he must “look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under ‘t.” This is a biblical reference as “the serpent” represents cunning, deceiving and sly character, which is exactly what Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to be like. She says to “leave all the rest to me” showing her control upon the scheme. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan as planned, he later regrets his wrong doing. Macbeth's first unlawful murder was a trying experience for him, however after the first murder; killing seems to be the only solution to maintain his reign over the people of Scotland. Therefore, it is Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of unlawful murder to Macbeth.

It is Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” that drives him to commit the deed of killing King Duncan, but it is Lady Macbeth’s influence and manipulation that provokes his ambition to be King.

Macbeth's ambition influences the development of his character, which contained greed, violence, and a hunger for power. Macbeth shows this when he kills King Duncan.

Macbeth's ambition also influences his character as a tragic hero. Ambition is a trait that is mentioned throughout the play in relation to Macbeth, and is the trait that directly leads him to try to become king, being the driving force of both his success and his downfall. Macbeth's tragic flaw is his greed for power, blinding ambition and naiveté. He does not think about the consequences of killing King Duncan. This lust for power leads him to kill innocent people as a way to protect his power.

Once Macbeth starts his reign in an unlawful manner, all things that follow only become worse, and make him full of guilt and insanity, which he is responsible for.  This then leads Lady Macbeth to kill herself because of her isolation whilst he was trying to fulfil his ambitions and power. Macbeth’s false sense of security and conviction that nothing will harm him blinds him from the witches’ prophecies' and so he dies.

Generally, tragedy shows it is impossible to reverse problems. Macbeth realises his flaw is ambition, he cannot work to reverse the problems he has caused and this eventually leads to his death as a tragic hero.

Being a victim of preordained fate, Lady Macbeth's influence and manipulation, and his intensified ambition, all contribute greatly to Macbeth’s degeneration of character, which results in his downfall and death. Therefore, Macbeth’s character displays strong signs of a tragic hero, making him the ideal tragic hero shown in most Shakespearean plays.

Macbeth Essay - Witches

To what extent are the witches to blame for the Tragedy of Macbeth?

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is first shaped by the witches, although they are not the sole reason leading to the tragic ending of Macbeth. To a certain degree, the witches can be blamed for the tragedy, although the blame can easily fall amongst Macbeth’s ambitious nature, and Lady Macbeth’s profound influence on Macbeth.  Overall, the witches play an important role in the tragedy, but the blame cannot be purely placed on the witches as there are the other factors involved in the play, causing the tragic ending.

The witches bring forth the initial events in the play, although as the play develops the witches’ influence on Macbeth deteriorates, meaning the witches cannot be held fully accountable for the tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth first encounters the witches in scene three. In this scene, the witches state “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!/All Hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter,” foretelling what will happen in the play. The witches in this scene have only given Macbeth a glimpse of what could be, playing to his weakness of ambition. In Shakespeare’s time, ‘weird women’ were known to not be trusted as they were seen as evil. To blame the events that occurred solely on the witches, after their meeting would be unfair, as Macbeth should have known not to trust the witches. Their riddles should have been an indication to not let them manipulate him into taking his destiny into his own hands. Being proclaimed Thane of Cawdor it should have been a sign that the predictions can happen without intervention being necessary.  The witches can be blamed for   giving Macbeth the idea, but they never made him take the actions. Macbeth had thought about killing the king “If good, why I yield to that suggestion” immediately after he was pronounced Thane of Cawdor, thus the witches never made him take action on his“ black and deep desires.” The witches spoke Macbeth’s inner most thought; they are almost his personified thoughts, making his thoughts a reality, giving Macbeth an excuse to act on his ambitions. The witches can only be blamed to a small extent for the tragedy, they can only be blamed for giving Macbeth the idea and the hope of being King that lead to the tragedy, not forgetting Lady Macbeth’s influence that drives the play towards disaster.

Lady Macbeth’s strong influence on Macbeth is the catalyst that unleashes the evil plans planted by the witches in Macbeth’s mind, meaning she must be blamed to more of an extent than the witches for helping Macbeth act on his ambitions. Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth “is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness” to complete the deed. The imagery of milk, often associated with babies, highlights the innocence of Macbeth, which by the end of the play has been completely drained from him. Lady Macbeth takes it upon herself to spur Macbeth on as she is his personified ambition, she is what gets Macbeth to take the first the leap that turns Macbeth into the monster, and as his ambition leads to his down fall, she also is led to her downfall. By manipulating his feelings, “And live a coward in thine own esteem,”, “When you durst do it, then you were a man”, and questioning his manliness for not wanting to commit the dead, Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill the king. The blame for killing the king, although it seems to be her fault, is not the only reason of for the tragedy as towards the end of the play their communication breaks down, and so does their relationship. By the relationship breaking down, Lady Macbeth’s significance and role in the play dramatically reduces, and the audience sees her appearing less frequently in scenes. Lady Macbeth has been excluded from the rest of the events and plans of murder. This means that the other events that strip Macbeth of his humanity, and make him reliant of the riddles of the witches, giving him a false sense of security, are other factors in which Lady Macbeth herself has no part. Lady Macbeth can only be blamed for triggering the first event, although Macbeth did not have to follow through. She can be blamed more than the witches for manipulating him further, forcing more ideas upon Macbeth, and being the bigger influence, but she cannot be blamed to a large extent either, as she and the witches both playing equal roles that sway Macbeth, but ultimately Macbeth must take responsibility for his own actions.

The witches cannot be blamed, nor Lady Macbeth, for Macbeth himself acting on his ambition and making his desires become reality. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth acknowledges his ambition as being a fatal flaw, stating, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent” using the imagery of horses to state “but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on the other”. This explains that his ambition is what drives him onwards, although it will jump too far, and crash down, foreshadowing his own tragic ending where his ambition leads to his eventual downfall. Throughout the play Macbeth also recognises what he has done, acknowledging “I am in blood/ Steeped in so far that, should I wade no more/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er”. He feels that after killing Duncan, then Banquo and finally Macduff's family, he can never go back, and return the person who had morality, and fought for Scotland rather than himself. Rather he must keep moving forward, even though he knows it is wrong, because his ambition continuously drives him forward. In his recognition of his deeds and knowledge that he will keep pushing, takes the blame away from the witches and Lady Macbeth as he has acknowledged himself that the events in the play are caused by his own hands, and the blood must remain on his hands as he gave into his immorality. Macbeth solely must take responsibility for the tragic ending. The blame can only be shared to a degree, as the actions of actually committing murder, and causing blood shed all come down to Macbeth’s rather extreme actions caused by ambition.

The witches give Macbeth ideas and hope the fulfilment for his inner most desires, whilst Lady Macbeth pushes for the desires to become a reality. Therefore, to a small extent, the witches can be blamed for giving him the idea, just as Lady Macbeth can be blamed for manipulating him into doing it. Ultimately the blame is placed on Macbeth for acting on desires and ambition, leading to the tragedy of Macbeth.

Cinema Paradiso Essay - language of the film

How are the values and ideas conveyed through the language of the film?

Giuseppe Tornatore uses his film, Cinema Paradiso, to convey the crucial values that his life experiences have taught him. By weaving these values throughout the film, Tornatore is able to show the importance of these values in our lives.

Cinema Paradiso values the development of strong and affectionate relationships between men. From the start of the film, the value of relationships is evident in Salvatore's distressed face when he hears about Alfredo's death. The lighting used is low key and lightning and thunder are used to highlight the worry in Salvatore's face and the turmoil he is experiencing inside. Lightning and thunder are a crucial effect throughout the film as they symbolise the relationships felt by Salvatore as he reflects and remembers his past. When the young Toto and Alfredo playfully fight with each other, the camera angles used show the imbalance of power and authority in the relationship. The role of Alfredo as a surrogate father is shown through low angle camera shots, which presents him with superiority and power. The two characters are seen in separate shots, however later, both characters are seen in the same shot and this shows the change and growth in the relationship.  Once Toto has grown up, he has become Alfredo's eyes, and there is an inversion of power when Alfredo is blind and has to lean and rely on Toto. On one occasion, a blind Alfredo has his hands over young Toto's face. The camera angle stays the same as the face under Alfredo's hand changes into an older version of Toto, showing that Alfredo has been there for Toto's growing up. Relationship values evolve throughout the film with the use of camera angles and shots to highlight the significant change in relationship between Salvatore and Alfredo.

Traditional Italian religious values are criticised throughout Cinema Paradiso to moderate artistic values. These two sets of values are juxtaposed in the film’s preliminary flashback scenes, which begin with a Roman Catholic mass. The mis en scene confirms the religious setting, and the first flashback scene is principally observed through a high-angled shot, which emphasises the religious context by representing the elevated status of God. The sudden opening of the cupboard door and zoom in on the statue of the Virgin Mary previously concealed inside serves as a reminder of religious power, which is further reinforced as the cut to the next scene reveals another statue of Mary, this time inside the cinema. Tornatore shows the comparison of the church and the cinema by using similar dim lighting and high camera angles in both settings, and by continuing to focus on the characters of Father Adelfio and Salvatore. Father Adelfio’s changed costume, from white to black, suggests the sinister nature of his purpose in the cinema, and Salvatore’s presence on the edge of the scene, as he views the action through the opening in a curtain, is contrasted with his central and legitimate position in the church scene. Father Adelfio’s misuse of the bell, which is now used for artistic control rather than religious service, encourages the viewer to see the bell as a symbol of religious authority, which is further reinforced by the ringing of the church bells at the conclusion of the scene in the cinema. Tornatore thus highlights that religious values are unsuited with artistic values in the world of the film, as the artistic truth of Italian cinema is compromised by heartless restriction.

In Cinema Paradiso, Tornatore criticises the tendency of Italian culture to be nostalgic and sentimental, but ultimately values the way in which the past works to shape our identities. By doing so, through music, lighting and effects, he has created an environment where we connect to Salvatore’s past. The value of the past is represented through the whole film as Salvatore reflects on and remembers his past. One of the most fundamental scenes in the film is when Salvatore and Alfredo are walking on a cliff discussing Salvatore’s future. On the barren dry cliff there are mangled rusted anchors which are the symbol of being tied down to the past in this community. They also show that the town is still traditional, therefore having never moved on. A medium shot with the arrow of the anchor in the foreground points towards Alfredo who is in the background, symbolising that he was always tied down to the past because he never left. The dialogue Alfredo delivers his own, authentic words which emphasises the importance of moving away from the past. He wants Salvatore to move away from the traditional lifestyle expected in the community and grow as an individual. The close up of Toto's expressions emphasises that he understands what Alfredo is saying when he declares that the individual needs to be freed. The camera then cuts back to the older Salvatore. This emphasises that this was a pivotal point in his life. His hand action mimics his action just after talking with Alfredo, which emphasises that he is regretting his past decisions. The zoom out at the end of the scene mimics what Salvatore would be seeing. When Salvatore is leaving at the train station, there is an emotional goodbye between Alfredo and Salvatore rather than his family. This shows that even though his family may have been there, Alfredo is still his father figure and one he has a true relationship with. The language of the film represents this as the scene is shot on the side, showing Alfredo holding Salvatore’s head with the two figures of the mother and sister in the background, which shows the distant and difference in relationships. The characters fading away is representative of Salvatore trying not to give into nostalgia, but the characters never completely fade from the shot despite the effort to forget.

                Tornatore uses the language of the film to convey the value of relationships through family values, religious values and the value of the past in Cinema Paradiso. By doing so, he gives the audience an insightful understanding of the film through the manipulation of film techniques.

Tensions in An Inspector Calls Paragraph

How does Priestly establish tensions at the opening of An Inspector Calls?

At the opening of An Inspector Calls, tensions are established between the characters through business, social classes and secrets. The tension between characters begins with Birling who is a “hard-headed business man” who directs and relates most conversations to business. Birling is very repetitive with his speech showing that he has a social reputation but also not very knowledgeable. Everything he thinks won’t happen will happen as he is not aware of his world. In the context of the play, there are social tensions between upper and lower classes. Sheila and Gerald are engaged with the Birling’s having a high social class and Crofts having plentiful money. Birling sees the engagement as a business deal between the Crofts and Birlings to develop the family’s social class. Tension between Birling and Eric begin once Birling says “no” to Eric after having a laugh with Gerald. To change the subject, Eric starts to talk about women, which makes him remember something. Birling asks what it is which immediately increases the tension as there are now secrets between both men. Birling suspects something and Gerald finds it “a bit fishy”. Birling lectures his opinions again which is hypocritical as he said he wouldn’t lecture Gerald and Eric. Once the doorbell rings, the tension between Eric and Birling rises as Birling is continually answering Eric in a superior way and finding excuses for any action Eric accuses him of. Tension is established at the opening of An Inspector Calls mainly between Eric and Birling through business and social matters.