FRQ III

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PROMPT:

In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which the reader is confronted with a scene or scenes of violence. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the scene or scenes contribute(s) to the interpretation of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

       William Shakespeare is known as the King of English Literature because his works include impeccable literary style, realistic scenery, and enrapturing plots. Shakespeare's three themes of plays are comedy, historical, and tragedy. Each play creates scenery, characters, and literary styles to develop the plot in immense detail and capture the audience's attention throughout the play. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare confronts the reader with a scene of violence to interpret the faults in human desire and ambition for power, ultimately composing more intricate interpretations of humankind's morals in duality with tragic scenes. King Duncan's Duncan's murder takes place in the first act. This scene of violence is the foundation of the entire play.

Macbeth is a nobleman. One day, he is told by the three fates two prophecies: he will be promoted to a higher position and become King. Not long after, Macbeth is promoted to be Thane of Cawdor. With one of the prophecies being fulfilled, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, and they set out to murder the King, King Duncan. After his death, Macbeth is crowned King. Throughout the play, Macbeth is seen committing a mass amount of murders. His ambition for power and the threat of Malcolm avenging his dead father cause Macbeth to resort to violence throughout his reign as King. The ambition for power is Macbeth's central driving theme. The play explores how the knowledge of his successful future creates Macbeth's ambition. The scenes of violence are created by his desire and influence from other people. Lady Macbeth and the fates convince him to commit murder, and this ultimately brings him to his downfall. Ambition is the thing that blinds him throughout his reign as a king. From the murder of Duncan to the killing spree of his subjects, his power consumes his moral actions, which causes him to become a ruthless and paranoid human. The violence throughout the play always resorts to how his moral flaws were affected by the knowledge of the future and other loved ones. The play promotes the idea that an unhealthy ambition for power can quickly corrupt one who was once a noble mind and lead them to a tragic downfall.

Furthermore, there is an emotional appeal to including scenes with violence. "Murder most foul" is always a sensitive topic for humankind. While his ambition for power is seen through the basic human desire, it explores the deeper and more empathetic emotions experienced. Shakespeare explores how the impact of human morals can shape a person's actions and thoughts. Human morals, closely related to ambition for power, is another central theme in this play. Macbeth dives into the exploration of the corruption of mortality. Macbeth is seen as the nobleman in the beginning, only to be juxtaposed with his ending character, who ends up murdered by the avenging townspeople. Similarly, Lady Macbeth's moral decline is also significant to the plot. She is the sole instigator of Macbeth's persuasion to kill the King. However, like Macbeth, the murder of the King started to engrave its guilt into Lady Macbeth. Her conscience started to feel the repercussions of her permanent actions, and she spiraled into madness and guilt. Soon after the beginning of Macbeth's reign as King, Lady Macbeth killed herself. The play explores how the influence of endangered morals can lead a person to their ultimate demise. Macbeth is a nobleman. One day, he is told by the three fates two prophecies: he will be promoted to a higher position and become King. Not long after, Macbeth is promoted to be Thane of Cawdor. With one of the prophecies being fulfilled, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, and they set out to murder the King, King Duncan. 

Overall, the central theme of Macbeth examines how morals are impacted when influenced by power. Throughout the play, scenes of violence show the consequential reactions to the moral downfalls. Many people are killed to earn or maintain a position of power. Their actions show the greed and influence of the characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Malcolm. Shakespeare can accurately portray their inner thoughts and emotions by creating extreme actions that their original character would not commit. Shakespeare's scenes of violence add to the central plot by expanding how power, guilt, ambition, and morals can shift a person's actions.