Macbeth Character Analysis

Indeed, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his selfish ambition. Selfish ambition as biblically defined means satisfying one’s ambition (in Macbeth’s case, becoming king of

Ambition operates as Macbeth’s primary character flaw and the main personality trait that leads to the destruction of his morality and righteousness. When he first hears of the witches prophecy, he is skeptical. This opinion stands until a

In his play Macbeth, English playwright William Shakespeare illustrates the adverse effects ambition wields on the human soul. Furthermore, he explores supernatural influences and illustrates how Macduff, a vengeful character, rose against tyranny and brought about the downfall of Macbeth. Written in 1606, under the reign of King James I, Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy. It begins with a summary of the famous warrior Macbeth’s valiant actions in the battle against both the Macdonwald clan and the Norwegians. Three witches declare that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and the future king of Scotland. Macbeth does not believe these prophecies until he is named Thane of Cawdor and, because the first prophecy came true, Macbeth

Good and evil are fluid concepts due to skewed perspective. No person is inherently good or evil. ‘Good’ people tend to have a lack of self-centredness, whereas ‘evil’ people are unable to empathise with others. Where people lie on the spectrum of good and evil depends on the perspective of a person placing them on the spectrum. Perspective is what makes the difference in how people judge other’s nature. In Macbeth by Shakespeare, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to change in nature, however the audience changes their perspective of the characters, while their nature remains the same.

Macbeth is a very interesting book with lots of good intentions, but turn out to be bad. The book was placed in 1606 and takes place in Scotland, during the medieval times. Macbeth meets a group of three witches and is told that he himself is going to become thane of Cawdor and then finally become King. The three witches play a big factor in this book, or do they...?

With Shakespeare’s Macbeth play, Macbeth himself is a man who has fallen from grace and has been corrupted by the notion of wanting to have total control and power over Scotland and its people. During the process, however, he loses who he once was, and gets what comes to him at the end of the play. With this in mind, the acquiring of self-fulfillment is something that can lead to getting it at all costs, with the inclusion of tunnel vision, greed, and the illusion of happiness.

When a person is born, their genes are the things that determine physical items, such as eye color and height. However, genes cannot control how a person reacts in a certain situation, that job belongs to their environment. William Shakespeare, George Orwell, and William Goulding convey the message that a person's environment has the biggest effect on their behavior and show the influence of one’s surroundings in their respective works Macbeth, 1984, and Lord of the Flies.

During the Victorian era in Europe, females were viewed as inferior to men, therefore women were not given the same rights as men. Society believed that women were reliant and weak, that only men had the potential to be independent and strong. Since William Shakespeare grew up in this atmosphere, it is not surprising that Shakespeare follows the societal norms, regarding gender, in his life and his plays. A deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s views towards women can be interpreted through his playwright as well as his personal life. The tragedy titled Macbeth by William Shakespeare presents two contrary portrayals of women. The character, Lady Macbeth, is portrayed as a brave, strong, and independent female while the character, Lady Macduff, is portrayed as a stereotypical wife who is weak and dependent on her husband. There is limited factual evidence on Shakespeare’s personal life, but conclusions can be drawn from his career, his marriage, and his will. Though Shakespeare did not treat women equal to men, it can be theorized that he wished to encourage women to break the female stereotype that was common during the time period.

Stereotypically men play the lead role and take charge in relationships. Throughout a long period of time; men have had higher employment rates than females due to the belief of men being more intelligent, stronger, superior, capable and independent. However, in Macbeth the tables are turned; Lady Macbeth takes on the male role in the relationship and has the qualities of a typical man. She is superior to Macbeth since he lacks power and relies on her for success as he goes to her for advice and depends on her to make final decisions. Although, Macbeth may have taken some inconsiderate actions on his own; Lady Macbeth is responsible for his downfall. Instead of being supportive and genuine with her guidance; she lets her ambition take control resulting in Macbeth going down a hopeless path and becoming a violent murderer. She is the instigator behind his actions as she contradicts his masculinity, convinces him that foul is fair and uses him to achieve her ambitions.

While it might not seem obvious at first, Macbeth fits perfectly into the model of an Aristotelian tragedy, as he starts of as one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, only to be consumed by his hunger for power and lose everything.

Many of William Shakespeare’s works portray the role of a tragic hero. The characteristics of a tragic hero are normally a person of noble status who is generally good but changes in character cause a tragic flaw. The tragic hero’s lack of judgment leads to his own destruction which usually results in death and causes the reader to feel fear and pity for them. There are three major factors that contribute to the changes in Macbeth’s character that defines a Shakespearean tragic hero. These factors include the prophecies of the witches’, Lady Macbeth’s influence and manipulation towards Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition for greatness which all lead to his ultimate downfall resulting in his death.

When people do something that makes them feel good, their brain releases dopamine to teach them to seek out this activity in the future for that good feeling to be repeated. Over time, the brain adapts in a way that actually makes the sought-after substance or activity less pleasurable. Macbeth was so addicted of the idea of becoming king that he did whatever it took. The tragic hero caused his own downfall simply because once the prophecies started coming true he continued to feed on to it which starting leading to chaotic choices. Yet, there are others who might of influenced it in the beginning, Macbeth began to do his own thing in the end.

One day, three witches tell Person A that he will be ruler. Once he tells his wife of this good news, she uses society’s expectations to pressure him into killing the current king/good friend of his, Duncan. She tells him that he’s a coward if he doesn’t do it and that it would make her happy. Is it wrong to make your wife happy? Macbeth asks readers this very question. It allows readers to look into motives, moral development, and the results of murder. It also allows them discover that moral motives do not justify immoral actions.

“When facing a dilemma, choose the more morally demanding alternative” (Harold S. Kushner). In Macbeth, he did not have a high standard of morality, instead he chose the path of anger, greed, and ruthlessness. At first he was reluctant, but once he started there was no stopping him, as he was longing the throne of King Duncan. His killings become easier and easier as he no longer feels the remorse and becomes a cold hearted individual who exhibits iniquity. His ambition only takes him to a much darker place where he struggles with himself and his wicked thoughts. Macbeth faces many predicaments within himself, and the outside world caused by the need for his prosperity.

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, we discover that Macbeth is a tragic hero. Macbeth has turned from a fine nature person to an evil person. His ambition, strong belief in the witches, has brought him to a tragic end of his life, and caused many people to lose their lives, especially his wife, who that he love so much. They are subjected to punishment for greed, for their previous crimes. Through this play, it taught us that human beings are born with ambition, that desire is good, but that ambition becomes reality, it was made by the effort and tribute of self in a clear way. It is not encroached on the crime to