The fight with evil


(Just thought I would include this meme, hope you enjoy !)  

Why do people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil? What, for instance, is involved in taking that first step "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" (Macbeth, 2.3)? What are the consequences of the individual choosing evil (particularly the internal consequences)?

The internal consequences with MB choosing evil are that once he became evil, MB lost sight of who he strived to be. He used to be this heroic, brave, and loyal kinsmen but now he has left that all behind. He once felt guilty about killing Duncan, but then didn't think twice about killing Banquo. As for LMB her and MB used to be equal partners but now her need for power has taken over her and she was able to manipulate MB into killing Duncan. And this was not only so the prophecy would come true, giving MB more power but because she would gain more power as well.



There are many reasons why people become "evil". Some of them include how they grew up, certain events that have caused a change, or maybe that's just who they really are and it is not coming to light. Events like a death of someone close to them could cause a shift in someone's demeanor. This is one of the reasons I think Macbeth (and Lady Macbeth) is so easily influenced towards evil. With the death of their son, I believe that they feel vulnerable and are searching for hope. And I think that they believe that becoming as powerful as they can will make them "happy" again. When trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan Lady MB says, " I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me.I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this". 
This is an obvious sign that something is wrong with the Macbeth's due to their disconnection to reality. They are so traumatize by the death of their son, that LMB claims she would dash her baby's brains out if it meant claiming the throne and becoming powerful. 
After the death of their only son, I believe that this prophecy told to MB by the witches was the perfect "tipping point" towards evilness. I believe that LMB was the first one to take the bait and she saw this prophecy as a way to be successful finally and that this was an opportunity that they had to take. MB on the other hand, was very hesitant at first, but once he got a taste of power after killing Duncan and becoming king, he was overcome by greed. MB enjoyed being powerful, and his greed took over him which caused him to want to kill his best friend Banquo. So, my point is that Macbeth's evil began with internal conflict, mixed with greed, and that is what ultimately led him to take a step down the "primrose path to the everlasting bonfire.





Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 9, 2017 at 7:55 AM

    I agree with your argument of how people become "evil." I have the belief that all people are born good and how they are raised, or who they are raised by, can either emphasize that good within them, or lead them to taking, "the first step into evil." As you said, sometimes the child may face a traumatic experience that changes them forever. In this instance, the family who raised that child didn't lead them to evil, but instead it may have been fate that led them. FATE. That's question 3! Oops. Just making connections out here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 9, 2017 at 8:59 AM

    I love how you pointed out how you think that by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth losing their only child was the point in their lives that made them want to search for ANYTHING that would fill that void in their heart. I think at in a low point in someones life, they can become misguided between what is right and wrong. The audience clearly sees this with Macbeth and Lady M. When the witches give them that guidance to the first step of evil, I think that was just their excuse to finally do something that would make them feel something again. I agree with your point that internal conflict is what lead Macbeth to act on evil thoughts. I'm actually reading a book right now called "The Lucifer Effect" which is based on the Stanford Prison Experiment and what makes people all of a sudden start to act evil. Good job on all your arguments and post overall!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sinful ads

Image
Porsche Ad Author: Porshe Date: 1983 Place of Publication: magazines In this ad, the words "Nobody's Perfect" are put in bold over a list of 1-10 where Porsche takes up every place except for 9th. The background is plain white, while the text is in black. This helps to draw attention to the words on the ad. Other than that, not much else is going on in the ad. I've read that this ad was created in 1983 where 9 Porsche 956 models were in the top ten spots for overall classification. Except for 9th place, which was taken by Sauber/BMW. In order to make a joke out of this Porsche created this ad . This ad obviously represents the deadly sin of Pride . This is seen in how they are saying "Nobody's Perfect", they are showing how they take up every spot in the top ten except for one. By saying this they are stating how amazing they are, but even then they can't be perfect. They are basically saying "Hey guys were amazing look at our...
Read more

Wing Young Huie and Atwood

Image
We are the Other  -   Walter , 38th & Chicago Bus Stop, South Minneapolis, MN This picture was take by Wing Young Huie in South Minneapolis,MN. In this black and white picture we see a Hispanic/Latino man sitting at the 38th & Chicago Bus Stop bus stop.Based on the hashtags, it states that is '#Ecuadorian' and '#teen'. He is holding a sign that reads "Equality for the undocumented" in chalk. You can tell that the emotions on his face are that of sadness. It can be inferred that his sad expression is a result of being alienated from society due to his legal status. By looking at the image it is really portraying the negative side effects of alienating a group of people, in this case this group are undocumented immigrants. They are put to the outskirts of society and abandoned based on their legal status. I believe that he is trying to raise awareness against the “othering” of the undocumented. He believes that something is wrong and that thi...
Read more

Lost in translation

Image
https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*YlHPyTtnAF7R1lX05fMsEw.jpeg #1: Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug. -diction is informal and uses words that most people often use in everyday conversation,  "giant" and "bug". - neither positive nor negative connotations, just seems casual. - basic structure: Noun, verb, adjective, noun. - Gives off the image of someone waking up from bad sleep, to then see himself changed (not sure if he saw it when he woke up immediately, or when they looked into a mirror?)  into a bug like a spider or cricket type creature.  - It is structured as if it's all one thought, there are no commas or conjunctions to connect him waking up to finding out he changed into a giant bug. #2: When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug. - diction is somewhat more descriptive of the event, more formal.B...
Read more