macbeth pride essay

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Where Does Macbeth Show Pride?

Pride may not be a characteristic that comes readily to mind when considering Macbeth. His pride in Scotland vanishes when the witches predict his kingship, an act which initiates another kind of pride; his pride in battle is long past when the play begins. However, he shows streaks of pride as a ruler, as a dupe of the supernatural and as an Aristotelian tragic figure.

Kingly Pride

Early in the play, there are glimmers of Macbeth's pride as a husband, when calls his wife "dearest partner of greatness" and as a subject, when he tells Duncan "the loyalty I owe, in doing it, pays itself." But in Act 3, once he kills Duncan to take his place as king, Macbeth speaks of "my Genius" and begs fate to "champion me to the utterance." He also uses the royal "we" when he speaks of "our innocent self" in Act 1, and again when he flatters his guests in Act 3: "Ourself will mingle with society and play the humble host." Kingly pride rules him entirely.

Supernatural Pride

Once the witches pronounce that "none of woman born" can hurt him, Macbeth's pride in his supposed supernatural powers infects his very sanity. Harold Bloom notes that Macbeth has the self-pride to defy all nature "as he imagines it"; certainly Macbeth imagines his immortal nature with pure hubris, which Aristotle considered a god-defying pride. "I cannot taint with fear," he cries when his soldiers desert him in Act 5; he later declares, "I will not be afraid of death and bane," and "swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn / Brandished by man that's of a woman born."

Aristotelian Pride

Aristotelian hubris in a tragic hero gives way to catharsis, the emotional cleansing that ends a tragedy, and here Macbeth achieves a dignified, human sense of pride. Defeated and hopeless, he announces to Macduff that "I will not yield.... / Yet will I try the last.... / Lay on, Macduff, and damn'd be him that first cries 'Hold, enough!'" In this remarkable pronouncement, his last words, Macbeth recovers his pride both as man and warrior, declares his ability to fight in the face of despair and takes away any chance of shame and surrender.

Recovery of Human Pride

In "Shakespeare After All," Marjorie Garber calls Macbeth's end-game confrontation with mortality a "real recovery," indicating that Shakespeare has manifested, in one character, glimpses of several kinds of pride: the hubris that first hurls us into sin and error, the false pride that keeps us secure in our evil, and finally the recovering, human pride of self in the face of death, our ultimate redemption. This true sense of pride casts out the others, redeeming Macbeth at least to some extent.

• The Riverside Shakespeare: Macbeth; William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human; Harold Bloom
• Shakespeare After All; Marjorie Garber

Michael Stratford is a National Board-certified and Single Subject Credentialed teacher with a Master of Science in educational rehabilitation (University of Montana, 1995). He has taught English at the 6-12 level for more than 20 years. He has written extensively in literary criticism, student writing syllabi and numerous classroom educational paradigms.

Pride in Macbeth

Any great accomplishment can make someone feel proud about their work. It makes one feel good; it raises a person’s spirits. “No question, pride has its good points. ” (The Toronto Star, Nov 1999) Then again, there are also the bad points of pride one must consider, before being proud. Pride can deceive a person into being ambitious, and make them strive for something that is not rightfully theirs. Both Macbeth and Willy encountered this problem. Pride can also cause a bad relationship with the people one loves most.

For Macbeth and Willy, their relationships with their families were burdened as a consequence of this pride. Pride can lead to much worse things; it can put a person in a position to be their ultimate cause of their death, and such was the fate for Willy Loman and Macbeth. “It’s an excess of pride that buys you one-way, economy coach passage to the fires of hell. ” (The Toronto Star, Nov 1999) In the play Macbeth and Death of a Salesman, both Macbeth and Willy are seen as tragic heroes due to their pride, as seen in these three situations.

First, both characters’ pride swindled them into believing they could be so much more than they were meant to be, it made them ambitious. In any monarchial country, such as Scotland, the greatest achievement would be the crown. When King Duncan announced that Malcolm, his son would succeed him, Macbeth’s vaulting ambition made him believe that “[this] is a step, On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap. ” (Macbeth, Act 1, Sc. 4, ll. 49-50) His pride forced him to want to be king. Willy, who also has an excessive amount of pride, told his wife that “if he keeps it up he’ll be a member of the firm”.

This small compliment paid to Willy by his boss is misinterpreted, taken much too seriously, and because of it he turns down a very good business offer from his brother Ben. Ben offered Willy the chance to go to Alaska to run a logging company, but because of that one compliment, and his pride causing him to embellish, he told his brother he could not go because he was “building something with this firm”. (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 85) Willy’s pride exaggerated that one compliment from his boss, Old Man Wagner, ridiculously, making him yearn for the wrong goal.

Instead of staying in New York, Willy should have gone to Alaska with his brother. Macbeth, after being crowned Thane of Cawdor, thinks to himself “Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor. The greatest is [to come]” (Macbeth, Act 1, Sc. 3, ll. 117-118) Even with all he has accomplished, Macbeth’s pride makes him want more. Both Willy’s and Macbeth’s pride caused them to be ambitious. Second, in each play, both characters’ pride caused undue hardship and stress on their relationships with their families. Willy had big hopes for his son Biff.

He dreamed of him becoming a football superstar saying to his friend Charley “They’ll be calling him another Red Grange. Twenty-five thousand a year. ” ( Death of a Salesman , Pg. 89) Willy had done this to Biff all his life. Because of these high hopes, when he did not succeed, Biff believed he had failed, which made him feel terrible. He eventually realized “[he’s] a dime a dozen, and so is [Willy]” ( Death of a Salesman , Pg. 132) This infuriate Willy, and he exclaimed “I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman , and you are Biff Loman! ” (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 32)

Willy truly believed he was big. Biff crushed this belief with the peak of his argument, saying, “Pop, I’m nothing! I’m nothing, Pop. Can’t you understand that? There’s no spite in it any more. I’m just what I am, that’s all. ” (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 132-133) With that said, Willy no longer cared about those high hopes for Biff, and just left the argument alone. Having family problems alike, is Macbeth. After Duncan’s murder (caused by Macbeth’s pride), Macbeth’s relationship with his wife withered away.

She believed they were “[dwelling] in doubtful joy. (Macbeth, Act 3, Sc. 2, ll. 7) from that point on, the couple could not have been bothered to even sit together as Lady Macbeth has to ask Macbeth “Why [do you] keep alone? ” (Macbeth, Act 3, Sc. 2, ll. 8) This is not the relationship of a happy couple. In both plays, due to pride, important family relationships have fallen apart. Finally, the pride of both characters, Macbeth and Willy, was the cause of their deaths. Macbeth’s pride made him feel that he was invincible, when he really was not. He stayed to fight an entire army by himself, instead of fleeing.

He believed that “Our castle’s strength will laugh a siege to scorn. ” (Macbeth, Act 5, Sc. 5, ll. 2-3) This stupid act almost ensures Macbeth’s death. Willy’s problems on the other hand were monetary. “Willy Loman is a man whose perspective is so clouded by pride that he would rather maintain the false appearance of success than accept repeated offers of [job offers] from his neighbour [Charley]. ” (The Toronto Star, Nov 1999) This pride forced Willy to take a coward’s way out. He believed if he killed himself, his twenty thousand-dollar life insurance policy would be paid out to his family .

He foresaw his son Biff being able to do something with his life if he had that money. “Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket? ” (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 135) Soon after saying this, he killed himself in a car accident. Macbeth’s suicide is just as ridiculously unnecessary, as he stayed to fight Macduff to the death; meanwhile his pride blinded him from the fact that Macduff was the one man that could kill him. He cried out “Lay on Macduff, and damned to him that first cries ‘Hold, enough! ’” (Macbeth, Act 5, Sc. 8, ll. 3-34)

For both characters, their pride was ultimately the cause of their deaths. “The deadliest of the seven deadlies. ” (The Toronto Star, Nov 1999) holds very true in the situations of Macbeth and Willy. For both, their pride tricked them into ambition. It also placed stress on their relationships with their families. These two character’s pride could not have done anymore damage, as it was the cause of their deaths. The three situations aforementioned exhibited Willy Loman and Macbeth as tragic heroes , the cause being their pride. “As the old saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder – and farther – they fall. ”

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The Scarlet Letter

The intersection of pride and wrath anonymous 11th grade.

Despite the notion of a utopian society, absolute perfection ceases to exist simultaneously with the human race. Mistakes have inevitably plagued humans since the commencement of civilization, but it is the accountability for these failures, not the failures themselves, which serve to characterize the human species. Archaic works such as Antigone by the classical playwright, Sophocles, testify to the timeless nature of human malevolence. In Antigone, a sage named Teiresias observed that a virtuous man seeks to reform and repent once he becomes conscious of his moral shortcomings. Only a prideful individual who refuses to admit his faults resides at the epitome of evil. As one of the deadly sins, pride encourages individuals to pursue personal gain, even if it means the annihilation of themselves and their loved ones. Certain literary characters such as Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Lord Macbeth from William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, provide validation of the wrath that pride harbors.

Arthur Dimmesdale, the cherished reverend and saintly man of Puritan Boston, took immense pride in his public image, which ultimately led to his deterioration. Because he could not...

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William Shakespeare

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• Act I: Scene 1
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• Act I: Scene 6
• Act I: Scene 7
• Act II: Scene 1
• Act II: Scene 2
• Act II: Scene 3
• Act II: Scene 4
• Act III: Scene 1
• Act III: Scene 2
• Act III: Scene 3
• Act III: Scene 4
• Act III: Scene 5
• Act III: Scene 6
• Act IV: Scene 1
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• Act IV: Scene 3
• Act V: Scene 1
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Character Analysis Macbeth

Macbeth is introduced in the play as a warrior hero, whose fame on the battlefield wins him great honor from the king. Essentially, though, he is a human being whose private ambitions are made clear to the audience through his asides and soliloquies (solo speeches). These often conflict with the opinion others have of him, which he describes as "golden" (I:7, 33). Despite his fearless character in battle, Macbeth is concerned by the prophecies of the Witches, and his thoughts remain confused, both before, during, and after his murder of King Duncan . When Duncan announces that he intends the kingdom to pass to his son Malcolm , Macbeth appears frustrated. When he is about to commit the murder, he undergoes terrible pangs of conscience. Macbeth is at his most human and sympathetic when his manliness is mocked and demeaned by his wife (see in particular Act I, Scene 7).

However, by Act III, Scene 2, Macbeth has resolved himself into a far more stereotypical villain and asserts his manliness over that of his wife. His ambition now begins to spur him toward further terrible deeds, and he starts to disregard and even to challenge Fate and Fortune. Each successive murder reduces his human characteristics still further, until he appears to be the more dominant partner in the marriage. Nevertheless, the new-found resolve, which causes Macbeth to "wade" onward into his self-created river of blood (Act III, Scene 4), is persistently alarmed by supernatural events. The appearance of Banquo 's ghost, in particular, causes him to swing from one state of mind to another until he is no longer sure of what is and "what is not" (I:3,142).

But Macbeth's hubris or excessive pride is now his dominant character trait. This feature of his personality is well presented in Act IV, Scene 1, when he revisits the Witches of his own accord. His boldness and impression of personal invincibility mark him out for a tragic fall.

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Macbeth – A* / L9 Full Mark Example Essay

This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning).

It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good on form and structure, and perhaps could do with more language analysis of poetic and grammatical devices; as the quality of thought and interpretation is so high this again did not impede the overall mark. 

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MACBETH EXAMPLE ESSAY:

Macbeth’s ambition for status and power grows throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth as an embodiment of greed and asks the audience to question their own actions through the use of his wrongful deeds.

In the extract, Macbeth is demonstrated to possess some ambition but with overriding morals, when writing to his wife about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth uses metaphors to describe his kind hearted nature: “yet I do fear thy nature, / It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness”. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a more gentle natured being who is loyal to his king and country. However, the very act of writing the letter demonstrates his inklings of desire, and ambition to take the throne. Perhaps, Shakespeare is aiming to ask the audience about their own thoughts, and whether they would be willing to commit heinous deeds for power and control. 

Furthermore, the extract presents Macbeth’s indecisive tone when thinking of the murder – he doesn’t want to kill Duncan but knows it’s the only way to the throne. Lady Macbeth says she might need to interfere in order to persuade him; his ambition isn’t strong enough yet: “That I may pour my spirits in  thine ear / And chastise with the valour of my tongue”. Here, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative character, conveying she will seduce him in order to “sway “ his mind into killing Duncan. The very need for her persuasion insinuates Macbeth is still weighing up the consequences in his head, his ambition equal with his morality. It would be shocking for the audience to see a female character act in this authoritative way. Lady Macbeth not only holds control of her husband in a patriarchal society but the stage too, speaking in iambic pentameter to portray her status: “To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great”. It is interesting that Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth in this way; she has more ambition for power than her husband at this part of play. 

As the play progresses, in Act 3, Macbeth’s ambition has grown and now kills with ease. He sends three murders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as the witches predicted that he may have heirs to the throne which could end his reign. Macbeth is suspicious in this act, hiding his true intentions from his dearest companion and his wife: “I wish your horses swift and sure on foot” and “and make our faces vizards to our hearts”. There, we see, as an audience, Macbeth’s longing to remain King much stronger than his initial attitudes towards the throne He was toying with the idea of killing for the throne and now he is killing those that could interfere with his rule without a second thought. It is interesting that Shakespeare presents him this way, as though he is ignoring his morals or that they have been “numbed” by his ambition. Similarly to his wife in the first act, Macbeth also speaks in pentameter to illustrate his increase in power and dominance. 

In Act 4, his ambition and dependence on power has grown even more. When speaking with the witches about the three apparitions, he uses imperatives to portray his newly adopted controlling nature: “I conjure you” and “answer me”. Here, the use of his aggressive demanding demonstrates his reliance on the throne and his need for security. By the Witches showing him the apparitions and predicting his future, he gains a sense of superiority, believing he is safe and protected from everything. Shakespeare also lengthens Macbeth’s speech in front of the Witches in comparison to Act 1 to show his power and ambition has given him confidence, confidence to speak up to the “filthy nags” and expresses his desires. Although it would be easy to infer Macbeth’s greed and ambition has grown from his power-hungry nature, a more compassionate reading of Macbeth demonstrates the pressure he feels as a Jacobean man and soldier. Perhaps he feels he has to constantly strive for more to impress those around him or instead he may want to be king to feel more worthy and possibly less insecure. 

It would be unusual to see a Jacobean citizen approaching an “embodiment” of the supernatural as forming alliance with them was forbidden and frowned upon. Perhaps Shakespeare uses Macbeth to defy these stereotypical views to show that there is a supernatural, a more dark side in us all and it is up to our own decisions whereas we act on these impulses to do what is morally incorrect. 

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Masculinity in Shakespeare's Macbeth

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