Macbeth:Concious Villain To Unrepentant Tyrant

Macbeth: Conscious Villain to Unrepentant Tyrant

Thesis: To trace the degradation of Macbeth from a hero to a conscious villain to an unrepentant tyrant.

I. Macbeth as a Hero.

A. Admired warrior

B. Duncan's Admiration

II. Macbeth as a Conscious Villain

A. First tidings of villainy

B. Murder of Duncan

C. Guilt-Ridden Soliquoy

III. Macbeth as a non-repentant Tyrant

A. Murder of Macduff's family

B. Selfish thoughts of sleep

C. Feelings of Invincibility

Macbeth, like most tragedies tells the fall of the protagonist from grace. Macbeth, originally a hero, degrades into a conscious villain who feels guilt and then into an unmerciful, non-repentant tyrant. A man once heralded as a hero becomes the bane of the land and his people.

At the start of Macbeth we are introduced to him and it is implied that he is a great warrior and a great man. He is the hero of the recent battle and is the subject of rewards from King Duncan. In fact one critic describes him as "A great warrior, somewhat masterful, rough, and abrupt, a man to inspire some fear and much admiration. There was in fact, much good in him … certainly he was far from devoid of humanity and pity."(Bradley "Macbeth") This paints the picture of an admired, somewhat inpersonable hero who was admired for his bravery and courage. In fact even Duncan, his later victim, admired him. Duncan gives him another kingdom and appoints him the Thane of Cawdor. The captain says of Macbeth to Duncan that:

For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name -- Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which nev'r shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops (I, ii, 16-24)

These are the words of a man who admires Macbeth, and at this point rightly so. This is the heroic Macbeth of whom we are speaking. Unfortunately Macbeth soon begins his down fall and becomes a conscious villain.

Macbeth degradation to a conscious villain begins with his first tidings of villainy. These tidings begin when Macbeth hears that the Duncan's son is the next in line for kingship. Macbeth says of this:

The Prince of Cumberland...

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...all concerns: to get a good night's rest."(Scott ?#) He has no feelings for others but envy, "He envies the murdered Duncan in his rest."(Scott ?#) At this point after all his actions his main want is rest. Truly he has become an unfeeling tyrant.

The tragedy of Macbeth has a common plot, that of a hero losing his heroism. Macbeth once the admired warrior soon becomes the hated tyrant of Scotland. Through key points in the play you can trace this devastating downfall. From Hero to Unfeeling tyrant, that is the tragedy of Macbeth.

Consulted Bibliography

Andrews, F. John, ed. William Shakespeare: His Work, II. New York: Charles

Scribner's Sons, 1985

Bradley, AC "The Character of Macbeth." England in Literature. Ed. James E.

Miller Jr., et. al. Illinois: Scott Foresman and Co., 1973.

Scott, Mark, ed. Shakespeare for Students. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1992

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth, The British Tradition. Eds.

Ellen Bowler, et. al. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996