Macbeth, in Polanski’s version of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, is strongly influenced by his ambition to become King of Scotland, which drives him to acts of betrayal and murder, making him a character to be loathed. On the other hand, Macbeth is also a character to be pitied because he was deceived by the three witches, as well as, he was heavily manipulated by Lady Macbeth, which led to his downfall. Despite his action, Macbeth is also a character who deserves to be admired and commended due to his brave and mature personality. Macbeth is a character to be hated and criticised, due to his audacity to commit acts of crime to an extreme extent to fulfil his vaulting ambitions. Firstly, Macbeth is a mass murderer, who is responsible for the regicide …show more content…
of King Duncan, who regarded him as a “Valiant Cousin” and a “Worth Gentleman”. Macbeth murdered the King, while he was visiting Macbeth’s castle, and cunningly framed the two innocent guards in charge of the murder, which resulted in the execution of the guards. Macbeth, who is also unsecured about his position of the King, took deleterious acts to remove threats to his throne by the carnage of Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth hired two men, whom he was able to manipulate into believing that it was Banquo’s fault that they are poor, thus convincing them to revenge by killing Banquo. Due to his lack of trust for Macduff, Macbeth, also planned the murder of Macduff’s family, because Macduff was a traitor who left Scotland, and fled to England to join Malcolm’s army. Macbeth was conscious of all the crimes he was committing, however, it was his vaulting ambitions that did not allow him to distinguish between the right and wrong, therefore, Macbeth deserves to be hated and loathed. Macbeth, is also a character to be pitied and sympathised, as he was heavily manipulated by Lady Macbeth, which lead to his downfall. Macbeth is presented as a bold, courageous warrior, who is admired throughout the community as a good loyal man. However, Macbeth willingly allowed himself to be led astray, after his wife, Lady Macbeth manipulated him to murder Duncan, to fulfil her desire and thirst of power and her ambition. Lady Macbeth is completely aware of the fact that Macbeth is an ambitious man, however, he lacks the evil that must accompany his ambition. She uses her cunning feminine schemes to arise Macbeth’s vaulting desires. Macbeth tends to succumbs the belittling efforts of his wife to kill Duncan after, Lady Macbeth says “When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more then what you were you would be so much more the man” …… Moreover, Macbeth should also be pitied, because he was deceived and mislead by the three witches. The three witches deliberately set fire to Macbeth’s ambition, by making him overconfident, after they prophesised “Thane of Cawdor, thou shalt be King hereafter, all hail King Macbeth, all hail to thee”. The witches’ twisted and deceitful prophecies manipulated Macbeth to crave for the King’s position. The three witches continue to mislead Macbeth, by saying “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill. Shall come against him”. This prophecy of the witches deliberately deceive Macbeth and increase his confidence by stating the half-truth, furthermore which led to the witches watching him self-destruct in pursuit of power and his unsuccessful attempts to remove threats to his throne. Despite his adverse actions, Macbeth is a character who deserves to be admired and commended, due to his mature, brave and kind personality.
Firstly, Macbeth is respected and admired by King of Scotland, due to his great exhibit of courage and strength on the battlefield against Norwegians, which resulted him being rewarded with the titles of “Thane of Cawdor”. Macbeth, who also holds a strong moral conscious regrets his decision of murdering Duncan and Banquo, due to his mature personality. After the regicide of Duncan, Macbeth feels greatly remorse and is deeply troubled by his guilt conscience. This is shown when Macbeth says to himself “Wake Duncan with thy knocking. I would thou coudst”. This suggests that Macbeth was aware of the crimes he has committed, and he wishes he could turn this tragedy around. Macbeth also deserves respect and admiration due to his courage and bravery. Macbeth was aware of the fact the Macduff is not born from his mother’s womb, however, Macbeth refused to surrender in front of Malcom, knowing he was going to die. Macbeth’s bravery is evident in his last words, when he says “And thou opposed, / being of no woman born, yet I will try the last. Before my body/. I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, and damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!’.”
… Macbeth is a character, who has been portrayed differently, where he can either be reviled, pitied or admired. Macbeth is a character who deserves to be reviled, due to his audacity to commit acts of crime to an extreme extent to fulfil his vaulting ambitions. On the other hand, Macbeth also deserves to be pitied and sympathised due to the evil influence of Lady Macbeth and the three witches, which resulted in his downfall. Despite his deleterious actions, Macbeth is admired more than he is criticised, because of his mature and great personality.
In the play of “Macbeth”, Shakespeare gradually and effectively deepens our understanding of the themes and most importantly the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The main theme of Macbeth is ambition, and how it compels the main characters to pursue it. The antagonists of the play are the three witches, who symbolise the theme appearance and reality. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relation is an irony throughout the play, as most of their relation is based on greed and power. This is different from most of Shakespeare’s other plays, which are mostly based on romance and trust. There is also guilt that leads Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to the final consequences of the play. As the progresses, the constant changes in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are exposed.
Prior to deciding whether or not conflict is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH, one must consider all the dramatic factors that contribute to the Shakespearean play. The gradual decline of the protagonist , the role portrayed by characters and the order in which the events occur, greatly influence the direction in which the development of the play takes place. After reading the text MACBETH, by Shakespeare and viewing the film version, directed by Roman Polanski, it is logical to see that ambition and the deceptive appearances of what really is, is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a famous play written by the English playwright William Shakespeare. The play was written in 1606 during the reign of James I. The play talks about how a military general, Macbeth, rises to power after killing King Duncan. The Story revolves around how Macbeth’s actions change after he heard the prophecies from the 3 witches. Greed becomes Macbeth’s guide after he listens to the witches, and since he wasn’t fully content with his given position, he is easily manipulated by his wife. The central question to this play is to what extent power (or the lack of power) affects individuals and/or relationships. And how do the decisions and actions of people reveal their personalities? .
Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed.
In Macbeth Lady Macbeth is perceived to be very evil and conniving, she is the catalyst that pushes Macbeth into killing King Duncan. She emasculates and manipulates him, causing his psychotic tendencies. Before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth played the role of a honorable servant of the King, and was praised for killing the traitorous Thane of Cawdor. Instead of the praise of Macbeth’s bravery bettering his personal integrity, he lets his prophesies that the witches informed him about go to his head. He is willing to kill to try and set himself further ahead, and after he is crowned King, he would kill anyone that stood in his way. This eventually catches up with him when the other characters put the pieces of the murders together and realize that Macbeth is responsible for all the deaths. Once this happened, Macduff, the Thane of Fife, set out to Macbeth’s castle at Inverness with a large army disguised by birnam wood to behead Macbeth, so Malcolm could be crowned King. Macbeth’s lack of courage throughout ...
For every occurrence there must be a motivation; this ideal is exemplified in Macbeth by Shakespeare. As this story progresses many ghastly murders unfold, furthering the ideal of how a simple drive for ambition can turn dark very quickly. Throughout this illustrious play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop, and then suffer the consequences of their cold-blooded corruption of ambition.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centred around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a noble and strong willed man, who is ready to fight for his country. However, one may see that Macbeth has a darker side to him, he is power hungry and blood thirsty, and will not stop until he has secured his spot as King of Scotland. Though Macbeth may be a tyrant, he is very nave, gullible, and vulnerable.
Firstly, the protagonist of the play is a monster due to the murders he committed. Throughout the play, we encounter that he has killed Duncan for power, Banquo and more. To prove this, Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,/ And chastise with the valour of my tongue/ All that impedes thee from the golden round” which indicates that his
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is described as being “valiant”. He is a skilled warrior, who is loyal to his king and his country. Almost single-handedly, he wins the war for Scotland. He defeats many of the enemy soldiers, including a traitor, all in the name of his king. But, when three witches encounter Macbeth and his friend Banquo, Macbeth’s ambition begins to grow. They tell Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King. Soon after, Macbeth meets with King Duncan. He informs Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is astonished, and from then on he is obsessed with being king. His ambition begins to become ruthless when Duncan proclaims that his son Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland, and therefore, the heir to the throne: “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, /For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires:/The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be/Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (I,iv,48-53) At this moment, Macbeth, realizing that they stand in the way of the witches’ prophecies, decides that both Duncan and Malcolm need to die for him to be king. As soon as Macbeth kills Duncan, he enters into a world of evil. Later in the play, Macbeth’s ambition becomes increasingly ruthless. He kills his best friend Banquo, and almost kills Banquo’s son, Fleance, because he believes they would stand in the way of his reign. The witches told Banquo “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” (I,iii,67) This means that Banquo himself would not be a king, but that his successors would be. Macbeth tries to prevent this by killing Banquo and his son Fleance.
Macbeth: Characteristics of Macbeth That Led to His Downfall. Rickford Foo Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.” Sometimes tomorrow never comes and as for Macbeth, tomorrow means another day of inner torment and guilt. This victorious Thane literally got the better of himself as soon as he started to believe in the witches.
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
The vigorous desire to achieve and willingly attain something holds the capability to greatly affect one's life. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth establishes the immense effect and influence of ambition. After gaining power over his country Scotland, the protagonist, Macbeth, experiences an internal downfall as he battles between his wants and moral judgement. He struggles to maintain stable relationships with others as his selfish desires and goals hurt those around him when achieved. In addition to clashing with himself and others, he is seen as a tyrant leader and is slowly turned against by Scotland's nation as well as England. Shakespeare's play Macbeth provides the reader with a clear understanding of ambition's corrupting power in Shakespeare's tragic character Macbeth, through his inner conflicts, struggle to maintain stable relationships with those surrounding him, and clash with society.
Macbeth is a fearless warrior and an important lord who defends his King against treachery but his fatal flaw is ambition which he allows to be set into motion in his mind first by the witches’ prophecy and then the amount of ambition for him from his wife soon undermines his righteousness. He is not easily won over to committing the deed of treason and has many objections to the murder, however he is easily influence by his own desire to be King. This is the starting point of a violent and ruthless nature.
Character Development of Macbeth: How Macbeth Changed From a Brave Warrior to an Insane Tyrant
Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.