Macbeth As A Mad Character Essay

In the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, Macbeth can be perceived as a “mad” character. In the beginning, Macbeth is shown as a frail man, as he is constantly controlled by vigorous women throughout the play. Macbeth’s “mad” actions are justified through the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, Macbeth’s ambition to become king, and how Lady Macbeth manipulated him in order to fulfill her own aspirations.
The prophecies that were brought to Macbeth by the evil witches were a leading cause of him going “mad. If it had not been for the witches telling him that he will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would not have done the things he did. Before the witches came to him, he was an ordinary hero that fought for his country, and was undefeated. When the witches told Macbeth, he will become Thane of Cawdor and King, he was thunderstruck. He says “The thane of Cawdor lives, a prosperous gentleman, and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief..”(1.3.73-75). Claiming that it is impossible for him to thane and king if they’re both alive. His disbelief shows that if the malignant witches

Through his ambition, he kills Duncan against his better judgment due to being influenced by others. Macbeth never actually wanted to kill Duncan and that's shown through the amount of guilt he depicts. Moreover, the other character's death is justified through the fact that once one uses violence to achieve power, it is difficult to stop. Once Macbeth got swayed into killing King Duncan, there was no way to put a stop to him.
Overall, Macbeth could be perceived as a “mad” character through his actions, but his actions are all definitely justified. The prophecy that was told to him by the witches, his ambition that gets the best of him, and Lady Macbeth’s influence that drives him insane, and causes him to continue the evil