Macbeth

Someone says to me that it is not complete to study English without learning the works of Shakespeare. Before this, when people mention about Shakespeare, the only plays by him that I am familiar about are Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer Night Dream. The rest like Macbeth, Hamlet, and so on are popular, but unfamiliar to me. I have no idea what the plays are all about. When I discover that we are going to watch Macbeth, I am excited because it is one of the fastest ways to know the story instead of reading a book about it. This is because I can learn faster and understand better if I learn through visual instead of reading text. However, my excitement is distracted at the beginning of the story because I cannot identify the characters in the story. I do not know who Macbeth is because there are so many men characters in the story. I get confused Macbeth with Macduff. After all, their names are quite similar. Only after 30 minutes watching it, I recognize who Macbeth is. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is represented as a brave, kind-hearted and capable warrior. Besides, the actor who plays the role of Macbeth is quite handsome. That keeps my attention to watch the movie till the end. However, when his ambition and his passion to have power go beyond his moral values, he commits evil deeds by killing Duncan, the King. I don’t like the character of Lady Macbeth because her character somehow gives a bad impression of women. This is because in this story, she is the one who pushes her husband to kill Duncan so that he can be the next king and rule the kingdom. Her role indirectly gives implication that women are sources of evil and violence. One more thing that I would like to comment on this play is the battle between Macbeth and Macduff. I personally think that Macbeth can win the fight because he had been informed earlier that no man who was born by woman can harm him. However, when he knew the fact that Macduff was not born through natural birth he seems to bit afraid as he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he will die in Macduff’s hands. He seems to gives in to Macduff. This situation reflects my life as a Muslim. I am grateful that I do not know my fate because if I know it already, I might not work hard to accomplish my goal and just leave it to God.