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Macbeth Character Analysis

Good Essays

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, during the reign of James I, who was James IV of Scotland before he became the King of England. James I was a sponsor of Shakespeare’s theatre, so it is clear that Shakespeare’s work was affected by James I’s sensitivities. Murder and intrigue was a part of the Scottish Reign when James was growing, and in fact James’s father was murdered when he was just a baby.
Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish general who, through prophecies received from three witches and manipulations of his wife, believed that he would become the King of Scotland. He murders King Duncan, and grabs the throne to satisfy the burning ambition of his subconscious. More power did not bring him peace or comfort; consumed by guilt and fear of losing his new throne, he became an iron-fist ruler. His violence led to civil war that forced Macbeth and his wife to insanity and death. James I was a believer of divine justice, so it is no surprise that Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a tragic hero who triggers his own downfall. Despite being influenced by witches and Lady Macbeth, he is still truly responsible for all that happened.

Unnatural refers to anything beyond normal or science, referring basically to abstract and magical happenings. In Shakespeare’s plays we find how super natural events or elements are meshed into peoples’ lives along with natural ones. Supernatural elements have a key role in Macbeth such as the appearance of a ghost of Banquo and the prophecy of

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