Sympathy and Pity Remain Essays - Characters In Macbeth,

Sympathy and Pity Remain Everyday people are being persuaded and forced into doing things that are wrong and that they do not want to do. Does this mean that they are a bad person? Everyone controls their own actions and can think for themselves but sometimes with just the slightest bit of persuasion someone can do something that goes against their morals. These people should not be shunned from society just because they are persuaded easily and others feel pity and sympathy towards them because they have trouble thinking for themselves. In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth commits many monstrous acts throughout the play, yet he still seems to have the sympathy and pity of the audience. Macbeth encounters three witches that tell him prophecies about the future that alter his actions later in the play in a way that he would have never thought was possible. He was approached by the three witches witch said to him, ?All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King hereafter.?(W. Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 3 line 50) Macbeth was told that he would become King and he was so surprised that he became excited and now wanted to become King more than anything in the world. Once the witches put this thought in his head he wanted nothing more than to make this statement come true because the thought that he could have absolute power made him commit the crime of killing Duncan and taking his place as King. If the witches had not told Macbeth that he would become King he would never have killed Duncan. As well as being told that Macbeth would become King, the witches also told him that, ?for none of women born Shall harm Macbeth,?(Act 4 Scene 1 Lines 80-81) this statement from the witches told Macbeth that anyone who was given birth to by a woman could hurt Macbeth. Macbeth took this statement in the way that he would never be defeated and that he had nothing to worry about. This prophecy makes it seem that Macbeth would be safe but the witches tricked him into thinking that. Macduff, the man who kills Macbeth, was not woman born because he was born through a c-section. Macbeth believed that no one would be able to defeat him but the witches tricked him and in a way helped Macduff kill Macbeth because he was not expecting anyone to kill him. The witches tricked Macbeth and this makes the audience feel sympathy for him, as he was not expecting to be defeated. The witches, on top of everything they already said, also told Macbeth, ?Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him.?(Act 4 Scene 1 Lines 92-94) This prophecy given by the witches means that until Birnam forest moves to Dunsinane, Macbeth will be safe. This statement from the witches also has a double meaning. It seems very improbable for a forest to move, so again, Macbeth is not expecting anybody to be able to remove his power from him. This prophecy comes true when, an army of soldiers hides in Birnam Wood and when they move to Dunsinane they cover their numbers by using branches and leaves from the forest. Macbeth thinks that he will be safe believing the witches and that a forest will never move but it comes true and Macbeth was again tricked. These witches made Macbeth believe that he would be safe but in the end Macbeth was not ready and killed. Since Macbeth was not expecting anything to happen to him sympathy and p ity will always be felt when thinking about Macbeth. Macbeth was a great warrior and soldier but he was very gullible and was not the brightest person. When Macbeth heard that there was thousands of soldiers coming to his castle to kill him he thought that he would be all right and that no one could hurt him because of what the witches told him. We can see that since Macbeth knows there is ten thousand English soldiers coming for him and he is not frightened just shows that he is not the smartest person. Regardless of what he has done to make the soldiers