Macbeth Character Analysis

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the antagonist Macbeth is influenced and motivated by his wife Lady Macbeth to plan and execute vicious acts. Lady Macbeth is presented as a villainous character as she instigates her husband into committing horrendous acts starting with the murder of Duncan. She implant’s the idea of violence into Macbeth’s mind. And constantly manages to feed Macbeth’s thoughts with heartless and unfavorable comments. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would..be so much more than the man” (1.7.47-51). Lady Macbeth cleverly uses these quotes to mock Macbeth’s ability to behave like a man. She questions Macbeth’s identity and uses him as a pawn to complete her plan. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth that he would be more than a man if he committed the murder and that this would benefit him.

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

Following the meeting with the witches, Macbeth begins to think about killing Duncan and taking the throne by force. Macbeth becomes concerned with the witches prophesies and wants to learn more, as we can see from what he says after they leave, "Would they have stayed!" (1.3.82). After this, he begins thinking about his desire to be king. We can see that he is thinking about murdering Duncan from his soliloquy, "Stars, hide your fires, /Let not light see my black and deep desires;"

 I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and against nature. Lady Macbeth fears her husband's human nature, as well as her own female nature, and therefore she fears the light of reason and the common dayllight world. As for Macbeth, he knows from the first that he is engaged in an irrational stunt: "I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but

Secondly, Macbeth prepares for the assassination of Duncan as his wife Lady Macbeth pressures him into perusing the deed. Lady Macbeth murmurs that she knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too full of “th’ milk of human kindness” to take the steps necessary to make himself king (1.5.15). She convinces Macbeth to do whatsoever necessary to become king, blinding him with a negative ambitious drive from what is morally right. Later on in the story Macbeth is slain as a tyrant and Lady Macbeth commits suicide due to the consequences possessed with their actions in hopes of

Macbeth’s ambitious ways takes over his whole inner self throughout his time of first wanting to be king. Macbeth was thought to be a great leader and war hero before he was king. Macbeth was hatched an idea by three suspicious witches in whom he had never come in contact with before. They told him that he would one day become King of Scotland. After the witches disappeared, he got to think a lot about what they told him and pondered the words they spoke. Macbeth sends a letter to his wife about his feelings of what he had heard. When Macbeth returned back to his castle his wife wanted to lead him down a dark path and feed his ambition. Macbeth decides he wants to go after the crown after consulting his wife. "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on th'other...." (Act I, scene vii) This shows that Macbeth’s only reason to kill Duncan is for his ambition. Macbeth ends up killing Duncan. The way Macbeth killed Duncan made it a great crime scene. Macbeth still

Macbeth is a brave man who is not naturally inclined to perform evil deeds, yet he desperately wants and desires power and succession. At the beginning, Lady Macbeth was being in control and dominating Macbeth. Later in the

While it has been confirmed that numerous characters view Lady Macbeth as a “gentle lady” (2.3.96), she is, however, a woman who desires to live a luxurious life. After receiving the message that Macbeth will soon become king, Lady Macbeth is shown to be in a forward-looking attitude and praises her husband that she cannot wait to be Queen of Scotland. Lady Macbeth’s greediness can be demonstrated as she says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be/ What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness...Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem/ To have thee crowned withal” (1.5.15-17.32-33). These lines of the speech establishes that Lady Macbeth is the dominant partner in the relationship, and her plan of helping Macbeth to become king, will also have her as queen undoubtedly. Lady Macbeth is a clever woman, who can organize plans that everything will go her way. The wickedness of Lady Macbeth is shown as she fears of her femininity and invites evil “[s]pirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts…[to] unsex [her], And fill [her] from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty” (1.5.47-50). After Lady Macbeth has been informed of King Duncan’s arrival to her castle, her thoughts shortly turn to murder because she wishes Duncan murdered without any remorse. Since Lady Macbeth had opened her mentality and body to

Lady Macbeth is often considered to be the main antagonist in the Shakespeare's play Macbeth as she is the one who plans the king Duncan's murder and persuades her husband to commit the crime. She is often called a brave person whose determination to become a queen identifies her whole personality and makes her act decisively to achieve her goal. However, it does not seem to be true considering the events of the play as she is not depicted as a brave or strong character. On the contrary, Lady Macbeth is an overconfident and cowardly character who cannot bear the consequences of her own actions and cannot keep the situation under control. Her actions are ignoble, and the overestimation of her powers leads to the tragic end.

In the tragedy Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare writes about numerous different types of characters, all of whom have different personalities. The two most significant characters in the play are the antagonist, Macbeth, and his wife Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play the reader can notice an evident shift in personality and morals of each individual character and the influence particular events have on them. As the play progresses, it becomes apparent that Macbeth becomes a power hungry individual whose sole purpose is to preserve the crown in his name and to rule over “his country”. Macbeth’s eagerness to gain power causes him to become very immoral and allows the evil spirits to take control over him.

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, trust is an important topic throughout the play and is displayed through the character Macbeth as he rises and falls from power. Shakespeare conveys the idea of trust though Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth may seem loyal and trustworthy, but he actually is a fraud and has evil intentions. He trustworthiness to other characters directly corresponds to the amount of power he has in the play. When Macbeth is talking to King about Macbeth’s amazing service to the King, he claims that, “The service and the loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself,” (Shakespeare, 1.4 25-26) Here, Macbeth claims that serving King Duncan in itself is a gift. This quote displays exemplary loyalty from Mr Loyal himself, Macbeth, as he is enthusiastic about serving the King. In this part of the play, Macbeth is trusted enough to gain power and move up the ranks, as he is trusted by all and doesn’t seem to be hiding anything.

A defining moment for Macbeth is when he hesitates to act on immoral deeds. After hearing the witches’ prophecy that declares “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”, Macbeth initially does not intend to murder Duncan (1.3.50). He does wonder what the equivocal prophecy means, and Banquo warns him that they could be purposefully misleading him to his own demise, but other than writing a letter to his wife, Macbeth moves on from it as he figures the throne will fall to him as naturally as the title Thane of Cawdor did “without [his] stir” (1.3.144). Macbeth’s hesitation suggests multiple things about the character. For one, it shows he bares loyalty as a thane to his king as he was the one that bestowed the title upon him. This clearly indicates that Duncan holds Macbeth in high regard as he bestows both a new title and praise upon Macbeth. Likewise, Macbeth originally views Duncan fondly, as he does not want to betray a king that "Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/So clear in his great office, that his virtues/Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against" (1.7.17-19). Macbeth sees that Duncan has been a good king, undeserving of assassination, and so he formerly refrains from murdering him. Moreover, his reluctance to murder the king is also linked to how Macbeth and Duncan are relatives, cousins to be exact, as Duncan expresses his glee with Macbeth in Act I with

A wise man by the name of Aristotle once said, “A tragedy is that moment where the hero comes face to face with his true identity.” In a tragedy, the hero is often presented as a righteous, but flawed character, whose downfall is brought upon by his or her flaws and the circumstances outside of his or her control. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth manifests the undeniable power of unbridled ambition, and its consequences, after Macbeth becomes influenced by his sinister desires and those around him. In the beginning, Macbeth is looked at with high regard for his heroic actions at the battlefield. However, he becomes overpowered by evil after receiving a prophecy from three witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. Overall, there is a vivid and grotesque depiction of a man who is thrust into evil and malice, as he assumes the role of the tyrannical ruler of Scotland. However, despite his involvement in sin, he is not solely responsible for the murder of Duncan, and the consequential events that transpire. Macbeth’s unequivocal downfall is a result of the malign guidance of Lady Macbeth, falling prey to the deception of witches, and his ambitious mind under the influence of evil.

Throughout the play, there is no doubt that Macbeth commits some ‘evil’ acts. One would say he is evil simply for trying to justify his hellish sins and performing “bloody business”. However, Lady Macbeth, both manipulative and sly, can also be perceived as evil due to her mind of “direst cruelty” and lack of moral conscience.

Macbeth led a heroic life that countless people admired him, including the King of Scotland. The title of Thane seemed enough but the tragic flaw of his ambitions will be is inevitable downfall. The witches did show some foresight of what is to come and this has tempted Macbeth. But, it was his own decisions that has caused suffering to those close to him and his fellow country men. The types of suffering varied on each character and how they connected to Macbeth. Macbeth hubris is what caused him on the path of carnage with unwashable blood forever stained on his hands.