Macbeth Character Analysis

Throughout the first scene of the third act, Macbeth is very afraid and cautious of his friend. He is aware that the witches’ prophesied that Banquo will be the father of kings. With his new title as King of Scotland, Macbeth fears Fleance. Due to the prophecy, Macbeth views Banquo as an enemy and a threat. Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance, as Macbeth is successfully able to convince the murderers that Banquo is their enemy. He believes that if Fleance becomes King of Scotland, Macbeth’s murder of Duncan would be futile, which allows him to “justify” his next crime. To the murderers, he states “For the plan to work perfectly, you must kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance, who keeps him company. Getting rid of Fleance is as important to me as knocking off Banquo.” Clearly, this shows his worry at the possibility of losing the crown, and how ambitious and ruthless he is to keep it. He commits heinous crimes, yet believes they are justified, due to his undying ambition, love of power, and “protecting” the throne. Yet even after the crime has finished, Macbeth believes he has to revisit his friends, “the weird sisters.” Macbeth has sacrificed everything for his ambition, which is all he has left. To quote Macbeth, “I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning we

Macbeth murders many to gain power. He causes the suffering of families and murders former friends. The violence starts with the murder of the king, Duncan, who’d trusted and honored Macbeth; Macbeth kills him to gain the position of king. Duncan’s death is the catalyst; Macbeth subsequently begins to use violence as a regular way to attain power. He murders his former friend, Banquo, refusing to accept that Banquo’s sons will be kings as prophesized by the witches. He says in regard to the prophecy, “Rather than so, come fate into the list, / And champion me to th' utterance.” Instead of accepting fate, he challenges the prophecy and orders Banquo’s death. His final homicide is the massacre of Lord Macduff’s family. When Macduff hears of the brutal slaughter, he cries, “That were most precious to me. Did heaven look on, / And would not take their

Macbeth shows his desire for power, he was friendly to Banquo before he became the king, but after he became the king, he let three murderers to kill Banquo and his son. “So is he mine, and is such bloody distance That every minute of his being thrusts against my near ‘st of life”(3.1 line 116-118). Macbeth sent three murderers to kill Banquo and his son since they ran away. All he thinks about is to kill more people in order to gain more power. Macbeth didn’t just kill Banquo only, he also killed Macduff’s whole family. “Murderer. What your egg! Stabbing him. Young fry of treachery! Son. He has killed me, mother: Run away, I pray you”(4.3 line 84-87). He killed Macduff’s whole family, he just wanted to make sure he doesn’t lose his power, so he just killed anyone who against him, he’s obsessed with his power, he never cares about breaking other people’s family.

First, it is Macbeth’s thirst for power, coupled with Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of him, that drive the murder of KIng Duncan. As Banquo becomes suspicious and as Macbeth becomes increasingly troubled by the witches’ proclamation that Banquo will be the father of kings, Macbeth convinces himself that Banquo must be killed, proclaiming “For Banquo’s issue I have filed my mind [...] the seeds of Banquo kings (III.i.70-75).” Macbeth is paranoid of losing his new-found power to Banquo. This fear is so stout that it drives him to solicit the murder of his most loyal friend. As his morality devolves further, Macbeth senses disloyalty from Macduff, and he resolves to murder MacDuff’s entire family. In Act IV, Macbeth says, “But yet I'll make assurance double sure,/ And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; (IV.i.94-95).” Even though the prophecy seems to assuage Macbeth’s fears of losing power, he still plans to kill MacDuff, supporting his further descent into corruption and evil- all driven by his thirst for

These are represented by his fear and horror he sees by someone taking him place on the throne. “There is none but Banquo Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked, as it was said Marc Antony’s was by Caesar”(Shakespeare 3.1.55-57). King Macbeth after realizes what problems and threats his friend Banquo, a decorated military leader may possess. Banquo later comes to the conclusion that Macbeth has probably cheated his way to the mighty crown. This entices MacBeth, his insecurities cause him to see Banquo as threat, by putting all of their friendship behind them, Macbeth takes Banquo's life as he triggers Macbeth's emotional side. After MacBeth murders Banquo, he discovers yet another target. This target is MacDuff. “ Give to the edge o’ the sword His wife , his babes and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his line”(Shakespeare 4.1.151-54). Macbeth realizes that Macduff may or may not be planning something against Macbeth, acting out of fear and insecurity, Macbeth sends a kill order to MacDuff and his

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.

Before killing Duncan, it is Macbeth’s insecurity that led him to being persuaded into ultimately killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth influenced him, but he was also ratified on the idea that she is right and that if he does not act fast, he may never get the throne. The announcement of Malcolm (Duncan’s son) to be the one to succeed Duncan as King led to Macbeth becoming more worried and he claims, “It is a step/On which [he] must fall down or else o'erleap,/For in [his] way it lies.” (Act 1, Scene 4) Macbeth was also very insecure and anxious after the killing of Duncan, as there were many people who challenged his authority. His blind ambition once again overpowered him and due to his insecurities about certain people, he was persuaded to kill those who came in his way of becoming King, and he did not pay attention to the consequences that may result from his acts. Macbeth was so fortified in becoming king that he even killed his good friend Banquo. This is because Banquo, being the only one besides Lady Macbeth to know about the prophecies, may suspect Macbeth of the crimes he has committed, and may just hold suspicion in general against him. Therefore Macbeth plots the assassination of Banquo by hiring murderers, and this is evident when Macbeth says, “Fleance, his son, that keeps him company, whose absence is no less material to me than is 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.

Macbeth abuses his power as king by becoming so ruthless that he kills whoever might get in his way or threaten his position as king. Macbeth fears that Banquo is beginning to doubt him and believes that Banquo is his enemy. When he is speaking to the two men he has hired to murder Banquo, he tells them,” Every minute of his being thrusts / Against my near’st of life” (Shakespeare 3.1.128-129). Macbeth is jumping to conclusions about Banquo because he fears Banquo’s sons will become king, as the witches predicted. This turning point in the play shows that Macbeth is not suited to be king and continues to act out against people in Scotland. Macbeth feels the same threat towards Macduff as he did towards Banquo, but since Macduff fled to England, Macbeth had to take a different action. Macbeth chose to attack Macduff’s family, he said, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife; give me the edge o’ the sword” (Shakespeare 4.2.166-167). Macbeth chose to kill everyone in Macduff’s family so that he would scare Macduff away from Scotland while Macbeth is king. This downfall did not come from no where, but from his sins and the choices he made as king, he did everything for himself instead of for others.

His paranoia got the better of him, and remembering the prophecy that the son of Banquo would become king after him instead of his own heir, he ordered their murder. Only Banquo was killed, his son Fleance escaped and this made Macbeth's situation worse. This led him to murder Macduff’s family for not being at his coronation, and suspecting him of disloyalty, which he was right to fear. Rational fear or not, the murder of Macduff’s family was the final nail in Macbeth’s coffin, and Macduff would return later to kill him, and restore the proper bloodline to the throne. If he had not murdered Macduff’s family out of paranoia, Macduff may have fought on his side during the battle despite their disagreements, and stop the last part of the prophecy from coming

This is not only a great honor for the king to attend any home for dinner, but to even spend the night at another person’s abode, to which the surrounding is unknown to him, is another level of trust he held for the so called honorable Thane of Cawdor Macbeth. Macbeth’s ambition and pride leads to his plan to murder the king, without hubris a man would lack ambition those characteristics go hand in hand for leaders. These two traits can also lead to the fall of heroes which is greatly shown in Macbeth’s case. A turning point in which Macbeth truly becomes a shattered image of his former self is when he plots the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth says, “Who wear our health but sickly in his life /which in his death were perfect” (III.i. 105-106). This is a vital piece in the judgment of Macbeth for this is the first time he plotted someone’s downfall on his own volition. Not only did he plan on killing his benevolent friend Banquo, but he also intended to kill Banquo’s seed to the earth, his son, Fleance. Fleance knew nothing of crimes committed by Macbeth but was perceived as a threat as if he

Macbeth is trying to make sense of why he killed Banquo his friend. “There to slay them, so that he would not have his house slandered but that in time to come he might clear himself if anything were laid to his charge upon any suspicion that might arise” ( Holinshed 297). Macbeth was worried that Banquo would tell everyone that Macbeth did in fact kill Duncan. Macbeth plotted to kill Banquo because he feared Banquo would overthrow him. Both Macbeth and Banquo planned to kill Duncan, Macbeth was made king after Duncan’s death.

Macbeth is a courageous war general who receives a prophecy from the mysterious three witches that he will someday become the King of Scotland. Although skeptical at first, Macbeth knows better than to question the witches. He lets this prophecy over take him and with the encouragement from his wife, Lady Macbeth, they murder King Duncan and become engulfed with both regret and insanity. This insanity leads to Macbeth unnecessarily murdering other citizens in order to “secure” his throne. At the start of this play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are polar opposites, as Macbeth is self-aware of his actions while Lady Macbeth refuses to worry about her consequences. However by the end, their feelings of guilt completely switch. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the story of these murders to portray the effects that Macbeth’s diminishing guilt will have on his relationships. Macbeth’s lack of guilt will destroy his relationship with Lady Macbeth, alter Macduff’s feelings towards him, and overtake his own actions.

Lady Macbeth brings out Macbeth’s tragic flaw when she proposes the idea of killing King Duncan and he states, “I have no spur . . . but only vaulting ambition” (1.7.25-27). Once King Duncan has been murdered, this flaw is revealed because his actions reflect on his ambition to stay king. Macbeth begins by planning on killing Banquo and his son because the witches told Banquo “thou shalt get kings, thought thou be none” (1.3.68). Macbeth must kill Banquo and his son, so no one will have the opportunity to take the crown away from him. When Macbeth sends murderers to kill them, Fleance can get away while Banquo is brutally attacked; however, luckily for Macbeth, Fleance is never heard from again. When Macbeth goes to visit the witches again and the first apparition tells him to “beware Macduff” (4.1.71-72), he then realizes he must eliminate any other obstacle that could potentially keep him from staying king. He says he will “give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (4.1.150-151) just to ensure his throne. By doing these horrible deeds, Macbeth proves he is willing to go above and beyond to remain king until his