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Josh Uyeda
Bigelow the Omnipotent
English 10
February 13, 2014
The Dark Side of Shakespeare
Violence is a great way for any artist or author to express the twisted inner
feelings man has deep down within their being. Violence brings out the inner beast that is found
within the soul of every being, which comes alive with the taste of blood. In the play Macbeth by
William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses the theme of violence to depict horrific scenes and show
how demented a mans soul becomes with the fury of murder. Also how violence plays an
incredibly significant role on how the characters react to each other and how it changes the way
people act.
Violence changes people, some more than others. However, they are all the same.
Once man has a taste for blood he always will, never able to get rid of it. Violence has a very
apparent effect on Macbeth, the protagonist of Shakespeares play Macbeth. In the beginning of
the play and when Macbeth is first introduced, he is shown as a savage brutally massacring an
Irish general: Till he unseamed him from nave to th chops,/ and fixed his head upon our
battlements. (1.2.22-23) This is a key part because it shows that Macbeth has killed, and he now
has the fury within him that slowly pokes at his morality until it breaks. However, man can lose
that fury, but it never dies. It sits in his being,

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waiting, yearning for it to be stoked. This can be related to Macbeth by his self confidence in
being apt to killing the king. The fury is within Macbeth, but it doesnt break him to kill the king
by himself. He needed Lady Macbeth to start the fire inside him again and how Lady Macbeth
controls him.: She tells him, Only look upclear./ To alter favor is to fear./ Leave all the rest to
me.(1.5.74-76) also Also Lady Macbeth says, Your hand, your tongue. Look like th innocent
flower/ but be the serpent undert. (1.5.67-68) This ese quotes represents that Macbeth by
himself cannot be capable of planning the to kill, but he requires the aid of Lady Macbeth to start
his murdering again.
Violence scars a persons life. Their killings live with them forever, and more than
likely if a man has killed in cold-blood he will do so again. This is the case for Macbeth. He kills
the Irish general and then the king. He then kills his friend, Banquo. He cannot stop. The
violence that Macbeth has committed cannot be taken back. All shall give way. I am in blood.
Stepped in so far that I should wade no more, returning were as tedious as go oer. (3.4.136138). This quote shows that Macbeth has murdered too many that if he were to try and recover
from his killings and be good again, it would be just as hard as to continue his killing rampage.
This shows the effects violence plays and how it only gets worse, and worse, and worse. Until
they can no longer go back to the way they lived before: It will have blood, they say. Blood will
have blood.(3.4.122)
Violence not only changes the way that a person behaves and their decision
making and acts. . It also plays a heavy role on those who interact with them. An example:
Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you?/ Why, what care I? If thou canst

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nod, speak too. If charnel houses and our graves must send/ Those that we bury back, our
monuments/ Shall be the maw of kites.(3.4.69-74) This is at the dinner party with the lords at
Macbeths castle where Macbeth begins to rant and yell at an empty chair, which the ghost
Banquo is sat uponon, in front of his guests. This occurs because of the violent acts that Macbeth
had ordered upon Banquo. Macbeth goes mad, which worries his guests. Lady Macbeth covers
this up by saying his does this a lot. Violence plays a part in this because the violence that
happened created a chain reaction that now makes Macbeths closest lords to believe that their
king is senile. Another example is after the assassination of King Duncan, Scotland goes dark.
Time appears to stop: Thou seest the heavens as troubled with mans act/ Threatens his bloody
stage. By th clock tis day,/ And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp.(2.4.5-7) Acts of
violence break out across the land. All of this happens because of violence. Violence ruins the
way people think about you and the lives of others. Even in modern time, violence destroys
relationships and lives of those affected by it.
Violence destroys a persons soul. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen as
a hero. He won a huge battle. He was given another title of power. However, after all the violent
acts that follows. Macbeth plummets. He is seen as a murderer, a betrayer, a false king. In the last
battle, whenever Macbeth is on stage he is always aggravated. Upset over everything, violence
changed his personality and attitude. Macbeth isnt even fazed by the death of his wife, who he
was so dearly attached to at the beginning of the play. Violence in a sense dulls a persons feeling
and emotions and soon only violence is what you see in a persons eye. Violence takes control of
your decisions until all you are is a

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being of violence and anger. Violence is manipulative, the witches use violence to start
Macbeths killing spree. The witches used Macbeths ambition to make him use violence to
fulfill the prophecy.
Violence played a huge role in William Shakespeares play Macbeth. It shows
how violence will deteriorate the soul of a man and how it will drive him crazy. And how
violence devours you and is all people see of you. How you transform from a hero to a monster
that everyone fears. This is a huge reason why Shakespeares plays are so memorable. How they
They teach us a lesson on the being of man and how violence breaks us into nothingness. How
violence becomes our only drive and motive to live.

Shine: this is a really good paper. You have a clear focus (claim) that you follow through to the
end. Nice job proving your points. Your commentary is on point and insightful.
Goals: There are a few places where you need to properly integrate quotes. You also need to add
evidence to your last body paragraph.
Score: 9/9=A