preview

The Role Of Human Nature In Macbeth

Decent Essays

The Human Nature of an individual is the leading force of choice, where a right or wrong path is chosen. This can ultimately be influenced by personal ambitions and moral decisions which could cause conflict due to the excessiveness of power. This is explored through the play Macbeth, where Shakespeare portrays the downfall of characters through complex representations of human nature, discovered through the plot of play. The concepts of power and ambition causing a destruction to the greater chain of being is a constant reflection of their downfall and the lead up to guilt which consequently has an eternal effect on the rest of their lives, leading to their destructive ends. The subversion of gender roles in the Macbeth family are seen through the character construction of both characters, typically for Lady Macbeth as her characteristics converse heavily with women during the Elizabethan period. Shakespeare continually uses the motif of blood, to represent the concept of guilt, in order to preview the complexity of the Macbeth family’s character.

The excessiveness of greed can consume a character’s morals forcefully dispatching them into a sense of guilt. This is significantly seen through the consequences of Lady Macbeth’s manipulative acts towards Macbeth, which essentially leads to their destructive ends. “How is't with me, when every noise appals me?”, Immediately after the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth becomes more aware of the wrongdoing he just committed. This is

Get Access