Macbeth Character Analysis

For one, it is without a doubt that, at this stage of the play, Macbeth is delusional and is no longer mentally fit enough to think rationally. This is clearly shown when he begins to see Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, who is part of his imagination. His madness is clear when he rages at the ghost, commanding,

When Macbeth see 's Banquo 's ghost sitting in his seat, I think that he did not have a strong enough reaction for someone who just saw a ghost of their former comrade sitting in their dining room seat. Macbeth also

Unable to sleep, Macbeth is unable to function properly, and starts to see the ghost of Banquo, who he had just had murdered by assassins.

Macbeth’s character has developed significantly up to the second act. We are first introduced to Macbeth character in a way that we view him as powerful and Nobel. We get this idea from the quote “oh valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” which is what he is described as by Duncan, who at the time is the king. From this quote Macbeth is portrayed as a loyal and heroic figure who has done much for many, however as we know this was not a smart move for Duncan to make as it makes him come across and weak and seems like Duncan should be giving Macbeth a higher title, which is what the witches had told him before. In addition, this idea of the king complementing Macbeth about all the good that he has done seems to trigger the belief that Macbeth has the ability to be king, even in the eyes of Duncan who is so ecstatic what he has done for the county.

In the play “Macbeth” the author furthers the ideas of ambition, manhood and violence throughout the play using a gender lens, mainly for masculinity in men. In the play “Macbeth” ambition plays a big role in the man characters life; Macbeth. In Act 1 scene 3, lines 125-129, “And oftentimes, to win us to our harm; The instruments of darkness tell us truth.” (Shakespeare 1.3.125-129). This quote stated by Banquo foreshadows Macbeth further into the play. Macbeth ends up killing King Duncan because he wants to be in power over the kingdom. When Banquo questions Macbeth about the killing of King Duncan, Macbeth’s ambition to kill Banquo skyrocketed. Macbeth didn’t want anybody to think or know that he ended up killing King Duncan for power. This started a cycle of death for Macbeth’s ambition to kill to stay in power. This example of ambition from “Macbeth” has a very similar motif from the movie called “The Mask You Live In”. In the movie, George Orwell states, “He wears a mask and his face grows to fit it.” The idea of the mask he wear fits his face helps us further the reason for men’s ambitions. Men’s ambitions are driven by power and dominance over people and prized possessions. For men to be able to gain power, they need to prove how masculine they are to society. In doing so they are dehumanizing their biological thoughts and feelings and turning them into artificial ones in order to be seen more powerful or dominate to the public.

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.

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

The raw fear in the Tyrant's eyes made everyone believe their king had gone mad. When Macbeth saw the ghost of his best friend, he was reminded of the deeds he had done to claim the title of King. The guilt grasped his stomach and twisted it into a gnarled knot, and soon his mind would be gone as well. The guilt caused him to go mad, and Banqou's ghost was just another symbol of Macbeth's lingering guilt.

Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo in the seat being offered to him. “Which of you have done this?” (3.4.52). Macbeth says to the table, automatically assuming that someone knows what he had done and is now taunting him. The men there are confused, as they see an empty seat. Macbeth then speaks to the ghost, “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me” (3.4.54). The ghost of Banquo is all in Macbeth’s head. He does not know it, nor does he want to admit that he is feeling guilty for what he had done to Banquo. Macbeth tells his wife that he is looking at “which might appal the devil.” Lady Macbeth tries to recuperate Macbeth and says, “This is the very painting of your fear. This is the air-drawn dagger which you said/ Led you to Duncan” (3.4.64-66). This is not the first time that Macbeth’s guilty conscious has played tricks on his mind and caused him to see things that weren’t really there. Macbeth continues to speak to the ghost, “How say you?/ Why, what care?” (3.4.72-73). Macbeth wants the ghost to say something, but changes his mind after thinking about the wave of guilt that would engulf him if he were to

Macbeth’s major dilemma in putting what is actually there and what is imagined perceptive is proven above to have brought Macbeth to his corruption, his inhumanity, and at last to his downfall. Because he does not know what is real, he thinks he was pulled to kill King Duncan and so he did; he thinks that Banquo is there to haunt him, and so he starts slipping up and his false face starts to show what his heart knows; he

MacDEATH “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.” (Keri Russell). In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, careless decision making by a few, leads to their suffering. Firstly, when people greedily make choices to achieve a selfish goal, they will be punished for their atrocious deeds. Secondly, when people influence other into their bidding, they will face the consequences of doing so.

One theme in Macbeth is supernatural occurrences. Shakespeare uses witches, ghosts, and hallucinations to produce supernatural occurrences. One of the supernatural occurrences was when Macbeth saw Banquo’s ghost while eating dinner. Macbeth said, ‘Avaunt! and quit my sight!

What is captivating about Macbeth’s acknowledgment of Banquo’s apparition is that he is not in Macbeth’s throne, he is among the thanes of Scotland. Macbeth focuses his attention on Banquo hereafter, who is not blood-stricken, but rather dressed in his battle garments. When Macbeth demands who has done this to him, Ross assumes Macbeth is not well, to which Lady Macbeth assumes responsibility and pleads the invitees to sit. Again, another compelling moment occurs when the only person who does not sit down is Banquo’s apparition, he continues to stand, as opposed to Polanski’s version. As the invitees sit, Lady Macbeth walks toward Macbeth while also claiming his fit is momentary. While confronting Macbeth, she does not do it in private, she does it right in between the two tables, which raises questions on whether the invitees can listen in on their discussion on Macbeth’s painting of his fear. It is later revealed Banquo’s apparition was merely a thane, sitting down all along, making it seem as if it was a hallucination, rather than an apparition. The acting for this scene is

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most mystifying plays and is a study of human nature. The theme of appearance versus reality is apparent in Macbeth. It’s filled with numerous, notable, and significant scenes, including when King Duncan visits the Macbeth’s home, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene, and Macbeth’s dagger soliloquy. They provide raw, psychological insight into the character of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, showcasing the differing characteristics between the two characters. A quote that has developed synonym with Macbeth is, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (1.1.11) which introduces deceptiveness, debut, and one of the most important themes of this tragedy, appearance versus reality. Shakespeare uses numerous characters and situations to emphasize the confusion between appearance and reality, the real and the surreal, the legitimate and the imposturous. Emphasized in these scenes and throughout the play, Shakespeare successfully portrays the misalignment between appearance and reality.