macbeth by william shakespeare essay

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Read below our complete notes on “Macbeth”, a famous play by William Shakespeare. Our notes cover Macbeth summary, themes, characters, and analysis.

Introduction

Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare in either 1605 or 1606. Its full name is “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. It was first performed in around 1606.

The drama revolves around a Villain named Macbeth who is ambitious and brave but because of his thirst for power, he begins to do evil. He receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become the king of Scotland. To make this prophecy true, he kills the king of Scotland and many other people who become a threat to his throne. At the end he faces a downfall.

The play has many elements i.e. temptation, conspiracy, madness, pathos and destruction.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare Summary

This play portrays a tragic downfall of a brave warrior, Macbeth. After defeating the forces of Norway and Ireland, he receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will become the king of Scotland. The other part of the prophecy is that the children of Banquo, another Scottish general, will become the future kings. Macbeth is already made the Thane of Cowder. He is happy and ambitious after receiving the prophecy.

Afterwards, King Duncan declares that he will spend a night at Macbeth’s castle as a celebration of their victory. Macbeth informs Lady Macbeth about the King’s arrival and prophecies of witches. Lady Macbeth appears to be very evil. She makes the plan to kill the king and convinces Macbeth to act accordingly by challenging his manhood.

Lady Macbeth plans to get the chamberlains drunk to show them as culprits after murder. When everyone sleeps, they start acting upon their plan and Macbeth stabs Duncan with a knife and kills him. After that, Lady Macbeth stains the clothes and faces of chamberlains sitting outside the king’s chamber and puts the knives near them to show that they are the culprits.

The next morning, Macduff comes to Macbeth’s castle to receive the king but finds him dead. Subsequently, Macbeth kills the chamberlains to show anger towards king’s death and to show that he is innocent. Banquo discusses the certain issue with Macbeth and departs.

Later, Macbeth proclaims himself the king in front of everyone. He fears his friend Banquo because of the second part of the prophecy, so he arranges two murders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. Murderers kill Banquo but his son manages to escape outside the castle in the dark woods.

Although, he successfully executes his plans but he starts behaving abnormally during dinner. He starts witnessing Banquo’s ghost and Lady Macbeth gives excuses for his unusual behavior.

Afterwards, Macbeth again meets the witches and receives three prophecies; Beware of Macduff, none of woman born shall harm him and that he is safe until Burnam’s wood moves to Dunsinane hills. Macduff goes to England to meet Malcolm and plan revenge against Macbeth. They decide to take help from King Edward of England and plan to attack Scotland with 10,000 soldiers. Meanwhile, Ross comes and tells Macduff that his family has been killed by Macbeth.

Moreover, Lady Macbeth starts behaving abnormally because of the guilt of her crimes. Death of Macduff’s family increases her madness and she becomes ill. English army attacks and reaches towards Burnam’s wood and they plan that each soldier will carry a bush in front of him. It seems like the forest is moving towards Dunsinane and the Prophecy of witches becomes true.

Lady Macbeth dies and the war begins. Macbeth fights keeping in mind that no-one can kill him as everyone is born out of mother. He kills Seward’s son and disappears. Macduff finds him, tells him that he was born by cesarean-section and beheads him.

Afterwards, he declares Malcolm the king of Scotland and everyone curses Macbeth and Lady Macbeth for their cruelty.

Themes in Macbeth

Kingship vs. tyranny:.

In the play Duncan is always referred to as a “king” while Macbeth becomes known as “tyrant” when he comes to the throne. This is because of the qualities present in a good king and a tyrant.

Macbeth starts doing evil for the thirst of power and throne which shows his violent temperament and disloyalty towards the country.  He kills the king and other people who are a threat to his kingship.

On the other hand, Duncan is kind-hearted and loyal towards his country. At the end, Macbeth faces downfall because of his cruel and immoral nature.

Relationship between Cruelty and Masculinity:

This theme shows that violence is not just a male’s attribute, females can also show violence. It is explored by the character of Lady Macbeth and the three witches in this play.

As we can clearly see, how Lady Macbeth shows aggression, cruelty and violence. She plans to kill the king and forces Macbeth to follow her evil plan and to kill every person who she sees as a threat.

On the other hand, we can see three witches who seem cruel and evil from their conversations throughout the play.

Fate vs. Freewill:

Another major theme of this play is fate vs. freewill. The character of Macbeth and three witches represent this theme.

Although, Macbeth is told by the witches about his future that he will become the king but he is not told how to take the position of king. Prophecy of witches is fate but how to make it reality depends upon Macbeth’s freewill. Instead of waiting for the right time, he chooses a wrong path that leads him towards downfall.

Reason vs. Passion:

This theme is represented by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play we can see the difference between their persuasive strategies.

Macbeth is very logical and clear-sighted. He knows that he is doing evil and the consequences of it. He feels guilty for breaking King Duncan’s trust but he is persuaded by his wife to do evil.

On the other hand, Lady Macbeth passionately examines the pros and cones of her plan of killing the king. She is an emotional and evil person who uses emotional arguments to convince her husband to do the crime.

Macbeth Characters Analysis

Macbeth is the villain of the play. His initial impression is of a brave and courageous warrior who has won the battle through his bravery and dedication. However, when he meets the three witches, his lack of strength of character and overly ambitious nature is revealed. Shakespeare tries to convey the effects of ambitious nature and self-doubt in a person with weak character.

When Macbeth receives the prophecy from witches he becomes happy but later he is persuaded by his wife’s emotional argument to kill the king. He is a rational person who knows the consequences of doing evil but he is also occupied by evil forces.

Moreover, he also starts behaving abnormally because of the guilt of the sins committed by him but again the thirst for power makes him strong and he begins to act according to his evil plans.

In the end of the play, Macduff beheads him and he faces a downfall.

Lady Macbeth:

Lady Macbeth is one of the Shakespeare’s most evil female characters. She is Macbeth’s wife and a deeply ambitious and cruel woman who lusts for power and position. Her first appearance in the play is when she is plotting Duncan’s murder. She is a cruel and ruthless woman who convinces her husband to commit a sin by challenging his manhood.

She represents the relationship between femininity and violence in the play. Macbeth says that Lady Macbeth is a masculine soul residing in a female body which shows that females can also be cruel and ruthless.

Moreover, she remains firm to her decision of murdering the king and persuades Macbeth but later on the guilt of sins makes her mad. She tries to wash away the invisible blood stains from her hands. Her strength becomes her weakness and she commits suicide by the close of the play.

The Three Witches:

The three witches are referred to as “weird sisters” in the play. They are the ones who give prophecy about Macbeth’s future and play upon him like puppeteers.

Macbeth believes in their prophecies which lead him towards darkness and downfall.  However, their true identity is unclear. Although, they are servants of Hecate but the play does not tell us whether they are independent agents playing with human lives or the agents of fate.

Furthermore, some of their prophecies seem fulfilling and some are acted upon by Macbeth.

Banquo is another Scottish General and Macbeth’s friend. He is a brave, ambitious and virtuous person unlike Macbeth.  He also receives a prophecy from witches that his children will come to the throne in future.  This prophecy becomes a threat to Macbeth’s kingship and he orders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. However, his son escapes but he is murdered.

Later, his ghost haunts Macbeth and he starts acting abnormally.

King Duncan:

He is the king of Scotland who is murdered by Macbeth for the lust of power and throne. He is a virtuous man and a good king who is faithful towards his country. His decision to pass the kingdom to his son, Malcolm, becomes the reason of his death.

Macduff is the thane of Scotland. He is loyal towards king and turns against Macbeth after discovering king’s death.  He flees to England to meet Malcolm where he comes to know about his family’s murder so he plans to take revenge from Macbeth. He also wants to unseat Macbeth from the throne.

Malcolm is the son of Duncan.  He flees to England fearfully after his father’s death. He raises an army there to take back his throne from Macbeth. In the end of the play, Malcolm becomes the king with the support of Macduff and England army.

He is Duncan’s son and Malcolm’s younger brother who flees to Ireland after his father’s death.

He is Banquo’s son who escapes the castle when murderers attempt to kill him. After that he does not appear in the play.

She is the goddess of three witches who guides them to plot mischief against Macbeth.  She is evil and weird.

Macbeth Literary Analysis

The play “Macbeth” portrays a tragic downfall of a brave warrior, Macbeth. At first he appears as a brave and courageous Army General who has won the battle through his bravery but later we come to know about his real self when he receives the prophecies from the three witches.  The prophecies are that Macbeth will become the king of Scotland soon and children of Banquo, another army general, will inherit the throne in future.

After these prophecies, Macbeth appears to be an evil, ruthless and overly ambitious person. He lacks the strength of character and starts doing evil to become the king. The thirst for power and position leads him towards a great downfall.

On the other hand, Lady Macbeth, a violent and ruthless woman, persuades him to murder the king because of the lust of throne and power. He is a masculine soul in a female body that is strong and overly ambitious about her plans. In the beginning she strongly acts upon her evil plans but later she cannot carry the burden of her sins that leads her towards madness. This shows that no matter how strongly one commits sins, at some point in life those sins overly burden him/her and haunt him/her.

Moreover, Banquo, who is faithful towards Duncan and does not plot evil to make the prophecy come true, is killed by Macbeth. But later on we discover that his ghost starts haunting Macbeth and he starts acting abnormally. It shows the contrast between personalities of the two, Macbeth and Banquo. Both are ambitious and brave but Macbeth is evil and Banquo is virtuous because he does not choose a wrong path to become more powerful.

Additionally, the king of Scotland named Duncan is also a virtuous and honored king who is killed by Macbeth because of his lust for throne. Duncan is referred to as ‘King’ throughout the play whereas Macbeth is referred to as a ‘Tyrant’ when he declares himself as a king. It shows the contrast between a good king and a tyrant. Macbeth murders every person who comes on his way of becoming the king. He is a wicked and immoral person who commits sins whereas Duncan is a moral person who rules the Scotland justly and peacefully.

The play also portrays the consequences and effects of thirst for power of a person who is morally weak and lacks the decisive power. Macbeth knows the consequences of his evil deeds but keeps on committing sins because he lacks the decisive power, he is constantly persuaded by his wife to murder those who are a threat to his kingship. It leads him to a tragic downfall.

More From William Shakespeare

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Merchant of Venice
• Twelfth Night
• The Taming of the Shrew
• As You Like It
• Much Ado About Nothing
• The Comedy of Errors

William Shakespeare

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Macbeth . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Macbeth: Introduction

Macbeth: plot summary, macbeth: detailed summary & analysis, macbeth: themes, macbeth: quotes, macbeth: characters, macbeth: symbols, macbeth: literary devices, macbeth: quizzes, macbeth: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of Macbeth

Other books related to macbeth.

• Full Title: The Tragedy of Macbeth
• When Written: 1606
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1623
• Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 - 1660)
• Genre: Tragic drama
• Setting: Scotland and, briefly, England during the eleventh century
• Climax: Some argue that the murder of Banquo is the play's climax, based on the logic that it is at this point that Macbeth reaches the height of his power and things begin to fall apart from there. However, it is probably more accurate to say that the climax of the play is Macbeth's fight with Macduff, as it is at this moment that the threads of the play come together, the secret behind the prophecy becomes evident, and Macbeth's doom is sealed.

Extra Credit for Macbeth

Shakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.

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Synopsis and plot overview of Shakespeare's Macbeth

• In this section

TL;DR (may contain spoilers): Macbeth hears that he is going to be king; he and Lady Macbeth kill people so he can become king; both of them die.

Macbeth Summary

Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death.

• Read our  Macbeth Character Summaries

More detail: 2 minute read

On a bleak Scottish moorland, Macbeth and Banquo, two of King Duncan's generals, discover three strange women (witches). The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be promoted twice: to Thane of Cawdor (a rank of the aristocracy bestowed by grateful kings) and King of Scotland. Banquo's descendants will be kings, but Banquo isn't promised any kingdom himself. The generals want to hear more, but the "weird sisters" disappear. 

Soon afterwards, King Duncan names Macbeth Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his success in the recent battles. The promotion seems to support the prophecy. The King then proposes to make a brief visit that night to Macbeth's castle at Inverness. Lady Macbeth receives news from her husband about the prophecy and his new title. She vows to help him become king by whatever means are necessary (*ominous music*). 

Is this a dagger which I see before me? — Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 1

Macbeth returns to his castle, followed almost immediately by King Duncan. The Macbeths plot together to kill Duncan and wait until everyone is asleep. At the appointed time, Lady Macbeth gives the guards drugged wine so Macbeth can enter and kill the King. He regrets this almost immediately, but his wife reassures him. She leaves the bloody daggers by the dead king just before Macduff, a nobleman, arrives. When Macduff discovers the murder, Macbeth kills the drunken guards in a show of rage and retribution. Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee, fearing for their own lives; but they are, nevertheless, blamed for the murder. 

Macbeth becomes King of Scotland but is plagued by feelings of insecurity. He remembers the prophecy that Banquo's descendants will inherit the throne and arranges for Banquo and his son Fleance to be killed. In the darkness, Banquo is murdered, but his son escapes the assassins. At his state banquet that night, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and worries the courtiers with his mad response. Lady Macbeth dismisses the court and unsuccessfully tries to calm her husband. 

Macbeth seeks out the witches who say that he will be safe until a local wood, Birnam Wood, marches into battle against him. He also need not fear anyone born of woman (that sounds secure, no loop-holes here). They also prophesy that the Scottish succession will still come from Banquo's son. Macbeth embarks on a reign of terror, slaughtering many, including Macduff's family. Macduff had gone to seek Malcolm (one of Duncan's sons who fled) at the court of the English king. Malcolm is young and unsure of himself, but Macduff, pained with grief, persuades him to lead an army against Macbeth. 

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes — Macbeth, Act 4 Scene 1

Macbeth feels safe in his remote castle at Dunsinane until he is told that Birnam Wood is moving towards him. Malcolm's army is carrying branches from the forest as camouflage for their assault on Macbeth's stronghold. Meanwhile, an overwrought and conscience-ridden Lady Macbeth walks in her sleep and tells her secrets to her doctor. She commits suicide. As the final battle commences, Macbeth hears of Lady Macbeth's suicide and mourns. 

Out, damned spot! — Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 1

In the midst of a losing battle, Macduff challenges Macbeth. Macbeth learns Macduff is the child of a caesarean birth (loophole!), realises he is doomed, and submits to his enemy. Macduff triumphs and brings the head of the traitor Macbeth to Malcolm. Malcolm declares peace and goes to Scone to be crowned king.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow — Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 5

For additional reading, see our blogs on Macbeth

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 25, 2020 • ( 0 )

Macbeth . . . is done upon a stronger and more systematic principle of contrast than any other of Shakespeare’s plays. It moves upon the verge of an abyss, and is a constant struggle between life and death. The action is desperate and the reaction is dreadful. It is a huddling together of fierce extremes, a war of opposite natures which of them shall destroy the other. There is nothing but what has a violent end or violent beginnings. The lights and shades are laid on with a determined hand; the transitions from triumph to despair, from the height of terror to the repose of death, are sudden and startling; every passion brings in its fellow-contrary, and the thoughts pitch and jostle against each other as in the dark. The whole play is an unruly chaos of strange and forbidden things, where the ground rocks under our feet. Shakespear’s genius here took its full swing, and trod upon the farthest bounds of nature and passion.

—William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays

Macbeth completes William Shakespeare’s great tragic quartet while expanding, echoing, and altering key elements of Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear into one of the most terrifying stage experiences. Like Hamlet, Macbeth treats the  consequences  of  regicide,  but  from  the  perspective  of  the  usurpers,  not  the  dispossessed.  Like  Othello,  Macbeth   centers  its  intrigue  on  the  intimate  relations  of  husband  and  wife.  Like  Lear,  Macbeth   explores  female  villainy,  creating in Lady Macbeth one of Shakespeare’s most complex, powerful, and frightening woman characters. Different from Hamlet and Othello, in which the tragic action is reserved for their climaxes and an emphasis on cause over effect, Macbeth, like Lear, locates the tragic tipping point at the play’s outset to concentrate on inexorable consequences. Like Othello, Macbeth, Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, achieves an almost unbearable intensity by eliminating subplots, inessential characters, and tonal shifts to focus almost exclusively on the crime’s devastating impact on husband and wife.

What is singular about Macbeth, compared to the other three great Shakespearean tragedies, is its villain-hero. If Hamlet mainly executes rather than murders,  if  Othello  is  “more  sinned  against  than  sinning,”  and  if  Lear  is  “a  very foolish fond old man” buffeted by surrounding evil, Macbeth knowingly chooses  evil  and  becomes  the  bloodiest  and  most  dehumanized  of  Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists. Macbeth treats coldblooded, premeditated murder from the killer’s perspective, anticipating the psychological dissection and guilt-ridden expressionism that Feodor Dostoevsky will employ in Crime and Punishment . Critic Harold Bloom groups the protagonist as “the culminating figure  in  the  sequence  of  what  might  be  called  Shakespeare’s  Grand  Negations: Richard III, Iago, Edmund, Macbeth.” With Macbeth, however, Shakespeare takes us further inside a villain’s mind and imagination, while daringly engaging  our  sympathy  and  identification  with  a  murderer.  “The  problem  Shakespeare  gave  himself  in  Macbeth  was  a  tremendous  one,”  Critic  Wayne  C. Booth has stated.

Take a good man, a noble man, a man admired by all who know him—and  destroy  him,  not  only  physically  and  emotionally,  as  the  Greeks  destroyed their heroes, but also morally and intellectually. As if this were not difficult enough as a dramatic hurdle, while transforming him into one of the most despicable mortals conceivable, maintain him as a tragic hero—that is, keep him so sympathetic that, when he comes to his death, the audience will pity rather than detest him and will be relieved to see him out of his misery rather than pleased to see him destroyed.

Unlike Richard III, Iago, or Edmund, Macbeth is less a virtuoso of villainy or an amoral nihilist than a man with a conscience who succumbs to evil and obliterates the humanity that he is compelled to suppress. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s  greatest  psychological  portrait  of  self-destruction  and  the  human  capacity for evil seen from inside with an intimacy that horrifies because of our forced identification with Macbeth.

Although  there  is  no  certainty  in  dating  the  composition  or  the  first performance  of  Macbeth,   allusions  in  the  play  to  contemporary  events  fix the  likely  date  of  both  as  1606,  shortly  after  the  completion  and  debut  of  King Lear. Scholars have suggested that Macbeth was acted before James I at Hampton  Court  on  August  7,  1606,  during  the  royal  visit  of  King  Christian IV of Denmark and that it may have been especially written for a royal performance. Its subject, as well as its version of Scottish history, suggest an effort both to flatter and to avoid offending the Scottish king James. Macbeth is a chronicle play in which Shakespeare took his major plot elements from Raphael  Holinshed’s  Chronicles  of  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland  (1587),  but  with  significant  modifications.  The  usurping  Macbeth’s  decade-long  (and  largely  successful)  reign  is  abbreviated  with  an  emphasis  on  the  internal  and external destruction caused by Macbeth’s seizing the throne and trying to hold onto it. For the details of King Duncan’s death, Shakespeare used Holinshed’s  account  of  the  murder  of  an  earlier  king  Duff  by  Donwald,  who cast suspicion on drunken servants and whose ambitious wife played a significant role in the crime. Shakespeare also eliminated Banquo as the historical Macbeth’s co-conspirator in the murder to promote Banquo’s innocence and nobility in originating a kingly line from which James traced his legitimacy. Additional prominence is also given to the Weird Sisters, whom Holinshed only mentions in their initial meeting of Macbeth on the heath. The prophetic warning “beware Macduff” is attributed to “certain wizards in whose words Macbeth put great confidence.” The importance of the witches and  the  occult  in  Macbeth   must  have  been  meant  to  appeal  to  a  king  who  produced a treatise, Daemonologie (1597), on witch-craft.

The uncanny sets the tone of moral ambiguity from the play’s outset as the three witches gather to encounter Macbeth “When the battle’s lost and won” in an inverted world in which “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Nothing in the play will be what it seems, and the tragedy results from the confusion and  conflict  between  the  fair—honor,  nobility,  duty—and  the  foul—rank  ambition and bloody murder. Throughout the play nature reflects the disorder and violence of the action. Opening with thunder and lightning, the drama is set in a Scotland contending with the rebellion of the thane (feudal lord) of Cawdor, whom the fearless and courageous Macbeth has vanquished on the battlefield. The play, therefore, initially establishes Macbeth as a dutiful and trusted vassal of the king, Duncan of Scotland, deserving to be rewarded with the rebel’s title for restoring peace and order in the realm. “What he hath lost,” Duncan declares, “noble Macbeth hath won.” News of this honor reaches Macbeth through the witches, who greet him both as the thane of Cawdor and “king hereafter” and his comrade-in-arms Banquo as one who “shalt get kings, though thou be none.” Like the ghost in Hamlet , the  Weird  Sisters  are  left  purposefully  ambiguous  and  problematic.  Are  they  agents  of  fate  that  determine  Macbeth’s  doom,  predicting  and  even  dictating  the  inevitable,  or  do  they  merely  signal  a  latency  in  Macbeth’s  ambitious character?

When he is greeted by the king’s emissaries as thane of Cawdor, Macbeth begins to wonder if the first predictions of the witches came true and what will come of the second of “king hereafter”:

This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings: My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is But what is not.

Macbeth  will  be  defined  by  his  “horrible  imaginings,”  by  his  considerable  intellectual and imaginative capacity both to understand what he knows to be true and right and his opposed desires and their frightful consequences. Only Hamlet has as fully a developed interior life and dramatized mental processes as  Macbeth  in  Shakespeare’s  plays.  Macbeth’s  ambition  is  initially  checked  by his conscience and by his fear of the unforeseen consequence of violating moral  laws.  Shakespeare  brilliantly  dramatizes  Macbeth’s  mental  conflict in near stream of consciousness, associational fashion:

If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly. If th’assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease, success: that but this blow Might be the be all and the end all, here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come. But in these cases We still have judgement here, that we but teach Bloody instructions which, being taught, return To plague th’inventor. This even-handed justice Commends th’ingredients of our poison’d chalice To our own lips. He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against The deep damnation of his taking-off, And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself And falls on the other.

Macbeth’s “spur” comes in the form of Lady Macbeth, who plays on her husband’s selfimage of courage and virility to commit to the murder. She also reveals her own shocking cancellation of gender imperatives in shaming her husband into action, in one of the most shocking passages of the play:

. . . 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.

Horrified  at  his  wife’s  resolve  and  cold-blooded  calculation  in  devising  the  plot,  Macbeth  urges  his  wife  to  “Bring  forth  menchildren  only,  /  For  thy  undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males,” but commits “Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.”

With the decision to kill the king taken, the play accelerates unrelentingly through a succession of powerful scenes: Duncan’s and Banquo’s murders, the banquet scene in which Banquo’s ghost appears, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, and Macbeth’s final battle with Macduff, Thane of Fife. Duncan’s offstage murder  contrasts  Macbeth’s  “horrible  imaginings”  concerning  the  implications and Lady Macbeth’s chilling practicality. Macbeth’s question, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” is answered by his wife: “A little water clears us of this deed; / How easy is it then!” The knocking at the door of the castle, ominously signaling the revelation of the crime, prompts the play’s one comic respite in the Porter’s drunken foolery that he is at the door of “Hell’s Gate” controlling the entrance of the damned. With the fl ight of Duncan’s sons, who fear for their lives, causing them to be suspected as murderers, Macbeth is named king, and the play’s focus shifts to Macbeth’s keeping and consolidating the power he has seized. Having gained what the witches prophesied, Macbeth next tries to prevent their prediction that Banquo’s descendants will reign by setting assassins to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The plan goes awry, and Fleance escapes, leaving Macbeth again at the mercy of the witches’ prophecy. His psychic breakdown is dramatized by his seeing Banquo’s ghost occupying Macbeth’s place at the banquet. Pushed to  the  edge  of  mental  collapse,  Macbeth  steels  himself  to  meet  the  witches  again to learn what is in store for him: “Iam in blood,” he declares, “Stepp’d in so far that, should Iwade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”

The witches reassure him that “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” and that he will never be vanquished until “Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him.” Confident that he is invulnerable, Macbeth  responds  to  the  rebellion  mounted  by  Duncan’s  son  Malcolm  and  Macduff, who has joined him in England, by ordering the slaughter of Lady Macduff and her children. Macbeth has progressed from a murderer in fulfillment of the witches predictions to a murderer (of Banquo) in order to subvert their predictions and then to pointless butchery that serves no other purpose than as an exercise in willful destruction. Ironically, Macbeth, whom his wife feared  was  “too  full  o’  the  milk  of  human  kindness  /  To  catch  the  nearest  way” to serve his ambition, displays the same cold calculation that frightened him  about  his  wife,  while  Lady  Macbeth  succumbs  psychically  to  her  own  “horrible  imaginings.”  Lady  Macbeth  relives  the  murder  as  she  sleepwalks,  Shakespeare’s version of the workings of the unconscious. The blood in her tormented  conscience  that  formerly  could  be  removed  with  a  little  water  is  now a permanent noxious stain in which “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten.” Women’s cries announcing her offstage death are greeted by Macbeth with detached indifference:

I have almost forgot the taste of fears: The time has been, my senses would have cool’d To hear a nightshriek, and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir As life were in’t. Ihave supp’d full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, Cannot once start me.

Macbeth reveals himself here as an emotional and moral void. Confirmation that “The Queen, my lord, is dead” prompts only the bitter comment, “She should have died hereafter.” For Macbeth, life has lost all meaning, refl ected in the bleakest lines Shakespeare ever composed:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Time and the world that Macbeth had sought to rule are revealed to him as empty and futile, embodied in a metaphor from the theater with life as a histrionic, talentless actor in a tedious, pointless play.

Macbeth’s final testing comes when Malcolm orders his troops to camoufl  age  their  movement  by  carrying  boughs  from  Birnam  Woods  in  their march toward Dunsinane and from Macduff, whom he faces in combat and reveals that he was “from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripp’d,” that is, born by cesarean section and therefore not “of woman born.” This revelation, the final fulfillment of the witches’ prophecies, causes Macbeth to fl ee, but he is prompted  by  Macduff’s  taunt  of  cowardice  and  order  to  surrender  to  meet  Macduff’s challenge, despite knowing the deadly outcome:

Yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, And damn’d be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”

Macbeth  returns  to  the  world  of  combat  where  his  initial  distinctions  were  honorably earned and tragically lost.

The play concludes with order restored to Scotland, as Macduff presents Macbeth’s severed head to Malcolm, who is hailed as king. Malcolm may assert his control and diminish Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as “this dead butcher and his fiendlike queen,” but the audience knows more than that. We know what  Malcolm  does  not,  that  it  will  not  be  his  royal  line  but  Banquo’s  that  will eventually rule Scotland, and inevitably another round of rebellion and murder is to come. We also know in horrifying human terms the making of a butcher and a fiend who refuse to be so easily dismissed as aberrations.

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Macbeth William Shakespeare

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Macbeth Essays

A complex victim: banquo as a figure of loyalty and clarity anonymous 10th grade.

Throughout Macbeth, the character of Banquo is continually presented as a contrasting foil to the character of Macbeth himself, as a noble and perceptive ally of the Scottish royal line. His presence in the play is felt in contrast to Macbeth’s...

Macbeth's Ambition Petra Zadroga 10th Grade

Throughout all of Shakespeare's Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, infected by prophecy, cruises a downward spiral into more and more vile and unjustifiable acts until he is slain by the loyal hero Macduff. Because of the frequent acts of malice...

The Effect of Violence on Ambition Anonymous 10th Grade

A seemingly innocent spark of aspiration can spiral into an ignited wildfire of vengeance. The play written by William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Macbeth, is set in a kingdom in Scotland during the eleventh century; once peaceful and filled to...

Manly Manipulation: The Liability of Masculinity in Macbeth Josie Reynolds College

While history has us assume that the idea of masculinity is equated with strength, Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy in Shakespeare’s Macbeth epitomizes the play’s understanding of masculinity in relation to power. When Lady Macbeth commands the spirits, “...

‘Depictions of Witches in Early Modern Literature Pander to Gender Stereotypes’: An Analysis of The Witch of Edmonton and Macbeth Summer Jade Dolan College

Because of the belief in early modern England that women were more susceptible to sin than men,[1] any literary depiction of a witch – the epitome of a woman who has fallen to sin – is a manifestation of, and an example of pandering towards, this...

Serpentine Imagery in Shakespeare's Macbeth Sarah Downey

The snake has long been used as a symbol of sly subtlety. A serpent's presence has been characterized by cunning cynicism dating as far back as biblical times, when the snake persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Eden's garden. Even the...

Macbeth's Evolution David Sauvage

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth undergoes a profound and gradual evolution throughout the play. He regresses from a logical, compassionate, caring, and conscientious man, to an entirely apathetic, amoral paradigm of cynical numbness. Macbeth's...

Jumping the Life to Come Alex Hoffer

A central theme of William Shakespeare's Macbeth is the title character's willingness to accept his fate. Macbeth's attitude toward the prophecies of the witches varies depending on how much he likes the prediction. At first, he follows along with...

Deceptive Appearances in Macbeth Sonia Jain

There is truth to Duncan's line "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face," for throughout Shakespeare's play Macbeth, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are not what they most often appear to be. Even Macbeth does not know the extent...

Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies Chris Hadfield

Separating qualities common to one 'set' or 'type' of Shakespeare's plays which are not common to the plays as a whole is a difficult task: it would no doubt be possible to find evidence of any feature uniting 'the Tragedies' within any of...

Inevitability and the Nature of Shakespeare's Tragedies Chris Hadfield

In Greek tragedy, inevitability plays an important role, portraying the protagonists as pawns of the fates, whose roles in the tragedy are distributed arbitrarily and without justice. The outcomes of these roles are decided before the play even...

Sleep and Nature Shira Traison

In Shakespeare's, Macbeth, there seems to be an uncanny connection between the images of sleep and nature. The play refers to the results of nature being thwarted, and since sleep is the primarily natural function of every human being, its seems...

The Elizabethan Chain of Being in Shakespeare's Macbeth Julianna Castaneda

The collective minds of people in England during the time of Shakespeare struggled to explain the unexplainable; they struggled to understand randomness and human nature. They believed that from the beginning of time a certain cosmic order had...

Gender Transition in Macbeth Anonymous

Come you spirit,

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here.

--Lady Macbeth

More so than any other Shakespearean play, Macbeth functions the most vividly as a psychoanalysis of the state of humanity's development of a sense of sexual self. Now, in a...

The Appearance of Fairness Michael Wainwright

Starting with the witches' assertion that âfair is foul, and foul is fair,â? it is clear that Macbeth is a play in which appearances will be deceiving and morality will be muddled. From the dialogue between King Duncan, Malcolm, and the wounded...

Macbeth's Moral Quandary Michael Wainwright

In Scene 2 of Act 2, Lady Macbethâs master plan to promote her husband to the throne finally comes to fruition. For the first time in the play, however, Lady Macbeth reveals some degree of weakness in her inability to actually murder Duncan with...

Mocking Time With Fairest Show: Tragic Macbeth Makes Time His Foe Christina Gulas

Time plays a crucial role in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Like all Shakespearian tragedies, the main character is necessarily at odds with time. By its very nature, a tragedy must end with the death of the hero. The hero, therefore, must bide...

Re-Creation and Immortal Fame: The Search for Eternal Life in Macbeth and Coriolanus Christina Gulas

In Shakespeare's time, having children was, arguably, even more important than it is today. In a society dominated by rules of inheritance and birthright, children were important, not only as the means of carrying on a name and genetic material,...

Ambiguity Leads the Way Jean-Francois Carrier

Dramatic tragedies are by definition plays that enact the struggle and downfall of their main character or characters. "The Tragedy of Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, is a perfect example of this; the entire play portrays the fatalistic...

Unholy Mothers: Mothers as Negative Characters in Richard III, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Macbeth and The Tempest Barret Buchholz

Unholy Mothers: Mothers as Negative Characters in Richard III, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Macbeth and The Tempest

by, Barret Buchholz

April 15, 2005

The mothers presented in Shakespeare's plays encompass a broad range of social positions, personalities,...

Responsibility for Tragedy in Othello and Macbeth Anonymous

The tragedy in both Othello and Macbeth is found not so much in the scattering of bodies covering the stage at the end of each play, but instead in the degeneration of the plays' respective protagonists. Men championed by Shakespeare at the...

Character Juxtaposition: The Twoness of Macbeth Anonymous

Character Juxtaposition: The Twoness of Macbeth

Shakespeare's Macbeth relays the tale of a Scottish general, at first presenting a seemingly brave and noble warrior. Macbeth is eventually prompted by ambition to seek the throne upon hearing a...

Madness in Hamlet and Macbeth Kelly Crossley

Hamlet and Macbeth are two of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. Each share not only fame, however, but format: Both feature main characters with tragic flaws that become their demise. In the cases of Hamlet and Macbeth, this flaw is...

An Analysis of Lady Macbeth's Gender Role throughout Macbeth Aline Tran

Shakespeare's Macbeth is a male dominated play. Most of the noticeable characters in Macbeth are male, including Macbeth, Macduff, Banquo, King Duncan, and Malcolm. Despite the lack of female power by numbers, Lady Macbeth proves to be a...

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Macbeth , set primarily in Scotland, mixes witchcraft, prophecy, and murder. Three “Weïrd Sisters” appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and prophesy that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king.

After Macbeth murders Duncan, the king’s two sons flee, and Macbeth is crowned. Fearing that Banquo’s descendants will, according to the Weïrd Sisters’ predictions, take over the kingdom, Macbeth has Banquo killed. At a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost appear covered in blood. Macbeth determines to consult the Weïrd Sisters again. They comfort him with ambiguous promises.

Another nobleman, Macduff, rides to England to join Duncan’s older son, Malcolm. Macbeth has Macduff’s wife and children murdered. Malcolm and Macduff lead an army against Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth goes mad and commits suicide.

Macbeth confronts Malcolm’s army, trusting in the Weïrd Sisters’ comforting promises. He learns that the promises are tricks, but continues to fight. Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes Scotland’s king.

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Theme of Revenge in Macbeth

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“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes Essay

Shakespeare’s literary finesse sets the pace in linguistics and literature. Using language and tropes, Shakespeare manages literally distinctiveness. In Macbeth, tropes, which are figures of speech, make most of the play to provide insight concerning what Shakespeare hoped to disseminate. With emphasis on specific sections of the initial, part of Macbeth, establishing the plot constituents is principal. This paper seeks to identify specific language and tropes used by Shakespeare in his plot development. Most important in this is the Shakespeare’s Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7 Lines 31 (“We will proceed no further in this business”) to 59 (“had I so sworn as you have done this”) (Shakespeare).

The pattern of the language is schematic and follows a trajectory of people making resolutions and reconciling certain crucial issues to offset an important one. The pattern shows cessation and a beginning of something new.

This problem will not continue to bother us any longer. We have to stop it and look ahead. I have consulted wise people who I know are of good judgment and their advice is highly revered across the society. I should have done that earlier to avoid this situation.’

Lady Macbeth

If I had committed myself in oath like you did and then broke this oath the way you did, how would it feel? In your opinion, you were entitled to pursue your desires ambitiously yet you had made vows to remain loyal to a certain cause that inhibits you from such selfish behaviors. You failed to identify with your role eventually breaching the very oath that you sought and abided by.

Using figurative language, Shakespeare through Macbeth introduces a certain cessation. ‘ We proceed no further in this business .’ Someone who has been associating with Macbeth has caused a stifling of relations. This introductory statement is tropic. The trope nature is identified in his use of ‘ proceed no further’ in which he uses two verbs, a trope known as zeugma. The language is indicative of present tense. In his zone (when he wrote the play) he was thinking, talking, and imagining about the ‘present’ during that time. When he says ‘and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people” Shakespeare is projecting how Macbeth has sought opinions from his associates regarding this issues which has come to cessation. Typically, ‘the end of something means the onset of another.’ Using this as a viewpoint that provides a lead to what Macbeth is all about, the fact that ‘ we will proceed no further in this business’ marks the end of something and the onset of a new one.

Using puns (homonymic puns), ‘ which would be worn now in their newest gloss’ he explains the value of these opinions and using metaphoric language (comparison) manages to explain the dire need to change things. Shakespeare is setting his plot and he has to deliver creatively this story line as objectively as possible. To define the optimism Macbeth had for this business that is now to end, Shakespeare endears lady Macbeth to his audience through sweet words of comfort to Macbeth.

‘ Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself ?’ (Shakespeare) is apostrophic and intended to set pace on the cause of action. Lady Macbeth is providing insight regarding the nature of Macbeth’s feelings before he came to this decision. Shakespeare is introducing a new situation hence conversely, provides background information to support the need for change in Duncan’s position. Along the conversation trajectory, it becomes apparent Macbeth has been controversially inadequate to lady Macbeth and it is evident they are making inroads and reconciling and benchmarking key aspects of their opinion in regard to Duncan.’ As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that, which thou esteem the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem ’(Shakespeare).

Lady Macbeth is lamenting at certain Macbeth inequities and inadequacies. She is reminding him of his role which he seemed to have forgotten. By conceptualizing, we can argue from two viewpoints, either Macbeth had failed to met his obligation through his own desire to commit to other duty, ignoring the Duncan context and its immense influence. His conclusion is that, that has to end a reason why he insists ‘ this business has to end ’ (Shakespeare). He attempts to appease Lady Macbeth and bring common ground by prying for her peace/patience in him. ‘ prithee peace, I dare do all that may become a man ’ (Shakespeare).These words explain his commitment to his cessation of his privy deeds that dissected his commitment to his role.

The language is toned in conciliatory metaphors ( what beast was it the) (Shakespeare). The rhythmical flow of dialogue and the conversational tone of the play explain the inner desires of Shakespeare to draw out a picture of a crisis that is now being resolved. Dialogue and the conciliatory tones are indicative of insights about resolving problems amicably in this society. Comparison shows metaphoric ambitions in his play aimed at depicting certain situations more clearly.

The schemes Shakespeare uses, especially tropes, aim at twisting the meaning of his words. Metonymy is observed, especially when Macbeth speaks ( pry thee peace ). When lady Macbeth responds, she personifies and hyperbolically synaesthetic about her bitter and resolute feelings. Though slightly rhetorical, she is emphatic and consistently questioning. By the time Shakespeare models his plot, one is aware of the previous constraints between Macbeth and Duncan who he trusted once.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “Macbeth:Act 1, Scene 7.” The Complete Works of William-Shakespeare . shakespeare-literature.com, 2003.

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IvyPanda. (2022, August 31). "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes. https://ivypanda.com/essays/macbeth-by-william-shakespeare-language-and-tropes/

""Macbeth" by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes." IvyPanda , 31 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/macbeth-by-william-shakespeare-language-and-tropes/.

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IvyPanda . 2022. ""Macbeth" by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes." August 31, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/macbeth-by-william-shakespeare-language-and-tropes/.

1. IvyPanda . ""Macbeth" by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes." August 31, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/macbeth-by-william-shakespeare-language-and-tropes/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Macbeth" by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes." August 31, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/macbeth-by-william-shakespeare-language-and-tropes/.

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If you are a high school or a college student, and you’re having difficulty coming up with a good topic for your essay, choose from the topic list below.  

Literary Analysis Essay Topics Middle School

• The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane 
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Literary Analysis Essay Topics for High School

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• The use of foreshadowing in George Orwell's Animal Farm
• The representation of mental health in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar
• The impact of war on individuals in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried
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• Discuss the role of cultural identity in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club

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Literary Analysis Essay Topics For College

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• Shed light on the theme of chaos in Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 
• Presentation of dreams in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 
• The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence 

Literary Analysis Essay Prompts in Classics

• The portrayal of fate in Romeo and Juliet 
• The portrayal of love in Romeo and Juliet 
• Concept of mortality in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet 
• Misogyny in Hamlet 
• Witchcraft in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth 
• The tragic flaws and character development of King Lear in William Shakespeare's play
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Social Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Social injustice in Oliver Twist 
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• Torture and injustice in Night by Elie Wiesel
• Vanity Fair - the culture of the 19th century according to Thackeray 
• The portrayal of the Civil Western Society in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• The role of women in society in the 18th Century according to Jane Austen 
• Escape from society and its rules in Into the Wild by John Krakauer 
• The place of women in the society in Hamlet 
• Social status of women in the 17th century portrayed by Jane Austen in Emma 
• The wrongs of the modern society in Fight Club by Palahniuk 

War and Peace Topics for Literary Analysis Essay

• The portrayal of war and violence in the poems of Stephen Crane
• Literary works during WWI
• War setting in Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• The depiction of war in Homer’s plays
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• The portrayal of war and peace by George Orwell
• Concept of war in A Fable by Faulkner
• Steinbeck’s presentation of injustice in The Grapes of Wrath

Literary Analysis Essay Topics for Movies

• Comparison between the book and film “Sense and Sensibility.” 
• The portrayal of women in the “Little Women.” 
• Imitation of society and class in “The Great Gatsby.”
• The ideas of love and trust in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” 
• The good and evil in “A Wrinkle in Time.” 
• Feminity in Sense and Sensibility 
• The role of Saruman and Gandalf 
• Spirituality and religion in “Lord of the Flies.” 
• Oskar’s struggle to find a sense of home in “The Tin Drum.”
• Jealousy and male pride in “The Dead.” 

Literary Analysis Essay Topics for the Subject of Race

• “Waiting for the Barbarians” by J.M. Coetzee
• Race and Injustice in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird
• Race and fellowship in Melville’s Moby Dick
• “Under The Feet Of Jesus”
• Description of culture and tradition in “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
• Interracial relationship in Back to Life by Wendy Coakley
• Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by McMorris
• The Art Of Love by Hong Ying
• Multiculturalism in the Captain Underpants series by Dev Pilkey
• Imitation of slavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

General Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Focalization techniques in When I Lay Dying
• Historical background of Duma’s Novels
• The use of imagery in Walt Whitman’s works
• Male and female characters in Beowulf
• Character analysis of Emmy in Vanity Fair
• Character analysis of Rebeca in Vanity Fair
• The complicated relationship between mother and daughter in Beloved
• Beauty standards in The Bluest Eye
• Comparison in the portrayal of death by Keats and Blake
• The idea of death in Renaissance literature

1984 Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Roles of genders in the novel
• What role does the Ministry of Truth play in the story?
• The theme of subversion of love in 1984
• The importance of memory in 1984
• Totalitarian society in George Orwell's 1984
• Analyze the role O'Brien plays in Winston's life
• An in-depth analysis of the novel 1984 by George Orwell
• How is the historical background reflected in 1984?
• Lack of privacy in 1984
• Propaganda and totalitarianism in Orwell’s “1984”

Hamlet Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• A theme of revenge in Hamlet
• Explore Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia
• Explore Hamlet’s mental state
• Discuss Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude
• Ghost in Hamlet
• Was Hamlet truly mad?
• Is Hamlet a villain or a hero?
• How does Shakespeare present the idea of madness in Hamlet?
• Is Hamlet’s love for Ophelia genuine?
• Tragedies in Hamlet VS Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Discuss the development of characters during the play
• Examine the role of women in Romeo and Juliet.
• What is the role of history in Romeo and Juliet?
• Analyze the Romeo and Juliet play
• Romeo and Juliet: Fate or Free Will?
• Why did Juliet warn of danger?
• Rosaline in Romeo and Juliet
• The love language of Romeo and Juliet
• A fate analysis essay on Romeo and Juliet
• The death of Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Macbeth’s mental state
• The role of morality in the play “Macbeth”
• Describe the use of figurative language in Macbeth
• The symbolism of blood in Macbeth
• Applying imagery in Macbeth to advance the story
• Lady Macbeth character analysis
• What role did social hierarchies play in the play?
• Analysis of gender roles in Macbeth
• Role of women in Macbeth by William Shakespeare
• Is Lady Macbeth a dominant heroine?

Beowulf Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Why is Beowulf a work of Christian propaganda?
• What is the main idea of the story?
• The meaning of rings in Beowulf
• Which of Beowulf's fights was most heroic?
• How do Beowulf’s heroic qualities affect the story?
• Discuss the digression's role in Beowulf
• Analyze the significance of the mead hall in Beowulf.
• The difference between Beowulf and Modern-Day Heroes
• Beowulf’s personality traits in the epic story
• Analysis of Beowulf's symbols and their importance

Frankenstein Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Analyze what fire is trying to symbolize.
• Frankenstein: The theme of guilt
• Discuss any romantic elements in “Frankenstein”
• The family relationship in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Who is more human, Frankenstein or the monster?
• Romantic and gothic Frankenstein elements
• Sacrifices for ambitions in the novel Frankenstein
• Relationship between Victor and Frankenstein
• Romanticism in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Family Values and Frankenstein

The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Discuss the novel as a cautionary tale
• The meaning of wealth in the novel
• What is the novel’s title meaning?
• Explain how the novel demonstrates the characteristics of modernism
• Explore the symbolism of the “green light” in “The Great Gatsby”
• Discuss the role of women in the 1920s society as portrayed in “The Great Gatsby”
• Dreams are the main theme in “The Great Gatsby”
• What makes The Great Gatsby great?
• The Great Gatsby: Winter Thoughts
• What role does money play in Fitzgerald’s novel?

The Crucible Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Relate the Crucible to modern society
• Analyze the most important theme of 'The Crucible.'
• What are the dynamics of puritanism?
• Examine the importance of religion in 1953 in work
• The use of fear tactics in “The Crucible”
• John Hale in The Crucible
• Morality and The Crucible
• The Crucible Critical Lens
• The sinful confessions in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• History of the Fireman in Fahrenheit 451
• Discuss the roles of both nature and technology play in Fahrenheit 451
• The use of Parallelism in Fahrenheit 451
• Analyze the three parts of Fahrenheit 451
• Discuss the dual image of fire in the novel
• How relevant is Fahrenheit 451 today?
• The role of Clarisse McClellan in “Fahrenheit 451”
• Analyze Mildred Montag
• Discuss the usage of literary quotes in Fahrenheit 451
• Examine the novel's main title

Literary Analysis Essay Topics For Othello

• Examine the portrayal of women in ‘Othello’
• A true reason for Othello's demise
• Consider Othello’s suicide
• The real motives of Iago in Othello
• Women's roles in Shakespeare’s Othello and Hamlet
• Gender roles and racism in “Othello”
• Discuss Othello's relationship
• Analysis of The Film “Othello” By Oliver Parker
• Explore themes of love and betrayal within Shakespeare's work of literature, “Othello”
• How was Emilia treated by the men in the play “Othello”?

Lord of The Flies Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• The symbolism of the conch shell and its significance in the novel
• Analyze the themes of civilization versus savagery in “Lord of the Flies”
• Explore the character development of Ralph and Jack in the story
• Discuss the role of fear and the “beast” in the boys' descent into chaos
• The portrayal of innate human nature and its consequences on the deserted island
• Analyze the role of Piggy and his glasses as symbols of knowledge and reason
• Analyze the use of irony in the story and its implications for the characters
• Discuss the themes of power and leadership in the struggle for dominance
• Examine the relationship between the boys' names and their personalities
• The role of the island's setting in shaping the events and characters of the story

Literary Analysis Essay Topics For The Catcher In The Rye

• Analyze the novel from the perspective of Bildungsroman
• Analyze literary devices used in “The Catcher in the Rye”
• Discuss the theme of death in the novel
• Analyze the theme of self-discovery from the novel
• Describe the story's topic of loneliness
• Analyze growing up in the novel
• Why does Holden love the Museum of Natural History?
• The Role of Dialogue in The Catcher in the Rye
• Describe the novel's portrayal of phoniness and naivety
• Describe the character of Holden

Interesting Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• War, existentialism, and love in “A Farewell to Arms”
• Sense of Sin in The Scarlet Letter 
• Analyze the use of biblical allusions and religious symbolism in William Golding's novels
• Analyze the symbolism of the “white whale” in Melville's work of literature, “Moby-Dick”
• Lies and deceit in “The Godfather” 
• Analyze the portrayal of fear and the human psyche in William Golding's novels
• The symbols used to describe nature by William Wordsworth
• Comparison between urban and rural settings of nature in the dystopia of Huxley
• Decay and revival in post-apocalyptic novels
• A religious and spiritual journey in “Jude the Obscure”

Now that you have the liberty to choose from a wide range of literary analysis example topics, you could use some help on how to opt for a good topic. 

To select a good and worthy topic for your literary analysis essay, follow the tips provided below:

• Always go for an interesting topic for an engaging piece of paper
• Look for an idea with available research material to support your analysis
• Ensure your topic allows for an in-depth analysis rather than a surface-level summary
• Choose an idea that challenges you to think critically and make meaningful connections
• Avoid overly broad topics; instead, focus on a specific aspect or element of the work.
• Choose an idea that best reflects your stance on the chosen work.
• Analyze the topic deeply before you start writing about it
• Balance personal interest with the potential appeal to your target audience
• Make sure that the theme of the work is visible in your essay topic 

Here are some tips for you to pen down a compelling literary analysis essay!

Essay writing is an essential part of academics. Students always require some tips and tricks to draft perfect essays and score good grades.

To make your literary analysis essay impeccable, follow the tips provided below:

• Thoroughly read the chosen literary work
• Identify the main themes, settings, and characters
• Understand the purpose of the work 
• Pay attention to the tools and techniques used by the author to deliver the message
• Pick an interesting literary analytical essay topic for your essay.
• To write an analytical essay effectively, draft a perfect literary analysis essay outline
• Develop a strong thesis statement 
• Craft strong topic sentences to guide and structure your analysis effectively
• Prove and support all your statements using phrases and quotes from work
• Write your literary essay from the third-person perspective
• Write in the present tense
• Avoid writing a plot summary of the work
• Use multiple literary terms to write your essay professionally
• Always cite properly

Literary Analysis Essay Example

To sum it up , writing a literary analysis essay can be extremely daunting if your analyzing abilities are weak. From selecting the right literary analysis topic to writing a conclusion for your essay, the process is lengthy.

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How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay - A Step-by-Step Guide

Literary Analysis Essay Outline - A Step By Step Guide