Macbeth Analysis
People have a hard time getting what they want; in fact, the things they want can be incompatible with each other. A German physicist named Werner Heisenberg discovered an analogous phenomenon with his uncertainty principle. Studying matter at the atomic level, quantum physics, he realized that the act of measuring affected the object being measured. As a result, one could never accurately determine both position and momentum of an electron with precision. The attempt to reach one of these goals hurt the other, and a similar phenomenon is found in our everyday lives. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606), the protagonist is lured to murder the king, Duncan, by the desire for power, an ...
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increment, though the two may decline together.
The power from knowledge causes discomfort. As often has been said, ignorance is bliss. After Macbeth is promised the throne, Banquo asks why Macbeth is less than ecstatic. "Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair?" (Act I, Scene 3, p. 332) Macbeth’s new knowledge makes him uncomfortable, as he realizes the implications. His first thoughts considering murdering Duncan appear, and he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, "To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself." (Act II, Scene 2, p. 347) Knowing that has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and to deal with his guilt. When he later decides to murder Banquo and Fleance, he tells his wife, "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed." (Act III, Scene 2, p. 359) Hecate sets Macbeth up for his final fall, explaining her strategy,
"As by the strength of ...
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"Macbeth Analysis." Essayworld.com. December 10, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Macbeth-Analysis/56913.
"Macbeth Analysis." Essayworld.com. December 10, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Macbeth-Analysis/56913.
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