Macbeth Character Analysis

Macbeth is a character in a play by Shakespeare with a tragic flaw. He had a quick rise to power and shortly after that a fall. Macbeth’s tragic downfall is a consequence of his vaulting ambition which is fueled by greed, fear and arrogance. Lady Macbeth and the three witches also have a major key in influencing his emotions. They manipulated the emotions he felt so he acted more rashly on them. Macbeth was a guy that could have been destined for greatness, but he made some bad decisions and that is what started his downfall. Macbeth possessed his ambition long before he was driven into tyranny. Before killing Duncan Macbeth was a great soldier and leader on the battlefield earning the title Thane of Cawdor honestly. He even saved Duncan’s son, Malcolm, from being captured by the enemy army.

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

The first time Macbeth could have changed his fate is when he was distracted by the witches. The witches was giving him all of the praise and the

Three evil witches predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and even King of Scotland. Macbeth let go their prophecies, but he is after promoted to Thane of Cawdor. However, Macbeth is a good and loyal relative who would never harm the King. If it was not for the outside forces, he would have lived happily as Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth does not want to kill King Duncan. Macbeth fears the witches’ message means that he will kill the king

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

Through bloodshed, Macbeth gains his way to the throne in order to lose everything in the end. Many readers believe that Macbeth deserved his ending and that he was responsible for his own destruction. Although Macbeth makes many decisions in the story that affect his life, he is ultimately not responsible for his own tragedy due to the ideas given to him by the witches, the persuasion of Lady Macbeth, and the natural human thirst for power. The Tragedy of Macbeth begins when Macbeth and his friend Banquo stumble upon the weird sisters after winning a battle. They begin to tell Macbeth that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and the king hereafter, while Banquo is told that his heirs will be on the throne for generations to come.

Throughout the play, Macbeth develops from a relatively good character, to a greedy murderer. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a brave warrior by King Duncan, who then bestows the title ‘Thane of Cawdor’ upon Macbeth. Macbeth’s character begins to change after he is encountered by three witches who reveal prophecies to him. After Macbeth discovers that he will be named king, he and Lady Macbeth develop a plan to kill King Duncan. However, Macbeth begins to have doubts of their plan, and says “we will proceed no further in this business.”(I.vii.31) This tells the reader that Macbeth still possesses some humanity, and believes that they should not follow through with the plan. After Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill king,

The play Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Throughout the course of the drama, Macbeth is revealed as a dynamic character. However, his change in character had a negative impact on him and others around him. At first, Macbeth is portrayed as a tragic hero, but by the end of the story it is clear that he is the exact opposite. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a hero. He was the general in the army of King Duncan. While on his way back to his castle, Macbeth and another general named Banquo encountered three witches who told them that they were able to tell their futures. The witches told Macbeth that he would soon be promoted to Thane of Cawdor and will eventually become king. This encounter was the catalyst for Macbeth’s downfall and is the reason

William Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, is a widely renowned and well-known piece of literature. The play first starts of telling how Macbeth, a great fighter, with his strength and great skill, helps to win the war. Soon after three witches tell Macbeth of a prophecy that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, then he will become the king. The prophecy comes true when King Duncan names Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor, and Macbeth realizes that the throne could be his. Soon after, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth murder King Duncan and this one choice changes everything.

As human beings, there are occasions where we choose between right or wrong. Certainly, It can materialize into effect on how other people judge you based on their glimpse of moral senses. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare displayed a dark and erroneous side of humankind. The three preeminent characters accordingly demonstrate identical attributes of greediness. For instance, Banquo who appears to be noble fails to resist his desires, and in relation to Lady Macbeth, she overrules herself with greed to a fate of anguish, and thus, Macbeth becomes engulfed with greed that leads to horrendous deeds. In general, Shakespeare emphasizes that ambition for power and wealth can invalidate morality in human nature.

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is established as a Scottish hero for the audience. As we continue to watch, the play Macbeth is describing by other as “brave”, “noble” and a “valor minion.”From these courageous and honorable acts in the war, the king name Macbeth, the Thane of Cawdor. However, before receive his current title Macbeth meet three witches and during their encounter is told he will become king. Jubilated by this he writes to his wife about the good new but, Macbeth soon find out the throne will be given to Malcolm. Succumbed by his ambition to get the throne, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth scheme to assassinate the King. Although hesitant about killing the king Lady Macbeth manipulate and corrupting Macbeth's judgment swaying