Macbeth Villain or Victim

733 Words2 Pages

Vulnerability, murder, and betrayal give me reason to believe that Macbeth is both a victim and a villain. His weak mind, unchecked ambition, and power hungry attitude eventually led to his downfall. Macbeth has changed multiple times throughout the play. Macbeth starts as an innocent hero. He then makes his transition into a villain and soon enough, transitions back into the victim role.
When Macbeth is first introduced to the audience, he is seen as a tough, trustworthy hero. He wins the battle and gains King Duncan’s honor and respect. This all lasts until his encounter with the witches. The witches terrorized and cursed people purely for their personal enjoyment. They came across Macbeth and could not pass this opportunity. Unfortunately Macbeth fell victim to the witches’ ruthless, evil plans. The witches begin to recite prophecies which immediately strike confusion and curiosity in Macbeth’s weak mind. The first prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!” which was said by the first witch. Macbeth already was the Thane of Glamis. The second prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” This prophecy in fact, came true after his defeat over the King of Scotland. This of course caused Macbeth the want more. The third prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth that shall be King here after!” Macbeth new that the only way this prophecy would come true is if he murdered King Duncan. At this time, Macbeth was kind hearted and would not even think twice about murdering the man who trusts him. His weak mind caused him to fall victim to harsh words and tales of the future. The lovely Lady Macbeth is not at all who people perceive her to be. She is ruthless, impatient and power thirsty. She man...

... middle of paper ...

...is ruthless wife meant more than anything to him. He was blinded by the idea of him being untouchable and having everlasting power.

Works Cited

1. "Is Macbeth a Villain or a Victim?" Web log post. Is Macbeth a Villain or a Victim? Yazdgardian_92, 18 Dec. 2008. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .

2. "Macbeth: Villain and Victim." Web log post. Macbeth: Villain and Victim. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .

3. Padelford, Frederick Morgan. "Macbeth the Thane and Macbeth the Regicide." JSTOR. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Apr. 1901. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .

4. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Vol. XLVI, Part 4. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. http://www.bartleby.com/46/4/. [Date of Printout].

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