Analyzing the Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Play

Throughout the play "Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth's character drastically changes from being sinister to feeble. Lady Macbeth was an evil, manipulative person whose greed and selfishness were eventually the downfall of her character and well being. During the beginning of "Macbeth", she used her twisted mind to convince her husband to murder, making him believe that it was the only way he could get what he wanted. But as the play developed and the murders started to increase, Lady Macbeth started to question whether or not they were necessary. Sadly, though possibly justifiably, she ended up committing suicide after her constant questioning of the murders drove her to insanity. Lady Macbeth was an unemotional person who only cared about what she could gain. She made her disconcern about other people well known when she said, "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." (Act I, Scene VII, Lines 55-60). Lady Macbeth refers that she would have no problem taking the life of her son, if it meant getting what she wanted. The fact that she would even fathom the idea of killing her own child makes her morose and appalling. If only she knew that it would be her who would be taken out of this world so cruelly. Being able to manipulate her husband's mind and the minds of others was another one of Lady Macbeth's baneful traits. After Macbeth killed King Duncan, still reeling from the crime he had committed, he met up with his wife. Once again, she used her manipulative ways to make him think that she felt just as bad as he did. She said, "My hands are of your color, but I shame To wear a heart so white." (Act II, Scene II, Lines 63-64). Lady Macbeth appeared to her husband as if she felt just as guilty about the act of violence as he did, knowing that in reality she didn't care at all. Telling Macbeth that her hands were as bloody as his own was to try to give him comfort that he was not alone in his schemes. But Lady Macbeth had other ideas in mind. She couldn't care less about her husband's thoughts or worries. All she could think about was

Macbeth is a play that is written by William Shakespeare in 1606 and the main goal is to make the audience members or readers think that excessive ambition will have horrible consequences in the end. Macbeth receives prophecies from multiple people, his wife tries to make him something that he is not, by getting him to kill anyone that she wants him to. Over the course of the book the main character Macbeth drastically changes from being brave to being cowardly, he also changes from being loving to being greedy, and last he changes from being very trustworthy to being very untrustworthy.

Macbeth, written by william shakespeare displays a diverse range of themes and topics throughout the play. These themes are represented through a wide range of characters throughout the dramatic text. One that is strongly underlined throughout the whole play is the theme of the connection between ambition and manipulation and one of the main characters; Lady Macbeth. Throughout the sequences of the play, lady macbeth is depicted as a head-strong ambitious woman who challenges her husband's masculinity in order for him to commit actions in order to gain power.

It is fascinating that Macbeth is referred to as a “wicked thing” then calling him by his name or by his status.

Whilst the character of Macbeth is initially portrayed as a noble kinsman, his ambition and motivation, directly influenced by the witches and Lady Macbeth, ultimately transforms him into a corrupt and ruthless tyrant. William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy “Macbeth” clearly depicts this notion of change, illustrated through Shakespeare's utilisation of literary techniques. The tragic downfall of Macbeth is mainly attributed to Macbeth’s own greed and hubris.

When Shakespeare first presents Lady Macbeth in the play, we believe that she was an ambitious woman who was driven to get power at all costs. We are irresolute however as to whether she is part of a chain of events in the evilness going around the source. The first words we from her mouth are her husband’s word, which he wrote on his letter, showing us that she was the agent of his thoughts. Women in that period of time, were running a household, producing heirs for their husband and taking care of them, this is not the case for Lady Macbeth as she involves herself in social affairs. Her drive for power is what makes them so successful in their deceitful plans. The play shows us that there is a unique chemistry between two individuals which rare in that period as marriage was usually arranged. She is essentially what keeps the force going as she guides Macbeth and teaches is him how to be manipulative. Even though the crime that they had committed was treason she was simply past the point of caring as she believed she had nothing to lose as she was childless and she had no emotional fulfilment as a woman. She is superfluous and nothing less than reigning alongside Macbeth can feel this hole.

Throughout the book, as Macbeth continues to progress in power, it seems as though his morals fade away while dark and destructive ideas spread through him quickly. While Macbeth contemplates his first evil deed of killing Duncan, he often talk’s himself into doing it, or gets outside persuasion to gain the courage that he is lacking. After talking to Lady Macbeth about how he has to murder Duncan, he exclaims, “I am settled and bend up / Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. / Away and mock the time with the fairest show. / False face must hide what the false heart doth / know” (1.7.92-96). Later in the novel we learn that Macbeth thinks that Banquo has become a threat to his power. Macbeth then takes this problem into his own hands and assigns murderers to kill Banquo. Macbeth then says, “So is he mine; and in such bloody distance / That every minute of his being thrusts/ Against my nearest of life. And though I could / With barefaced power sweep him from my sight/ And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, / For certain friends that are both his and mine, / Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall who I myself struck down. And thence it is, that I to your assistance do make love, masking the business from the common eye for sundry weighty reasons” (3.1.132-142). Macbeth is saying that if he absolutely has to do this terrible deed he will, it doesn’t mean he wants to, but he is going to do it anyways. Macbeth uses the motif of appearance versus reality when he

Making poor choices and treating others with disrespect can affect you in the long run and can easily contribute to a downfall. Macbeth was fully aware of the choices he made with the inhumane torture and disrespect he had on the citizens of Scotland. Being a tragic hero is when one experiences an immense tragedy which leads to a downfall, but Macbeth never had a tragedy because his death originated from the choices he made and reactions he had while he had authority as king. Macbeth being selfish and only caring about himself creates an undeserving and improper image as king which brought chaos into the land of Scotland. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth does not fit the formula for a tragic hero because he is not a moral

Manipulation, greed, narcissism, desire, impulsivity, paranoia, lack of empathy. These are the words often used to describe a sociopath. Sociopaths use these traits to fulfill desires and gain power. They do not retain or possess empathy for anything, and although it may seem like they care, the relationship is superficial and often toxic. In Macbeth, the relationship between Lady Macbeth and her husband is not only damaging but is also toxic to those around them. While Macbeth may exhibit sociopathic tendencies, the true sociopath is Lady Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth shows how her sociopathic behavior shaped the story through her use of manipulation used to coerce Macbeth, the impulsivity of these actions, and the paranoia that follows them.

Macbeth is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare. Having its setting in Scotland and England, the drama depicts the life of an ambitious Scottish solider named Macbeth. Derived by different motives, Macbeth finds himself in different situations which resulted in his unstable personality. Macbeth is seen transforming from being a well celebrated and valiant general to be a wicked tyrant king of Scotland. He earns his first rise in rank to be the Thane of Cawdor for heroically fighting in the Scottish Norwegian war. Deceived by the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth is involved in a series of murder events to seize the throne. As the play progresses, Macbeth is swept by bravery, arrogance, fear, and guilt.

William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in the early 1600’s. Macbeth was written during a time of political unrest in the Jacobean era, political context is a strong theme of the play. It seems that politics have not changed much over the centuries. Although politicians may not be murdering each other for their chance at the throne, the majority are corrupt and committing felonies to get to and stay in a position of power. Political corruption today facilitates numerous criminal enterprises. Macbeth’s desire to be King led him to commit the heinous crime of murder. Macbeth shows that although hundreds of years have passed, political malfeasance remains unchanged today. Stewart and Williamson both portray Macbeth in the scene right before

Syfy is what all hit movies or books revolve around this era in time. It over the many years has become the most popular genre of fiction. Aliens, time traveling, and the apocalypse is what society desires in entertainment. Syfy has been around a lot longer than the 21st century though. William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth uses instances of the supernatural to make the main character Macbeth act unorthodoxly, to disquiet and to make him sanguine, by using witches and apparitions.

It is out of the ordinary for a woman to set up a murder for her husbands gain. Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is know to be a very mean and cruel character that just isn’t scared of anything by the readers. But as we get further towards the end of the play we see that she starts to show her true colors and state of mind.

At the very beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is provoked by the letter she receives by Macbeth and starts plotting the murder of Duncan. She also wishes she were a man such that she could commit the murder all by herself saying so in Act 1 Scene 5, “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty” (Macbeth 1.5.36-52). She appeals to these spirits to remove all aspects of her femininity and seeks to gain power through the prophecy of the witches. Her fear about the ability of her husband to commit the murder is subdued in her designated gender. Lady Macbeth manages her feminine power through her sensuality and pretended weakness through her fainting streak at the notice of Duncan’s death. Manipulation, usually through sexuality is often depicted as the source of women’s power still Lady Macbeth uses this power of hers to commit murder, a masculine demonstration of power. Lady Macbeth in her soliloquy about the planning of Duncan’s death refers to her husband as an individual who plays honestly and does not engage in wrongdoing.

In perhaps the most pivotal scene in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s motives are truly revealed in her manipulation of Macbeth to show how humans have a desire for power and once they get a taste of it, they will go through any lengths to have it, no matter the effect on others. Her lust for power is showcased through how she persuades Macbeth by insulting his masculinity and using emotive language to counter his logical reasoning. This section of the play illustrates the tipping point of each character’s morality with Macbeth having second thoughts about the planned murder and Lady Macbeth diving straight in.