Just as in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there is plenty of betrayal and back stabbing going on in our society today. Too many people look out for themselves only, not for others as a whole. We also see the duality of man in Macbeth. Someone can be so brave and honest and once they set their eyes on something, they will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Macbeth killed his king and friends in order to be ruler. We also know that absolute power corrupts absolutely, just as al the power Macbeth had. He drove Scottland into the ground and corrupted the whole country. He lost his wife, his friends, and most importantly, the respect from everyone else. We see tis today with countries that have dictators like Cuba and North Korea. The people of these countries do not receive choices and are told what to do. Hitler is also another example who drove a country into the ground. Macbeth was a very good story with many themes that can still relate to today’s society.
your right Mike, people dont care about others, only themself. They are selfish, just like Macbeth. Willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, even if it envolves hurting their loved ones. As we become more aware of our possibilities and oppertunities, some people in society will take advantage of this and become more selfish.
I totally agree with what Mike says about the duality of man. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a good guy. He is a hero and people look up to him. But, as everyone knows, everyone turns against Macbeth because he drives Scotland basically to ruins.
I also agree with Mike about the duality of man because it completely describes Macbeth about how he is two different people at the beginning of the play and by the end. At the beginning he is completely sane and when he was told that he could be the king of Scotland in the future he tried to get rid of whatever or whoever got in his way of fulfilling his goal.
I also agree with this. Macbeth at first is fine and wants the best for others. But when he becomes King he becomes selfish and only wants whats best for him.
I agree that all of your examples relate to the story very well. One of which is how you compared Hitler to Macbeth and how he drove a country into the ground. He was deffinetely consumed by absolute power, just like Macbeth was as well.
i agree with you mike , people dont care about anyone but themselves and wil do anything to get wat they want no matter what happens.Even if it invloves killing there loved ones they will do anything.They are just as selfish as Macbeth is. He didnt even care when he killed his bestfriend to have power.
In today’s society, different themes such as ambition, good vs. evil, and believing in superstitions are still prevalent. Similar to Macbeth, many people will go great lengths in order to achieve their goals in life. Some are consumed with ambition to the point where it doesn’t matter what the consequences are for their actions as long as they are satisfied. An example of this is seen when our economy fell into a deep recession as a result of ambitious business people. Good vs. evil is oftentimes viewed in today’s society through our justice system. It is this constant battle between the police and criminals that keep our society at balance. Superstitions play a big part in some cultures and are still prevalent in today’s society. Just like Macbeth, people follow these superstitions that are put into their mind. They believe that there will be a bad outcome so, they follow these superstitions to keep out of danger or bad fortune.
I agree with your statement that some people eventually become consumed with ambition until they do not care about the consequences. I also like how you compared how the stock market crash to people’s ambition.
I agree with Melinda that when someone has their mind set to something they really want they will do anything they have to do in order to reach their goal. I also agree that there is definitely good vs. evil in today’s society such as the police and criminals. I get what you’re trying to say about superstition but I think prediction would be a better word for what the witches told Macbeth about him becoming thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland.
I also agree with this. I like how Tiff mentioned how in todays society there is good vs. evil. There will always be good vs. evil in every society. I dont think a society would be able to function without it.
That is true. That when somebody is consumed with ambition they will go to every length to get what they want. And then thats when they become selfish.
Some of the different themes that are presented in Shakespeare’s Macbeth are Ambition and Violence. When the three witches informed Macbeth about his prophesy he was in shock but felt anxious for it to happen sooner than later. The ambition that made him want to fulfill that prophesy took a lot of wrong doing but he went ahead and did it anyways. The fact that his wife’s ambition for Macbeth was even stronger than his own and encourages him even more to make that prophesy come true. In today’s society there are many ambitious people out there because without ambition people wouldn’t get very far and would just give up. For high school teenagers their ambition may be wanting to attend a college of their choice and will work hard in order to complete their goal. Along with ambition, violence is also s recurring theme in Macbeth because there was a murder in basically every act. Throughout the play there is a lot of killing, fighting and blood, which are all results of violence. No matter how much we wish violence wasn’t around in today’s society it is still present because of the disagreement between two parties. War is a big factor of violence because two countries or whoever cant come to an agreement so they result in violence.
I also agree with Tiffany’s comment about violence. People think violence will solve everything, when really it makes things so much worse. As long as people disagree on things, there will be violence and there will be war. Violence won’t stop until people start getting along.
I also agree Tiffany in the fact that violence is a huge factor and can ruin many relationships and lives. Disagreements mostly end in violence now and its sickening to see. We really need to clean up our acts and try to all get on the same page.
exactly! In almost every disagreement we see it always seems to end in violence. If everybody just agrees on one thing then there obviously wouldn’t be a need for violence.
The themes of Macbeth are completely relevant in today’s society. So often people do whatever they need to do in order to get what they want, destroying anything that gets in their way, just like Macbeth did. Hitler did whatever he wanted and killed millions of people to get what he wanted, just like Macbeth killed his King, best friend, and many others along the way. Just like Hitler had no sympathy for who he killed, at the end of the play, all Macbeth could say about his wife dying is that she should have waited until after he did what he needed to do. Greed is really what drives people to do the things that they do. Greed is a huge theme in the play and also a huge factor in today’s society. If there was no greed, most likely the terrorism and genocide that’s been going on wouldn’t be happening.
I agree with your point on people doing anything in order to get their desires. Made good examples from modern day situations.
P.S. Can you explain to me how greed would decrease terrorism?
I also think that greed is ruining todays society. As i stated earlier I feel as if people do not look out for others anymore and only for themselves. It is sickening to watch people only care for eachother. We need to all figure out our problems and enjoy eachother. That is the only way we are going to succeed. Hope for the best for everyone else and you will get it in return.
From all these years Shakespear’s themes are seen very often in the media and politics today. For example, the themes of absolute power, and ambition are all connected to each other in Macbeth. In the paly the witches tell Macbeth that no man born of woman can harm him. Macbeth assumes that he is invincible since he believes everyone is born from woman, but he later finds out that Macduff was born “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.” His ambition to become king contributed to his downfall. Instead of doing what was right he decided to listen to his wife and started killing everyone that was against him. Today people would do anything as long as they get what they want. Also at first Macbeth didn’t want anything but to keep everyone safe. But then at the moment that the predictions began to come true he started feeling the power filling him up. He stopped caring about his friends and even his own family when he became king. The power as king made him forget what a true king should do. In society today politics are the same way, especially when people make commercials about each others company. They say all these bad things about the other company and say the opposite about theirs, making themselves look better. As long as they get more costumers they dont care about hurting the business of the other company.
The themes from Macbeth are still relevant in society today. One motif from Macbeth that is still relevant is ambition. In the book, Macbeth was considered a hero to everyone. It was not his ambition at all that eventually lead to his downfall. Lady Macbeth was way to ambitious. No one would expect Macbeth of all people to be persuaded to commit all the murders. In a way, lady Macbeth passed on her ambition to Macbeth, so much that he killed his king, who was also his cousin. In today’s society, being ambitious is usually a good thing. As Tiffany said earlier, there are many ambitious people today, and if it were not for their ambition, they may have not been successful. Yes, ambition is normally good, however, being over amitious can be a bad thing. Mike used the example of Hitler earlier, which I believe can be used for being over ambitious as well. Hitler wanted to take over country after country, and kill everyone off that was not to his standards. Yes he was successful at first, but his ambition eventually lead to his death.
Shiloh is right, too much ambition can be bad. Like in Macbeth’s case his ambition got the better of him and made him do things he normally wouldn’t have done if Lady Macbeth didn’t pressure him into it. As someone said earlier Macbeth was a good guy and earned Thane of Cawador and Glaims for being loyal and honest. He probably would have became king if he stayed faitful to Scotland. But he turned against family and friends because his raging ambition took over.
In today’s society, sometimes people do whatever they want. Ambition makes people doing something they want for themselves or for their benefits without thinking other people. Like Macbeth did, some people would do violence to someone and destroy its all life just for achieving their goal and benefit. All dictators like Hitler, Germany’s dictator, Kim Jung Il, North Korea’s dictator, Napoleon, France’s dictator, did as Macbeth did whatever he wanted to get even it was harmful to other people for their desires. Also, the dictators, except Kim Jung Il, fell down from the top of all people and his high position because they lost people’s belief toward them.
One theme that I want to point out that is just like today’s society is betrayal. In Macbeth people betrayal each other. It is basically like every man for themselves. Also, absolute power and ambition are relevant to our society. People in our society today like to have that certain power. Another theme is good vs. evil which is in our society today. People are good at times but to get there way they become evil, just like Lady Macbeth. If you look closely, Macbeth in the beginning cared about family, friends and peers. Now, he really does not care. He is a ruler and he will not let anyone stand in his way. Our society today is the same way. If someone wants to reach their goal of something they will push and shove and go through obstacles to get that achievement. That is exactly what Macbeth did.
Anthony – don’t you think that people in today’s society also betray each other for reasons only known to them? Your one sentence that states, “they will push and shove and go through obstacles to get that achievement” is interesting; however, did Macbeth “push and shove” or was he put up to it? If he was put up to it, then who really put him up to it?
Many people do do what they want to do, even without thinking about the consequences that applies. Such as ruining a person’s live just to get the person you like to somewhat like you.
I think the main theme in Macbeth was ambition. And that is relevant in today’s society. In today’s society people who become ambitious can turn that ambition into greed and selfishness. Just like in Macbeth, Macbeth became to ambitious and he turned it into greed and became selfish. He harmed the people he loved to get what he desired. (Not sure if that’s the correct word to use here.)
I feel like he somewhat did desire being king. Although he wasn’t going to go to extreme measures to get there. It was mostly Lady Macbeth that pushed him into killing Duncan. And I feel like if it wasn’t for Lady Macbeth he wouldn’t have did what he had done.
I agree with Severa, if it were not for Lady Macbeth, Macbeth probably would not have gone through extreme lengths. Macbeth would not have killed Duncan and the millions of other people in Scotland.
Jin is right. Macbeth would not have killed Duncan if Lady Macbeth didn’t bully him into doing it. He wanted to prove he was a man by killing his cousin, Duncan. Lady Macbeth always questioned his manhood
Jin and Val – although I agree with you regarding Lady Macbeth’s involvement with Macbeth, we still need to pose the question .. Did the witches have anything to do with Macbeth’s behavior or better yet, was it all Macbeth’s fault because of his free will?
In a way, it was all of Macbeth’s fault for getting whipped by his wife and after Macbeth talked to the witches, it sort of made him want to do what he did even more.
I agree with mr.stracco… Macbeth didnt want to be king at first but when the three witches predicted his futuro as Thane of Cawdor and King he wanted to make it happen. He was amazed of how the witches’ prophecy came true when Ross gave him the news. He starts thinking whether the reign will just come or whether he would have to do something to make it happen. If it wasnt for the three witches and their predictions he could have become king at its time.
Well now that Jersey Shore is over …
A major theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is how fate and destiny makes up your life rather than that of human will. Personally I still believe that everything is predestined and that if you do something to break that chain of being all hell will break loose. This is relevant in society today in the matter that some people still share this belief as I believe that no matter how hard I try, I know that what ever is supposed to happen to me will happen. Power is also a major theme of Macbeth as he strived to become the King of Scotland and would do anything in order to do it. Because people in today’s society are all about being at the top of the pyramid. I myself as a young adult plan on becoming a CFO of a major company entitling me of all the power just because it looks well, feels well, and pays well.
Did I contradict it or did I support it; or is it a cliff hanger? As I grow older and my path sets foot, I find where I tend to go the way that feels right as we discussed in class. However if fate decides to throw me a roadblock then I know that business is not the way for me to go.
i agree with mr. stracco. to help clarify you planning to accomplish something is being contradicted by your saying you believe everything is linked to fate.
Myself planning to do something is all predestined. If I fail to carry out what I plan on doing it is all brought about by fate and there is nothing i can do about it. Fate will present me with my next opportunity and I will just have to “roll with the punches”.
However thank you Jessica for such wonderful input because your point is truly plausible.
I believe that one of the main themes in Macbeth was greed. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s greed to wanting the throne lead them to violence, extreme lengths of things, and the loss of their sanity. In today’s society, greed is also an issue. People go through extreme lengths, such as violence just to get what they want. Also a few amount of people in today’s society loose some of their sanity and do worse things, like murder. They are also so insane that the violence and the murder that they commit are not wrong to them anymore and it just becomes their nature.
I beleive that the themes in Macbeth still exists in this very day and age. Many people will do almost anything to get what they want or need. It is sad to say it but there are people that can be considered a “Macbeth”. Such as criminals who will not think twice about betraying his friends. When a person acquire something precious they will persue for more. I believe that greed is what turns honest people in to corrupt people.
Well I do believe the witches had something to do with it. If the witches didn’t read him his philosophies he probably wouldn’t have came up with the idea of killing Duncan in the first place. And I’m not to sure about his free will…
I completely agree with you Val. It was the temptation and manipulation that lead Macbeth to greed. The witches caused Macbeth to want to be king, but he showed no real ideas of actually killing Duncan or anyone else. It wasnt until his wife manipulated him into the idea. Not everyone is brought to greed that easily
The central themes in Macbeth can still be related to current events in our time period. For example the duality of man. I find this to be the most reoccurring theme in our day and age. Macbeth was convinced that killing duncan was something he needed to do, either to become a “man” as Lady Macbeth had persuaded him, or for his own selfish desires to become king. Either way from Macbeth’s twisted point of view he was doing what he believed was right. Even when it came to something as terrible as having his best friend murdered. Macbeth ordered his death to attempt to keep his throne safe. To Duncan and Banquo this was unjust and they had believed Macbeth was worthy of their trust.
This theme can be applied to almost any time period in almost any country. War is the perfect example of the duality of man. To each side of a war, the other is the enemy. Each believes what they’re fighting for is right. Even America is fighting a war against terrorists who believe they need to die to prove their cause. To these people, what they’re doing is right, and to America it is wrong, stopping them is right. Each side of any war can be held as an example of the duality of man.
I don’t know if I can completely agree with Veronica Nardello’s first statement she made. Can u truly blame all the events that took place in Scotland on Macbeth? Or can the blame be distributed throughout characthers? Such as his AGNOSTIC wife Lady Macbeth who pressured him into following through with the acts. And also I believe some blame can be given to the Witches who told Macbeth the prophecies from the beginning. These events would have never taken place if the witches had not told Macbeth of his future, which then also makes you think, did the witches pretty much plan Macbeth’s future for him by telling him these events would take place? Therefore leaving himno choice but to act the way he did? I dont know V-Rons, I am just saying. . .
Puzz your idea is right and I don’t completely agree with Veronica either. However, saying that he would not have done it with out the word of the witches is a little iffy. Fate being what it is ( as you can see in my post a few posts up) is always going to happen no matter what you do about it.
this is my 2nd time doing this because the first time i posted it i lost it……. i lost all my good info on my last post=[
Just like in Macbeth todays society is full of selfish and backstabbing people. People just look out for themselve and no one else.Some people just will do anything to get what they want and not let anyone get in their way.Some they are relevant in today’s society because many people deal with greed, fear, superstition, power, racism, in today’s world even politics and people.Greed is a big theme in this play , also in todays society and greed is what drives people to do things. Power can really change someone because once you get power you never want to give it up.Macbeth did anything he could to become king like kill the king and kill his bestfriend. By doing this he lost respect from everyone and lost his wife and bestfriend.That shows that someone will do anything just to get power. Hitler killed millions of people and did whatever he wanted , just like Macbeth who killed his bestfriend and king to get what he wanted .Both of them had no sympathy for who they killed.Just like Macbeth when someone has ambition they will go to every length to get exactly what they want.And that hurts them in the end.
In many ways we see themes from Shakespeares Macbeth that are relevant in today society. The book Macbeth showed great examples of backstabbing, greed, and karma. When Lady Macbeth had convinced him to kill Duncan it had all went downhill from there. Macbeth went from a kind soft-hearted loved guy to a hated evil greed filled monster. He was willing to do whatever he had to do to get what he had wanted. After killing the king and then eventually his best friend people had lost respect for him. Finally in the end Macbeth had got what he had deserved, him getting killed by Macduff, showing the theme of Karma because of all the deaths he had caused.
One of the themes in Macbeth is corrupting power and ambition. It can be said that this theme is relevant to today’s society. In the beginning, Macbeth was courageous and he wouldn’t naturally commit evil deeds. But at the end, Macbeth transforms into a mad man. Macbeth would kill to get whatever he wanted. I can not think of a person in today’s society that is similar to Macbeth. But, Adolf Hitler seems to be similar to Macbeth. At first, Adolf Hitler appealed to almost everyone. He seemed like a good person who wanted to help others. But when he took power, his true colors showed and he was no longer favored by others because of all the evil deeds he committed. This is why I think that Macbeth and Hitler are similar.
Just as in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there is plenty of betrayal and back stabbing going on in our society today. Too many people look out for themselves only, not for others as a whole. We also see the duality of man in Macbeth. Someone can be so brave and honest and once they set their eyes on something, they will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Macbeth killed his king and friends in order to be ruler. We also know that absolute power corrupts absolutely, just as al the power Macbeth had. He drove Scottland into the ground and corrupted the whole country. He lost his wife, his friends, and most importantly, the respect from everyone else. We see tis today with countries that have dictators like Cuba and North Korea. The people of these countries do not receive choices and are told what to do. Hitler is also another example who drove a country into the ground. Macbeth was a very good story with many themes that can still relate to today’s society.
your right Mike, people dont care about others, only themself. They are selfish, just like Macbeth. Willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, even if it envolves hurting their loved ones. As we become more aware of our possibilities and oppertunities, some people in society will take advantage of this and become more selfish.
I totally agree with what Mike says about the duality of man. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a good guy. He is a hero and people look up to him. But, as everyone knows, everyone turns against Macbeth because he drives Scotland basically to ruins.
I also agree with Mike about the duality of man because it completely describes Macbeth about how he is two different people at the beginning of the play and by the end. At the beginning he is completely sane and when he was told that he could be the king of Scotland in the future he tried to get rid of whatever or whoever got in his way of fulfilling his goal.
I also agree with this. Macbeth at first is fine and wants the best for others. But when he becomes King he becomes selfish and only wants whats best for him.
I agree that all of your examples relate to the story very well. One of which is how you compared Hitler to Macbeth and how he drove a country into the ground. He was deffinetely consumed by absolute power, just like Macbeth was as well.
i agree with you mike , people dont care about anyone but themselves and wil do anything to get wat they want no matter what happens.Even if it invloves killing there loved ones they will do anything.They are just as selfish as Macbeth is. He didnt even care when he killed his bestfriend to have power.
In today’s society, different themes such as ambition, good vs. evil, and believing in superstitions are still prevalent. Similar to Macbeth, many people will go great lengths in order to achieve their goals in life. Some are consumed with ambition to the point where it doesn’t matter what the consequences are for their actions as long as they are satisfied. An example of this is seen when our economy fell into a deep recession as a result of ambitious business people. Good vs. evil is oftentimes viewed in today’s society through our justice system. It is this constant battle between the police and criminals that keep our society at balance. Superstitions play a big part in some cultures and are still prevalent in today’s society. Just like Macbeth, people follow these superstitions that are put into their mind. They believe that there will be a bad outcome so, they follow these superstitions to keep out of danger or bad fortune.
its so true… when ambition hits you, you’ll anything to get what you want no matter what.
I agree with your statement that some people eventually become consumed with ambition until they do not care about the consequences. I also like how you compared how the stock market crash to people’s ambition.
I agree with Melinda that when someone has their mind set to something they really want they will do anything they have to do in order to reach their goal. I also agree that there is definitely good vs. evil in today’s society such as the police and criminals. I get what you’re trying to say about superstition but I think prediction would be a better word for what the witches told Macbeth about him becoming thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland.
I also agree with this. I like how Tiff mentioned how in todays society there is good vs. evil. There will always be good vs. evil in every society. I dont think a society would be able to function without it.
That is true. That when somebody is consumed with ambition they will go to every length to get what they want. And then thats when they become selfish.
Some of the different themes that are presented in Shakespeare’s Macbeth are Ambition and Violence. When the three witches informed Macbeth about his prophesy he was in shock but felt anxious for it to happen sooner than later. The ambition that made him want to fulfill that prophesy took a lot of wrong doing but he went ahead and did it anyways. The fact that his wife’s ambition for Macbeth was even stronger than his own and encourages him even more to make that prophesy come true. In today’s society there are many ambitious people out there because without ambition people wouldn’t get very far and would just give up. For high school teenagers their ambition may be wanting to attend a college of their choice and will work hard in order to complete their goal. Along with ambition, violence is also s recurring theme in Macbeth because there was a murder in basically every act. Throughout the play there is a lot of killing, fighting and blood, which are all results of violence. No matter how much we wish violence wasn’t around in today’s society it is still present because of the disagreement between two parties. War is a big factor of violence because two countries or whoever cant come to an agreement so they result in violence.
I also agree with Tiffany’s comment about violence. People think violence will solve everything, when really it makes things so much worse. As long as people disagree on things, there will be violence and there will be war. Violence won’t stop until people start getting along.
I completely agree to what Veronica is saying about violence. Every little thing almost always leads to violence when it is rarely or never needed.
I also agree Tiffany in the fact that violence is a huge factor and can ruin many relationships and lives. Disagreements mostly end in violence now and its sickening to see. We really need to clean up our acts and try to all get on the same page.
exactly! In almost every disagreement we see it always seems to end in violence. If everybody just agrees on one thing then there obviously wouldn’t be a need for violence.
The themes of Macbeth are completely relevant in today’s society. So often people do whatever they need to do in order to get what they want, destroying anything that gets in their way, just like Macbeth did. Hitler did whatever he wanted and killed millions of people to get what he wanted, just like Macbeth killed his King, best friend, and many others along the way. Just like Hitler had no sympathy for who he killed, at the end of the play, all Macbeth could say about his wife dying is that she should have waited until after he did what he needed to do. Greed is really what drives people to do the things that they do. Greed is a huge theme in the play and also a huge factor in today’s society. If there was no greed, most likely the terrorism and genocide that’s been going on wouldn’t be happening.
I agree with your point on people doing anything in order to get their desires. Made good examples from modern day situations.
P.S. Can you explain to me how greed would decrease terrorism?
interesting question, Mike.
I also think that greed is ruining todays society. As i stated earlier I feel as if people do not look out for others anymore and only for themselves. It is sickening to watch people only care for eachother. We need to all figure out our problems and enjoy eachother. That is the only way we are going to succeed. Hope for the best for everyone else and you will get it in return.
From all these years Shakespear’s themes are seen very often in the media and politics today. For example, the themes of absolute power, and ambition are all connected to each other in Macbeth. In the paly the witches tell Macbeth that no man born of woman can harm him. Macbeth assumes that he is invincible since he believes everyone is born from woman, but he later finds out that Macduff was born “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.” His ambition to become king contributed to his downfall. Instead of doing what was right he decided to listen to his wife and started killing everyone that was against him. Today people would do anything as long as they get what they want. Also at first Macbeth didn’t want anything but to keep everyone safe. But then at the moment that the predictions began to come true he started feeling the power filling him up. He stopped caring about his friends and even his own family when he became king. The power as king made him forget what a true king should do. In society today politics are the same way, especially when people make commercials about each others company. They say all these bad things about the other company and say the opposite about theirs, making themselves look better. As long as they get more costumers they dont care about hurting the business of the other company.
I liked the comparison of two company’s cause you do see that everyday.
The themes from Macbeth are still relevant in society today. One motif from Macbeth that is still relevant is ambition. In the book, Macbeth was considered a hero to everyone. It was not his ambition at all that eventually lead to his downfall. Lady Macbeth was way to ambitious. No one would expect Macbeth of all people to be persuaded to commit all the murders. In a way, lady Macbeth passed on her ambition to Macbeth, so much that he killed his king, who was also his cousin. In today’s society, being ambitious is usually a good thing. As Tiffany said earlier, there are many ambitious people today, and if it were not for their ambition, they may have not been successful. Yes, ambition is normally good, however, being over amitious can be a bad thing. Mike used the example of Hitler earlier, which I believe can be used for being over ambitious as well. Hitler wanted to take over country after country, and kill everyone off that was not to his standards. Yes he was successful at first, but his ambition eventually lead to his death.
Shiloh is right, too much ambition can be bad. Like in Macbeth’s case his ambition got the better of him and made him do things he normally wouldn’t have done if Lady Macbeth didn’t pressure him into it. As someone said earlier Macbeth was a good guy and earned Thane of Cawador and Glaims for being loyal and honest. He probably would have became king if he stayed faitful to Scotland. But he turned against family and friends because his raging ambition took over.
In today’s society, sometimes people do whatever they want. Ambition makes people doing something they want for themselves or for their benefits without thinking other people. Like Macbeth did, some people would do violence to someone and destroy its all life just for achieving their goal and benefit. All dictators like Hitler, Germany’s dictator, Kim Jung Il, North Korea’s dictator, Napoleon, France’s dictator, did as Macbeth did whatever he wanted to get even it was harmful to other people for their desires. Also, the dictators, except Kim Jung Il, fell down from the top of all people and his high position because they lost people’s belief toward them.
One theme that I want to point out that is just like today’s society is betrayal. In Macbeth people betrayal each other. It is basically like every man for themselves. Also, absolute power and ambition are relevant to our society. People in our society today like to have that certain power. Another theme is good vs. evil which is in our society today. People are good at times but to get there way they become evil, just like Lady Macbeth. If you look closely, Macbeth in the beginning cared about family, friends and peers. Now, he really does not care. He is a ruler and he will not let anyone stand in his way. Our society today is the same way. If someone wants to reach their goal of something they will push and shove and go through obstacles to get that achievement. That is exactly what Macbeth did.
Anthony – don’t you think that people in today’s society also betray each other for reasons only known to them? Your one sentence that states, “they will push and shove and go through obstacles to get that achievement” is interesting; however, did Macbeth “push and shove” or was he put up to it? If he was put up to it, then who really put him up to it?
Many people do do what they want to do, even without thinking about the consequences that applies. Such as ruining a person’s live just to get the person you like to somewhat like you.
I think the main theme in Macbeth was ambition. And that is relevant in today’s society. In today’s society people who become ambitious can turn that ambition into greed and selfishness. Just like in Macbeth, Macbeth became to ambitious and he turned it into greed and became selfish. He harmed the people he loved to get what he desired. (Not sure if that’s the correct word to use here.)
Sevara – the question still remains, is being king really what he “desired”? Or was he pushed from other sources?
I feel like he somewhat did desire being king. Although he wasn’t going to go to extreme measures to get there. It was mostly Lady Macbeth that pushed him into killing Duncan. And I feel like if it wasn’t for Lady Macbeth he wouldn’t have did what he had done.
Sevara- perhaps, but what about the weird sisters? Did they also push him?
I agree with Severa, if it were not for Lady Macbeth, Macbeth probably would not have gone through extreme lengths. Macbeth would not have killed Duncan and the millions of other people in Scotland.
Jin is right. Macbeth would not have killed Duncan if Lady Macbeth didn’t bully him into doing it. He wanted to prove he was a man by killing his cousin, Duncan. Lady Macbeth always questioned his manhood
Jin and Val – although I agree with you regarding Lady Macbeth’s involvement with Macbeth, we still need to pose the question .. Did the witches have anything to do with Macbeth’s behavior or better yet, was it all Macbeth’s fault because of his free will?
In a way, it was all of Macbeth’s fault for getting whipped by his wife and after Macbeth talked to the witches, it sort of made him want to do what he did even more.
how?
I agree with mr.stracco… Macbeth didnt want to be king at first but when the three witches predicted his futuro as Thane of Cawdor and King he wanted to make it happen. He was amazed of how the witches’ prophecy came true when Ross gave him the news. He starts thinking whether the reign will just come or whether he would have to do something to make it happen. If it wasnt for the three witches and their predictions he could have become king at its time.
Well now that Jersey Shore is over …
A major theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is how fate and destiny makes up your life rather than that of human will. Personally I still believe that everything is predestined and that if you do something to break that chain of being all hell will break loose. This is relevant in society today in the matter that some people still share this belief as I believe that no matter how hard I try, I know that what ever is supposed to happen to me will happen. Power is also a major theme of Macbeth as he strived to become the King of Scotland and would do anything in order to do it. Because people in today’s society are all about being at the top of the pyramid. I myself as a young adult plan on becoming a CFO of a major company entitling me of all the power just because it looks well, feels well, and pays well.
Max, your last sentence is interesting but do you contradict your second sentence?
Did I contradict it or did I support it; or is it a cliff hanger? As I grow older and my path sets foot, I find where I tend to go the way that feels right as we discussed in class. However if fate decides to throw me a roadblock then I know that business is not the way for me to go.
i agree with mr. stracco. to help clarify you planning to accomplish something is being contradicted by your saying you believe everything is linked to fate.
Myself planning to do something is all predestined. If I fail to carry out what I plan on doing it is all brought about by fate and there is nothing i can do about it. Fate will present me with my next opportunity and I will just have to “roll with the punches”.
However thank you Jessica for such wonderful input because your point is truly plausible.
Good response Max!
I believe that one of the main themes in Macbeth was greed. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s greed to wanting the throne lead them to violence, extreme lengths of things, and the loss of their sanity. In today’s society, greed is also an issue. People go through extreme lengths, such as violence just to get what they want. Also a few amount of people in today’s society loose some of their sanity and do worse things, like murder. They are also so insane that the violence and the murder that they commit are not wrong to them anymore and it just becomes their nature.
I beleive that the themes in Macbeth still exists in this very day and age. Many people will do almost anything to get what they want or need. It is sad to say it but there are people that can be considered a “Macbeth”. Such as criminals who will not think twice about betraying his friends. When a person acquire something precious they will persue for more. I believe that greed is what turns honest people in to corrupt people.
Well I do believe the witches had something to do with it. If the witches didn’t read him his philosophies he probably wouldn’t have came up with the idea of killing Duncan in the first place. And I’m not to sure about his free will…
I completely agree with you Val. It was the temptation and manipulation that lead Macbeth to greed. The witches caused Macbeth to want to be king, but he showed no real ideas of actually killing Duncan or anyone else. It wasnt until his wife manipulated him into the idea. Not everyone is brought to greed that easily
The central themes in Macbeth can still be related to current events in our time period. For example the duality of man. I find this to be the most reoccurring theme in our day and age. Macbeth was convinced that killing duncan was something he needed to do, either to become a “man” as Lady Macbeth had persuaded him, or for his own selfish desires to become king. Either way from Macbeth’s twisted point of view he was doing what he believed was right. Even when it came to something as terrible as having his best friend murdered. Macbeth ordered his death to attempt to keep his throne safe. To Duncan and Banquo this was unjust and they had believed Macbeth was worthy of their trust.
This theme can be applied to almost any time period in almost any country. War is the perfect example of the duality of man. To each side of a war, the other is the enemy. Each believes what they’re fighting for is right. Even America is fighting a war against terrorists who believe they need to die to prove their cause. To these people, what they’re doing is right, and to America it is wrong, stopping them is right. Each side of any war can be held as an example of the duality of man.
I don’t know if I can completely agree with Veronica Nardello’s first statement she made. Can u truly blame all the events that took place in Scotland on Macbeth? Or can the blame be distributed throughout characthers? Such as his AGNOSTIC wife Lady Macbeth who pressured him into following through with the acts. And also I believe some blame can be given to the Witches who told Macbeth the prophecies from the beginning. These events would have never taken place if the witches had not told Macbeth of his future, which then also makes you think, did the witches pretty much plan Macbeth’s future for him by telling him these events would take place? Therefore leaving himno choice but to act the way he did? I dont know V-Rons, I am just saying. . .
Puzz your idea is right and I don’t completely agree with Veronica either. However, saying that he would not have done it with out the word of the witches is a little iffy. Fate being what it is ( as you can see in my post a few posts up) is always going to happen no matter what you do about it.
this is my 2nd time doing this because the first time i posted it i lost it……. i lost all my good info on my last post=[
Just like in Macbeth todays society is full of selfish and backstabbing people. People just look out for themselve and no one else.Some people just will do anything to get what they want and not let anyone get in their way.Some they are relevant in today’s society because many people deal with greed, fear, superstition, power, racism, in today’s world even politics and people.Greed is a big theme in this play , also in todays society and greed is what drives people to do things. Power can really change someone because once you get power you never want to give it up.Macbeth did anything he could to become king like kill the king and kill his bestfriend. By doing this he lost respect from everyone and lost his wife and bestfriend.That shows that someone will do anything just to get power. Hitler killed millions of people and did whatever he wanted , just like Macbeth who killed his bestfriend and king to get what he wanted .Both of them had no sympathy for who they killed.Just like Macbeth when someone has ambition they will go to every length to get exactly what they want.And that hurts them in the end.
In many ways we see themes from Shakespeares Macbeth that are relevant in today society. The book Macbeth showed great examples of backstabbing, greed, and karma. When Lady Macbeth had convinced him to kill Duncan it had all went downhill from there. Macbeth went from a kind soft-hearted loved guy to a hated evil greed filled monster. He was willing to do whatever he had to do to get what he had wanted. After killing the king and then eventually his best friend people had lost respect for him. Finally in the end Macbeth had got what he had deserved, him getting killed by Macduff, showing the theme of Karma because of all the deaths he had caused.
One of the themes in Macbeth is corrupting power and ambition. It can be said that this theme is relevant to today’s society. In the beginning, Macbeth was courageous and he wouldn’t naturally commit evil deeds. But at the end, Macbeth transforms into a mad man. Macbeth would kill to get whatever he wanted. I can not think of a person in today’s society that is similar to Macbeth. But, Adolf Hitler seems to be similar to Macbeth. At first, Adolf Hitler appealed to almost everyone. He seemed like a good person who wanted to help others. But when he took power, his true colors showed and he was no longer favored by others because of all the evil deeds he committed. This is why I think that Macbeth and Hitler are similar.