Analysis Of Le Mepris - 957 Words

â€Å"Le Mepris† (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963) is extensively layered with cinematic text, and different sociopolitical subliminal melding together artistically within a simple narrative which identifies the French new wave. To valorize an explicable argument, I must analyze the â€Å"Mise en Scene† in relation to another, and must correspond shots to another. The scene begins with a long take, Paul (Michel Picolli) and Camille (Brigitte Bardot) enters their barely furnished apartment. To create a cinematic self-consciousness, â€Å"Self-reflexivity† was implemented here by reflecting the camera on the glass door as it follows Camille. This sense of film awareness detaches the spectator from the character’s inner emotions. In that same long shot, Camille†¦show more content†¦The composition of this frame is balanced between Paul and the Greek goddess statuette, where Paul’s eye-line proposes as if he speaks to the statuette where in fact he’s looking to the direction of Camille. Camille runs in nature towards the sea to embrace Paul is one of the shots from the â€Å"non-diegetic sequence†. The â€Å"Sea† is influenced by Greek literature which means â€Å"Nostos†, a theme used to signify a hero’s return by sea, and retaining his identity. And indeed, at the end of the film Paul gives up his job as a screenplay writer, to retain back his identity as a play writer. Camille sits on the toilet chair whilst smoking a Marlboro cigarette is a shot characterized by two connotations. As why the toilet? The toilet connotates privacy, Camille shelters in her most private haven after Paul’s assault. However, the Marlboro pack and the cigarette denotes the American dominance. It would have been easy for Godard to hide the brand name or let her smoke some other brand, but Godard insisted on reflecting America’s control over the economy and culture in the 60’s which resulted financial illness to France. Paul’s empty flat also depicts the French crisis, however the scattered books and paintings which are clearly noticeable don’t only emphasize Paul’s profession when we take into notice Jerry (Jack Palance) the American producer and how sumptuous his mansion cramped with fancy furniture

Global Market Strategic Decision-Making Process

Question: Describe about the Global market by concentrating towards the strategic decision-making process? Answer: Introduction Importance and Scope of this Assignment To be a professional manager, it is essential to concentrate towards designing, operations and improvement related aspects for a company, which may ensure the clarity of the management operations. At the same time, appropriate operation management may also enhance the business competencies for a company within the competitive business environment. On the other hand, the strategic decision is also one of the most crucial constituents, which usually assist a company to make better decisions for future. In this context, Tomar and Reeves (2009) argued that outsourcing is one of the most essential aspects which usually assist an organisation to enhance its business performance. The term outsourcing signifies a specific process through which global organisations may transfer their goods and/ or services to the external country/ party for providing administrative services for that specific goods and/ services (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). Overview of the Company British Petroleum (BP) is one of the renowned oil and gas manufacturing companies amid the globe. The company was established in the year 1908 and it has renamed as a BP plc in the year 2001. Over the years, the company has provided its estimated services in the global oil and gas industry. In this context, more specifically it can be claimed that BP has emphasised towards exploration as well as production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum, with an aim of enhancing the market share amid the operating market. At the same time, during the production of renewable energy the company also has remained conscious regarding the environment with an intention of ensuring its command among the competitive marketplace. According to the annual report of BP plc (2015), the company has enlisted its name in the London Stock Exchange' market as a constituent of FTSE 100 Index'. Currently, more than 162,000 people are engaged in the operation of Royal Mail. According to the recent fin ancial report, it is witnessed that the company has gained $3.8bn revenue during the financial year 2013-14. Moreover, the company has traded 1.7 million barrels refined oil/ day in the financial year 2013-14. Additionally, it can be also mentioned that approximately more than 85,000 people usually employed under the BP in around the globe. Over the years, for ensuring and enhancing the business performance the company has established varied strategic alliances with the other foreign companies. Additionally the company also has concentrated and investigated on certain aspects such as costs, pricing power and logistic as well as supply chain management for ensuring its future growth and profitability prospects (BP plc, 2015). Objectives of the Assignment In this particular assignment, the aim is to identify the factors that may influence the decision of the company in case of outsourcing and kept in-house. In this context, the study will aim to identify the five performance objectives of the BP. Simultaneously, the study will evaluate the risk involvement i.e. strategic decision making on the basis of evidence. Review of Literature Strategic Analysis The strategy is one of the most crucial constituents for a company. The concept of strategy has been introduced in the business in the year 1960s, with an aim of enhancing the business performance and it has been also emerged in the business context as an intention of ensuring the long-term sustainability for an organisation. On the other hand, principles of operations management are considered as one of essential aspects for a company, which may influence internal and external aspects of a company. At the same time, it also may influence a company to meet the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. Thus, it can be stated that operations management is an integral part of an organisation's strategy, which may assist a company to make better decisions for future (Tomar and Reeves, 2009). Corporate Level Strategy The corporate level strategy is recognised as the chief level of strategy, which is usually used by the company with an aim of ensuring the long-term direction in the business context. More specifically, it can be also stated that through emphasising towards corporate level strategy an organisation may ensure the utmost utilisation of its resources in the operating marketplace. Moreover, the corporate level strategy is also used when a company comprises more than one business. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that BP has more than one business unit such as bio fuel, crude, Air BP, franchising, gas trading and industrial lubricants. Thus, through using corporate level strategy BP may ensure a positive relationship between varied domestic as well as an international corporate centre and business unit. At the same time, through incorporating corporate level strategy, BP may also ensure the mission and vision of the organisation (Pearlstein, 2010). Business Level Strategy Similarly, the business level strategy is also considered as one of the essential aspects, which usually assists a company to reduce its internal as well as external challenges. At the same time, through incorporating business level strategy an organisation also may enhance its business efficiency as well competencies within the operating market place. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that BP has a variety range of products and/ or services within its operating marketplace. Thus, the organisation may reduce its internal as well as external challenges through incorporating business level strategies. At the same time, appropriate utilisation of business level strategy may also ensure long-term sustainability for the organisation (Borowik, 2010). Functional Level Strategy Consequently, functional level strategy is also considered as one of the most essential aspects of a company, through which it is possible to ensure the operations of a company in a significant manner such as marketing, finance and production among others. At the same time, it can be stated that through concentrating on functional strategy, a company may meet its predetermined strategic objectives. In this context, more specifically it can be claimed that BP has emphasised towards its functional level strategy with an aim of ensuring its operational efficiency, which may assist the company to extend its business performance in an extensive manner (Chevalier, 2010). Operations and Strategy According to the report of ACCA (2015), operations and strategy are essential aspects for a company through which a company may ensure its survival in a competitive marketplace for a long-term period. At the same time, it also may ensure growth for the company. In this context, more specifically it can be mentioned that operations and strategy are the most crucial constituents, which is usually helping a company to make better decisions to improve the business performance. Apart from this, through emphasising towards operations and strategy, a company may utilise its resources and may produce a significant outcome. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that five operations performance objectives usually help a company to secure its position in the operating marketplace (Hauglie, 2010). Those five operations performance objectives are discussed below: Cost In order to analyse the operations performance objectives, it can be stated that cost is one of essential aspects, which is usually helping a company to ensure its current position as well as future prospects in an effective manner. Thus, most of the global companies usually emphasise towards manufacturing cost of its products as well as services for enhancing the ability of the company in the operating marketplace. In this context, more specifically it can be argued that BP has highly emphasised towards its manufacturing/ production cost for enhancing its business competencies in the operating marketplace. At the same time, through reducing the cost involvement during the oil and gas manufacturing the company has also enhanced its competitive advantages within the operating market (Kim and Hahn, 2010). Quality Simultaneously, quality is also considered as one of the most crucial aspects for a company that is also helping a company to attract the attention of the consumers. At the same time, it can be stated that through emphasising towards quality related aspects a company also may enhance its market share within the operating marketplace. Moreover, better quality products may enhance brand recognition for a company. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that during the manufacturing of crude oil and petroleum, BP has highly emphasised towards the specification of the products. At the same time, BP has highly concentrated towards its quality related aspects with an aim of developing error-free products. Thus, it can be stated that quality assurance related decisions help a company to gain better competitive advantage in the operating marketplace (Langdon, 2010). Speed For ensuring the growth of a company, it is highly essential for an organisation to concentrate towards the operation process, which may enhance operational efficiency for the company. At the same time, it may also enhance customer demands towards the product, which will ensure the long-term success for the company. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that BP always has provided its highest attention towards the speed of the business process along with its operations, for making better strategic decisions. At the same time, quick response of the company may reduce challenges for the organisation by enhancing customer demands and it also has led the company towards better success in future (Liu and Mance, 2009). Dependability Dependability is also considered as one of essential aspects for a company, which usually helps an organisation to fulfil the needs and expectations of the customers. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that through emphasising towards dependability organisations also may enhance the ability to deliver products as well as services amid the customers. In this context, it can be mentioned that BP has enhanced its dependability on the customers by extending its overall range of product and services. At the same time, for ensuring the dependability amid the consumers, BP has always concentrated on its strategic decision-making approaches, which has influenced the dependability of the organisation in an extensive manner (Marques, 2008). Flexibility Additionally, it can be mentioned that flexibility is also considered as one of the essential aspects in the case of making business decisions. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that through emphasising towards the flexibility a company may enhance the quality of its operations. Moreover, the terms flexibility denotes changing the ability of a company. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that flexibility denotes the ability of a company to change its production, procedure, services and decisions of a company. In this context, more accurately, it can be argued that BP has always emphasised towards its flexibility related aspects with an intention of extending its business performance in around the globe. At the same time, for enhancing competitive advantages, BP also has concentrated towards its business flexibility (Pearlstein, 2010). Thus, to analyse the operations performance objectives, it can be evidently stated that BP may enhance its competitive advantages within the operating marketplace by considering above stated aspects. However, through considering these factors BP may also identify appropriate strategic decisions for its outsourced as well as kept in-house products, which may ensure customer requirements and also may ensure business excellence around the globe (Phillips and Phillips, 2010). Simultaneously, based on the report of Langdon (2010), it is identified that outsourcing is one of the most essential constituents for a business organisation, which is usually assist an organisation to maximize its business performance by increasing overall outcome of the business process. In this context, more specifically it can be argued that an organisation may witness better competitive advantages among its operating marketplace due to incorporation of outsourcing mechanism. In relation to this, it can be mentioned that outsourcing may benefit an organisation to accrue maximum workforce and it may also enhance operational efficiency for the specific business process, which may influence changes in the business performance in appositive manner. Thus, it can be asserted that outsourcing may benefit an organisation to enhance its efficiency. On the other hand, outsourcing procedure may influence the cost involvement for an organisation, which may influence changes on a business pr ocess in a diversified manner (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). Consequently, it can be stated that involvement of kept in-house service may assist an organisation to ensure the supervision and monitoring on the business process in an effective manner. At the same time, it may also reduce cost involvement for the organisation, which is usually assisting an organisation to maintain its competitive position in the operating marketplace. On the contrary, kept in-house service may reduce the business efficiency for an organisation due to high involvement of unskilled and lack of knowledgeable workforce within the macroeconomic level. Thus, an organisation should need to incorporate outsourcing and kept in-house service related decisions by considering certain factors of the business process more carefully (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). Analysis of Outsourced and Kept in-house Services of BP In order to highlight the outsourced and kept in-house services it can be stated that BP should outsourced its marine fuel, motor oil and lubricants in the abroad market, whereas the company may keep in-house its petrochemicals and bio fuels in the domestic market for ensuring the growth and long-term sustainability of the company for a long-term period (Tomar and Reeves, 2009). In this regard, rationally it can be stated that BP has to understand that Marin fuel and motor oil as well as lubricants demand is very high in the global market. At the same time, technological involvement is very moderate for both these above mentioned commodities. Thus, it can be evidently mentioned that outsource of those commodity may enhance the efficiency for the organisation. On the contrary, it can be mentioned that in case of petrochemical and bio fuel management, the organisation need to highly emphasise towards the project development, service management and human resources related aspects more carefully as both petrochemical and bio fuel is recognised as most essential and expensive commodity among the oil and gas industry. Thus, in can be evidently argued that BP should emphasise/ consider towards its kept in-house services related phenomenon for identifying appropriate managerial decisions, which may enhance or influence the business performance in appositive manner (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). A diagram is depicted below for better understanding: Logic Mapping Figure 1: Logic Mapping for BP Evaluation of Risk Involvement Based on the evidence of the research, it is identified that the company has witnessed several challenges with an aim of ensuring the growth of the company has highly emphasised towards its strategic decision-making process. Thus, to highlight those strategic involvements, it can be asserted that the company may ensure its sustainability and profitability through emphasising towards cost leverage and efficiency along with innovation-related aspects. Moreover, the company also may ensure its growth, by concentrating towards outsourcing as well as kept in-house services. Additionally, paying attention towards its supply chain management may also ensure the significance of operations of the company (Villachica and Stepich, 2010). Recommendation for Mitigate Risk Involvement With an aim of mitigating risk involvement during the outsourcing as well as kept in-house process, BP will need to emphasise towards certain aspects, which will ensure the efficient and appropriate procurement of its outsourcing as well as kept in-house process. In this regard, in order to recommend the organisation more specifically it can be mentioned that BP should incorporate knowledgeable and experience workforce, which may enhance the efficiency of the operational process of the organisation. At the same time, through emphasising towards business consulting as well as internal auditing process, BP may also mitigate the risk involvement during the outsourcing as well as kept in-house process. Apart from this, through incorporation of modern techniques and tools, BP may ensure the supply chain as well as procurement of its manufactured products and/ or services. Moreover, based on the above stated discussion, it can be evidently asserted that through incorporating legal as well as ethical consideration, BP also may mitigate its risk involvement and it may enhance capabilities of the organisation by ensuring superior business outcome in case of outsourcing as well as kept in-house process. Conclusion: Based on the above discussion, it is identified that BP has been maintaining its competitive advantages in the global market by concentrating towards the strategic decision-making process. At the same time, the company has also practiced its operations by considering five performance objective based principles, which has influenced overall business performance of the company in a positive manner and it has also fulfilled the expectations of the global customers. After considering all these above stated facts, it can be evidently claimed that through emphasising towards clarity and accountability the company has enhanced its profitability and growth prospect in the operating marketplace. Reference List: Borowik, I. (2010). Why Has Religiosity in Poland not Changed since 1989? Five Hypotheses. Politics and Religion, 3(02), pp.262-275. BP plc (2015). Annual Report and Form 20-F 2014. Building a Stronger, Safer BP, pp. 1-263. Chevalier, R. (2010). Gap analysis revisited. Performance Improvement, 49(7), pp.5-7. Hauglie, C. (2010). From photographs to teaming. Performance Improvement, 49(4), pp.5-7. KIM, K. and HAHN, K. (2010). Issues and Challenges for Secondary School Economics Education in South Korea: implications from five events since 2004. Citizenship, Social and Economics Education, 9(1), p.60. Langdon, D. (2010). Mind the performance. Performance Improvement, 49(8), pp.7-13. Liu, T. and Mance, I. (2009). The spatial gradient of the spread of feature-based attention. Journal of Vision, 9(8), pp.145-145. Marques, J. (2008). The five steps toward Awakened Leadership. Performance Improvement, 47(7), pp.20-23. Pearlstein, R. (2010). Reactions to rant. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 23(3), pp.3-4. Phillips, J. and Phillips, P. (2010). The power of objectives: Moving beyond learning objectives. Performance Improvement, 49(6), pp.17-24. Tomar, S. and Reeves, A. (2009). Changes in the Oral Health of US Children and Adolescents and Dental Public Health Infrastructure Since the Release of the Healthy People 2010 Objectives. Academic Pediatrics, 9(6), pp.388-395. Troaca, V., and Bodislav, D., (2012). Outsourcing the Concept. Theoretical and Applied Economics Volume 15(6), pp. 51-58. Villachica, S. and Stepich, D. (2010). Surviving troubled times: Five best practices for training professionals. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 23(2), pp.93-115.

Alum Essays - Thermodynamics, Measuring Instruments, Heat Transfer

: The error described by the calculation can be accounted for by errors in temperature measurement. The distance of the thermometer to the reaction site could have caused a differential of temperatures which would give a higher q value for the closer the thermometer was placed and lower for the further it was placed. In this case the thermometer was placed further from the reaction site so that it read a lower q value which in return yielded a lower heat of formation. The reaction was not swirled in the calorimeter; therefore, the temperature reading on the thermometer was being measured incorrectly. The 35.7 % error is mostly accounted by this. Another error that could have caused a fluctuation in the heat of formation is the magnesium ribbon coming in contact with oils from hands. These oils from hands could cause a mass change of the magnesium, in return causing a higher mass, causing the heat of formation to be higher. Also the magnesium ribbon was dropped two times while trying to collect it; this would cause a little reduction in mass causing the heat of formation to be less.

How to Write a Great Essay Step by Step †Pro-Academic-Writers.com

How to Write a Great Essay Step by Step Since you become a high school student, you start receiving various writing homework assignments such as essays or research papers. Well, some teachers assign this sort of job in middle and even elementary school, but only high school, college, and university academic papers have strict requirements. By learning how to write essay step by step beginning with an introduction and ending up with the conclusion, one will have all chances to become a successful author or journalist one day. At least, successful completion of such tasks guarantees you high grades and in-depth knowledge of different subjects. Besides, it is a good way to learn how to write and communicate your information to any audience. Guide to Writing Any Type of Essay Research process We would like to begin with the very first step to success known as in-depth research. You may wonder, but it comes before the first paragraph called introduction or even before the cover page. Research, in fact, takes the most of your time. The point is to find related and up-to-date information which will be useful for your entire paper. The sources have to be no older than five years. Besides, a good research may provide you with an idea for your entire paper in case the topic is not assigned by your teacher. In addition, you may find a useful example of the essay when searching for relevant information. You may use the sources you have found for your further projects. The main idea is to provide credible evidence such as statistics and facts and insert in-text citations when composing an essay. One more thing to persuade you of the importance of the task: a personal statement or scholarship essay is a great example of academic writing assignment that guarantees you a place in the best university or some financial rewards during your higher education. But even these basically reflective genres require in-depth research. E.g., the applicant has to look for a good example of a personal statement to know what they are expecting to read in Harvard or Stanford. Choosing essay topic It’s one of the most responsible steps so far. No example would help you. The name of your paper should be based on your original idea. You may take one of the most discussed topics in the modern world. You may write about the role of educational apps in the life of contemporary students, but stress your own point of view based on the facts that you have collected using one of the research techniques. Support your choice by pointing to the importance of the discussed issue and add some statistics to get higher credibility. Selecting essay topic is a huge responsibility. Use essay writing service to help you with both interesting idea and the rest of the process for fair prices. Writing Process Itself Essay introduction The first paragraph of any academic paper is known as an introduction. The first sentence should catch the attention of your reader so that he or she will read the piece to the end. It’s not that easy as you think. First of all, the first paragraph should present the main idea of the entire essay so that the audience understands what the paper is definitely about. You may begin to write your essay with a brief but meaningful quotation. But it has to be related to the entire text. Also, you may support your introduction to statistics received from some credible sources. Include a fact or a short story of why given topic was chosen. You must show that provided subject is important for many people, not just you care about it. If you want to find out the rest of the true writer’s features, you may read this article. The introduction should end up with so called thesis statement which has to be both persuasive and engaging. It must stimulate your audience to read the entire text paragraph by paragraph. In other words, it is better to conclude your introduction with a strong argument that will give the overall idea of further paper and conclusion. It may end up with the question, but when we speak about academic writing, one has to think about a strong argument to discuss. Body paragraphs There is one part which looks pretty much the similar in all sort of college tasks: Essays Research papers Book/movie reviews Lab reports Case studies Business plans PowerPoint presentations This part is called a body. The body of any essay consists of 3-5 paragraphs with strong arguments developed to support your main idea (thesis) mentioned in the introduction and repeated in conclusion. On the whole, the body part is usually the longest and most boring one, but you have to write even these paragraphs with love and passion to provide the best example of the excellent essay to your teacher and classmates. Student should follow: writing style guidelines generally accepted grammar spelling punctuation English vocabulary various online templates/samples Only then his entire work will look engaging and interesting. Here are some other advice to use within your essay structure†¦ Write the body paragraphs without making them too long. Many students make a huge mistake when they create a small introduction and conclusion by overwhelming body paragraphs. Your essay still should not be longer than 500-1500 words. In depends on the task and specific requirements of your tutor. In fact, admission essay cannot be longer than 275-300 words as they are checking how concise you can be. Thus, it does not always matter only how you write or how great your idea is. You should write a body so that it might serve as a perfect example for future generations. Look at a good example as a key from time to time, but do not copy-paste a word! On the whole, follow the simple body outline: Argument 1 Argument 2 Argument 3 With the support of each added in every last conclusion sentence. At last (and the rule suits all types of academic essays and research papers (except for the personal statements)), it is better to avoid the first person. Consider writing from the third person. In other words, do not use words like "we," "my," "your" or "our" in your essay. Conclusion The purpose of the whole essay is to come up with the nice conclusion which restates your thesis sentence and lists all arguments recalled throughout the text once again. Do not forget to include reference page just after your conclusion on a separate page. The best online writers should serve as both authors and educators. Counsel them on any issue during the writing process. You have to discover the following advantages: Acceptable prices Loyal terms conditions 24/7 live support Many great examples of written essays And we have just the right company to help those students who are in trouble here. Make your order now and be the winner tomorrow!

Poetry analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Poetry analysis - Essay Example ot return his affections, the early death of his mother and the death of a second person close to him leading to the development of â€Å"A Shropshire Lad†, â€Å"a collection of sixty-three poems addressing the themes of unrequited love, the oblivion of death, and idealized military life† that carefully navigated around any issues of homosexuality. In addition, he is surprisingly consistent in his writing, showing nearly identical themes, forms and language usage in â€Å"Last Poems† as were used in â€Å"A Shropshire Lad.† However, his â€Å"open investigations of the mysteries of death and the dual nature of humankind have earned him acknowledgment as a precursor to the development of modern poetry† (â€Å"A.E. Housman†, 2006). These attitudes about death can be most understood as they are expressed in the poems â€Å"To An Athlete Dying Young,† â€Å"When I Was One and Twenty,† â€Å"With Rue My Heart is Laden† and â €Å"Is My Team Ploughing?† In â€Å"To An Athlete Dying Young†, Housman demonstrates a sensitive honor for the man who dies in his prime, invoking a powerful sense of regretful comprehension regarding the wisdom of dying young. He begins the poem with a nostalgic look back at the happy crowd carrying the star athlete around on a chair, everyone celebrating and having a good time. This nostalgia is established by the wistful â€Å"The time you won† (1) that immediately invokes a fog of memory around the edges of the scene described. The hero’s way is carefully invoked in the lines â€Å"Man and boy stood cheering by, / And home we brought you shoulder-high† (3-4) to be carefully juxtaposed against the same phrase in the second stanza: â€Å"Shoulder-high we bring you home, / And set you at your threshold down† (6-7). With only this slight change in language, Housman makes it clear that this is no longer a cheering crowd, they are not celebrating and, by distinguishing his fri end as â€Å"Townsman of a stiller town† (8), he makes it obvious that this is a

Keeping the elderly in their home vs nursing home placement Essay

Keeping the elderly in their home vs nursing home placement - Essay Example vels of investigation, the major concerns emerge in terms of public health care and questions of whether the individual or government should be responsible for funding nursing home residents. Achieving a substantial approach to the question of nursing home care will aid the nation by contributing to socio-political debates regards health care costs. One organization that supports this issue is the National Family Caregivers Association. This organization greatly considers the importance of supporting individuals that aid people in at-home living situations. One of the major things I learned in researching this subject was the strong change that has occurred for at-home care. With technological advancements, seniors now have many increased options for caregivers and other such aid that allow them to refrain from nursing home care. Prior to the investigation I would have further question cost issues between caregivers and nursing

By The Time Macbeth Murders Duncan He Has Already Lost The Battle For His Soul Essay Example for Free

By The Time Macbeth Murders Duncan He Has Already Lost The Battle For His Soul Essay Introduction By the time Macbeth murders Duncan he has already lost the battle for his soul. In this essay I am going to discuss this statement and examine the factors that lead to his decision to kill the king. I shall divide the essay into 3 main parts, these are; 1. The battle for his soul 2. The factors which lead Macbeth to kill the king 3. Conclusion The Battle For His Soul This play was written for James 1 in 1606. Shakespeares children were now deceased and this had put him into a mood where he would only write tragic plays instead of the usual comedies. Shakespeare included the theme of witches for James 1 as he was into witchcraft and had even wrote a book about it. The target audience of Macbeth would have been a very superstitious Christian crowd. The King was believed to have been put on the throne by God, and to kill the King would be a great sin. The belief in the existence and power of witches was widely believed in Shakespeares day. The practice of witchcraft was seen to subvert the established order of religion and society, trying to corrupt people and making them sin against God. Witch hunting was a respectable, moral, and highly intellectual pursuit through much of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. If someone lost their soul, they would be lost to God and would be condemned to hell for eternity. Here is a definition of a soul taken from the oxford dictionary; 1. A persons soul is the spiritual part of them that is supposed to continue after their body is dead. 2. Somebodys mind, character, thoughts or feelings. From the beginning of the play, Macbeth undergoes a complete change in character from a virtuous nobleman into a monster. He has a tragic weakness ambition which, when released, draws him into a web of evil and corruption that finally leaves him with none of the noble human qualities he possessed at the beginning of the play. Before being transformed into a murderous monster, Macbeth is a popular noble and also a good friend with the King. This is shown when Duncan calls him his worthiest cousin. He shows great loyalty and devotion to both King Duncan and his country in his fight against the Thane of Cawdor. Duncan is grateful for this. He says; I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing. He also fights with great courage, which he draws from knowing that he serves a good and virtuous King. This is proved when he says; Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels. He is modest when confronted with his achievements, in contrast to the arrogance that he displays after becoming king. He loves Lady Macbeth, an emotion he will eventually lose by the end of the play. Most of all, he fears what his greed and ambition can lead him to become, and he feels dubious about acting on them. When he kills the King he does it in cold blood, which shows his change after the incident with the witches. Macbeth doesnt want to kill the King but is convinced by Lady Macbeth that only good things will come from it. But just after he does kill the King, guilt overcomes him and he is left regretting the whole idea. This shows that he still wants Gods blessing. Also he says; But wherefore could I not pronounce Amen? / I had most need of the blessing and Amen / Stuck in my throat. At that time it was believed that if you could not say Amen, God would not bless you and you were doomed to eternal damnation. Ultimately he regrets killing the King. Here are some quotes that help to solidify this; I had most need of blessing I am afraid to think what I have done To know my deed, twere best not know myself Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst You should be thinking the obvious question: Why does Macbeth decide that he has to kill the King to become King? And, anyway, why is he not sufficiently happy with the high social position he occupies and the honoured status he has acquired among his peers? There is a very simplistic answer to this, and that is to say he is too inpatient and too ambitious. Both of these are sins and therefore Macbeth must be punished for them. As he believes that he is damned for eternity this breaks him down until he doesnt care or feel anymore. Banquo was also present when the witches predictions were made which makes Macbeth insecure. There are two reasons for this; 1. Banquos children will become Kings and 2. Banquo may suspect that Macbeth murdered Duncan. Macbeth is now in too deep to be repented for his sins and he knows this. To maintain his Kingship he decides to hire murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. This takes Macbeth beyond the murder of Duncan; it demonstrates that he will spare no one not even a close friend to secure his illegitimate kingship. He has turned his back on his closest companion and doesnt feel any guilt. This suggests that he has now become just as evil as the witches. Shortly after the murder of Banquo, the dead noble appears at Macbeths feast. The terror of seeing Banquos ghost makes Macbeth more paranoid and insecure than ever, which leads him to seek answers from the three Witches; And betimes I will to the weird sisters. / More shall they speak. For no I am bent to know / By the worst means, the worst This suggests that he still wants more and is still unhappy. He has tasted blood and now he wants more. He believes that he will lose his position as King unless he continues to kill. Eventually he has the blood of Duncan, Banquo, the two servants, Lady Macduff and her children on his hands. Blood is a very realistic image that helps people to relate blood and evil together. The Factors Which Lead Macbeth To Kill The King The witches play a vital role in Macbeths thinking about his own life, both before and after the murder of Duncan. Banquo and Macbeth recognize them as something supernatural, part of the landscape but not fully human inhabitants of it. They have malicious intentions and prophetic powers and yet they are not active agents. When I say active agents I mean that they dont do anything other than talk and offer answers. They have no power to compel. The most obvious interpretation of the witches is to see them as manifestations of evil in the world. They exist to tempt and torment people, to challenge their faith in themselves and their society. Act 1 scene 3 suggests that the witches have power but not enough to kill. This is shown when they are talking among themselves about a woman who would not give one of the witches a chestnut. The witch tells her sisters that she will make the winds blow strongly against her husbands ship. They work on Macbeth by equivocation, that is, by ambiguous promises of some future state. These promises come true, but not in the way that the victim originally believed. Macbeth takes his first step toward losing his soul when he is confronted with the knowledge that he will be king. The witches tell him; All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King thereafter! When they say this he makes the mistake of letting his ambition overrule his judgment. If his judgment had remained intact in the face of the witches powerful prophecy, he certainly would have decided not to let his actions be dictated by a prophecy given to him by three strange witches who evade most of the questions he asks. The witches, appeal to what Macbeth wants to believe. They dont make him believe it and they do not tell him what to do in order to achieve what they prophesise. They say nothing about killing Duncan (or anyone else). In that sense, they cannot be the origin of the idea of the murder. They may be appealing to that idea, but they do not create it. The witches are said to be able to take possession of people and make them do wrong. This, seeing visions and going into trances are signs of this. The later two of these are shown, the second when Macbeth sees the ghostly dagger before he kills Duncan and the third, when he is described as rapt. These witches exist as constant reminders of the potential for evil in the human imagination. They are ineluctably part of the natural world, there to seduce anyone who, like Macbeth, lets his imagination flirt with evil possibilities. They have no particular abode and might pop up anywhere, momentarily, ready to incite an eternal desire for evil in the human imagination, the evil which arises from a desire to violate our fellow human beings in order to shape the world to our own deep emotional needs. Guilt plays a strong role in motivating Macbeth, and causes Lady Macbeth to go insane, until she commits suicide. Throughout the story, there are many different types of guilty feelings that play a role in Macbeths fatal decisions and bring Lady Macbeth to commit suicide. Although there are many instances that show the power guilt has played on the main characters, there are three examples that show this the best. One is, just after the murder of King, Duncan. Guilt overcomes Macbeth where he can no longer think straight. A second example is soon after that, where all the guilt Macbeth feels at first, changes into hate after he decides that Banquo must be killed as well. The last example is just about at the end of the play, when we see Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, and then later committing suicide; this all because of the burden of her guilt. All of these examples build the proof that in this play, guilt plays a very large role in the characters lives. Perhaps one of the strongest evidences that show guilt, is how it affected Lady Macbeth. Act 5 begins by re-entering Lady Macbeth; this time though, she is not at all the woman we were first introduced to. It begins with a discussion between a doctor and a servant about the failing health of the lady herself. Lady Macbeth enters sleepwalking. She starts to rub her arms, in a washing motion and says; Out damned spot! Out, I say! She also says; Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? The word blood, is really a image that we can use for the enormous guilt she feels and her action, in trying to get rid of the guilt by washing and rubbing it away. In the second quote, the old man represents, King Duncan. Her sleepwalking continues as she talks about the death of Lady Macduff; The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? / What, will these hands neer be clean? After the continuous rubbing motion, Lady Macbeth cries out; Heres the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. She realises that nothing could ever get rid of the smell of the blood and the guilt caused by all the murders committed by Macbeth. Its also shown here that she feels fully responsible for every person killed by her husband. Just several scenes later, Lady Macbeth commits suicide. The reason was just a build up of all the guilt. Another big influence on Macbeth is Lady Macbeth. She puts considerable pressure on Macbeth and he is eventually persuaded to commit the murder of King Duncan. Driven by Lady Macbeth, he then orders the assassination of Banquo and Fleance and of Lady Macduff and her son. The attempted murders of Fleance and Lady Macbeths son make it clear that Macbeth has no problems about killing the innocent. Being so deeply immersed in murder and death takes away his ability to feel; when Lady Macbeth dies, he reacts only by musing that; She should have died hereafter. One of the chief functions of Lady Macbeth in the early part of the play is to keep the vision of Kingship alive within Macbeth by any means at her disposal. She taunts him to act on his desires. What she is saying, in effect, is that he must not let his conscience stand in the way of his desires. Part of her tactics with Macbeth is to urge him to be more of a man. She identifies him as something unmanly. Lady Macbeth should not be blamed for the actions of Macbeth. He freely chooses to kill Duncan in response to his own deepest desires. Neither his wife nor the witches compel him to do what he does, and he is free at any time to refuse to carry out the murder or, having carried it out, to seek out various courses of new action. But his decision to carry out the deed is marked by his, perhaps evil mind. In a way, Macbeth is never entirely satisfied with what he needs to do to become king or what he really wants to do. After the murder of Duncan Lady Macbeth has thought that a little water and a few lies will clear them, but she cannot evade the psychological consequences of what she has encouraged Macbeth to do. She lacks his will power, his determination to continue, and his ability to withstand the inner torment. And so as he becomes more and more determined to keep killing his way to some final solution, she falls apart. This begins with her fainting spell as soon as the news of Duncans death becomes public, continues in her anxious fussing before and after the banquet scene, reaches its clearest expression in her sleepwalking, and concludes in her suicide. This lack of inner will to confront the consequences of her and Macbeths actions makes her story one without the tragic significance of her husbands. The phrase lack of inner will in the last paragraph is not meant to indicate some limitation in Lady Macbeth. She had thought that she could unsex herself, push away any of her deepest feelings about the love of others, and become a pure agent of destruction. So long as the murders have not started, she plays that role with great rhetorical effectiveness (especially in her taunts about Macbeths manhood). In a way her reference to Duncan looking like her father does take on an important resonance. Whats particularly noticeable, too, is the way in which, following the murder of Duncan, their relationship becomes divided. We have every reason to believe that before Duncans murder, they are very close. Certainly Macbeth shares all his thoughts and feelings with her, and she speaks to him about what her deepest thoughts are even if it is to defy Gods decision. They are at first a very close and loving couple but as more people are being killed by Macbeth (who mostly keeps them to himself and doesnt involve Lady Macbeth) Lady Macbeth is falling apart and being unable to cope with the guilt she commits suicide.