Macbeth Character Analysis

Macbeth had a hard time believing the prophecies were true at first, considering one of the prophecies involved one of Banquo’s sons becoming the next king. “Banquo’s sons, king! Instead of watching that happen, I will challenge my fate to battle and fight to the death.” Macbeth uses all his fate to keep anyone from replacing him as king, so he has Banquo murdered. Macbeth says that he will “challenge” his fate because, he knows that all the other prophecies the witches gave him became true.

Banquo was the only person with Macbeth when he was told the prophecy. The third part of the prophecy states that the crown will not go to descendants of Macbeth but of Banquo. It is learned that Banquo is suspicious of Macbeth when he states, “‘Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully for ’t’” (Shakespeare III.I 1-3). Macbeth gets the impression the Banquo is suspicious of him but he wants to kill Banquo and his son regardless because he infinitely sure that the third part of the prophecy will come true unless he does something because the first two already have. Macbeth hires three murderers and convinces them to murder Banquo and his son by blaming all their problems on Banquo stating, ‘“That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self’” (Shakespeare III.I 79-81). The murderers kill Banquo in an ambush but let his son get away. This infuriates Macbeth because it leaves room for the third part of the prophecy to become true. This mistake causes only more suspicion towards Macbeth because now four murders have taken place that, coincidently, involve Macbeth in some

    Once Macbeth becomes king, he becomes paranoid, due to the third prophecy given by the witches, which says that Banquo will become the father of kings. When both the prophecy that the Macbeth would be king of Cawdor and that he would become king came true Macbeth was worried that Banquo and his son Fleance would try to overthrow him. Due to this paranoia Macbeth hires three murderers to kill Banquo and his son, they are unsuccessful in killing Fleance, but they kill Banquo. Macbeth goes insane after Banquo is murdered and sees his ghost. It had been Banquo’s supposed fate to be father to kings, yet it would have also been Macbeth’s fate to kill Banquo, it can not be both. There are many instances of contradictions like these in the play.

The witches prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s influence intensifies his ambition and drives Macbeth to obtain and maintain his title of Scotland by whatever means, even murdering his best friend, Banquo. “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, ...no son of mine succeeding. If’t be so, for Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan I have murder’d; ...To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! (Act III. sc.I) At this point Macbeth’s passion becomes more and more extreme to the point where no one stands in his way. His greed, violence, and hunger for power drastically declines his

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.

Furthermore, Macbeth's ambition was deeply dominated by the witches prophecy which later created a monster. Intense desire and eagerness was the drive throughout the whole play. When Macbeth and his friend Banquo met with the three witches, they tell them that Macbeth will be king, the Thane of Cawdor. The witches state that ''None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.'' Which was meant to deceive and mislead Macbeth. When Banquo asked the witches about the prophecies, they told him how his sons were going to be kings, which later on led Macbeth's plot to kill both Banquo and his sons.

After receiving the prophecy of his future accomplishments, Macbeth accepts his near future and decides to act upon it. This event signifies the loss of his nobility and the birth of a deceptive and traitorous character. Similarly, In act 3, scene 1, after realizing the exactness of the prophecies, Macbeth then comes to the conclusion that his longtime friend Banquo, is now considered a threat. Even after being crowned King, Macbeth’s ambition drives him to insane lengths such as going on a rabid killing spree in order to secure his position. This ambition can also be considered a trait of human nature, to be driven and motivated is something we share with

Would you kill someone if that’s the only way you can get what you really want? From the time the witches told Macbeth that he will be the king of the Scotland, Macbeth becomes greedy and started making plan on how he can be a king. Later he kills King Duncan with the help of Lady Macbeth (Macbeth’s wife) and afterward he keeps on killing people. He even kill his friend Banquo because he thought Banquo was suspicious of him. But at the end of the play, Macduff kills Macbeth. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare incorporates the elements of hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis to demonstrate Macbeth’s fall from hero to tyrant.

Macbeth is very fearful that his claim to the throne is threatened by Banquo’s son, Fleance. He goes to the three witches and demands the witches for another prophecy. The witches then per Hectates request show Macbeth 4 apparitions with visions of the future.http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/page_136.html. Macbeth then becomes overconfident in his efforts of keeping his crown due to his lack of insight. Little does he know that he is playing right into Hectates plan to deceive him because she doesn’t like his spoiled and arrogant attitude.http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/page_124.html. Hectates trickery causes Macbeth into a false sense of security, but he mindlessly following the prophecy and bones an unaccountable mindless puppet for

If Macbeth had not been informed about a possible future for him he would not have committed murders in order to insure his position as king. Macbeth’s ambition is being fueled here by the witches and his ambition will caused him to corrupt himself with ideas and thoughts of blood, murder, and deceit. Banquo, on the other hand, does not fall for the witches. He is different from Macbeth in this way. At first Macbeth didn’t believe

They told Macbeth his prophesies in order for him to act on them and do something about it. Overall, it was Macbeth who made the wrongful decisions that determined his fate. Macbeth believes in the prophecies that the witches tell him. They predict Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and eventually the King, Banquo will be “lesser than Macbeth and greater, not so happy, and yet happier,” and that his descendants will be Kings although he will not be one. No matter how and in what way they influenced him, it was ultimately his doing. Each prophecy came with an apparition that predicted Macbeth’s biggest fears. Later in the play Macbeth reaches out to the witches to have him reveal the truth of each

Role in Plot: He is another person that Macbeth has to fight in order to secure the thrown.

In spite of Macbeth was influenced by outside sources, he was motivated by his ambition and has a desire to become King

At the beginnig of the play Macbeth is shown as respected general, a devoted husband and a loyal subject to the king Duncan .The 3 witches make three prophecies, in act 1, scene 3 , the first 2 prophecies is rewarding Macbeth and the last one about Banquo, The first prophecy brings out his ambitous nature, but makes him struggles with killing his cousin king Duncan. Macbeth evil deed makes him suffer from fear and guilt , causing him to commit more evil crimes. Because of the witches prophecies Macbeth changes throughout the play from being a noble and loyal person to the king, to being a murder and people calling him the

   The dark aura surrounding Shakespeare's Macbeth is well deserved, as is the darkness shrouding its title character. Although Macbeth is certainly a villainous, evil man based solely on his actions, a fuller examination of his character's portrayal leads to a more sympathetic view of him. The play does not portray Macbeth simply as a cold-blooded murderer, but rather as a tortured soul attempting to deal with the atrocities surrounding him.