Macbeth's Actions in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

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Macbeth's Actions in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

As soon as we start to read the play, we learn that Macbeth has earned

himself a honourable reputation, and is described by king Duncan as a

'valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!' His loyalty and bravery are

portrayed through his defeat of the Norwegian army and Scottish

rebels, and he returns from battle, a gallant and reputable soldier.

The extent of his courage is shown as he is interminably praised by

his noblemen, has become a hero of Scotland, and the thane of Cawdor,

although he does not know this yet.

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Whilst returning from a tough battle, he meets the three witches. They

are dark, mysterious creatures, who are portrayed as supernatural

beings that symbolise evil. We are shown their evil characteristics

when they utter the phrase, 'Fair is foul and foul is fair', which

means good is evil and evil is good. Their evil appearance raises

questions about their gender, 'you should be women And yet your

beards forbid me to interpret, That you are so', which is able to

shroud the readers in a vague understanding of their existence.

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They seem hold some possessive qualities, as Macbeth echoes the

witches' words, 'So foul and fair a day I have not seen'. As the

witches reveal their prophecies to Macbeth, telling him of future

royalties, 'hail to thee, thane of Cawdor', 'that shalt be king

hereafter', Macbeth's mind is set going. After being told by a

nobleman, Ross, that he has being given the title of Thane of Cawdor,

due to th...

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...m with notions that he will become king, and

that he would not succumb to death from a man born of a woman. How he

achieved those prophecies was his undertaking, and in the end it was

wholly his choice of the path he would take to attain the high-ranking

titles he was prophesied. His ambition would lead him astray. Lady

Macbeth was a huge influence, and was the milestone between good and

evil. Eventually she tipped the balance and was able to sway Macbeth

into her wicked ideology. After this, Macbeth reinforced himself in

his murderous and immoral actions, up to the point when he couldn't

care less when his wife died. Seeped in his self-confidence, he was

distraught when one by one the prophecies began to betray him, and he

paid the inevitable price. Therefore, I feel that Macbeth was

responsible for his actions.

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