The Character of Macbeth in Shakespeare's Play
Shakespeare uses the Aris Totle tragic pattern in many of his plays
and Macbeth is no exception. Using the Aris Totle tragic pattern the
audience witness Macbeth's downfall from his height of happiness and
power (Hubris) to a low bloodthirsty killer (Nemesis).
The Audience of that era and even today love to hate the villian, in
this case Macbeth.
In the beggining the audience see Macbeth as a 'brave' and loyal
warrior, who had just defeated the Nowegians, everyone was
celebrating.
In Act 1 Scene 3 Macbeth, accompanied by Banquo, comes across three
witches and they start a conversation of the most sinister nature.
This conversation makes the audience question Macbeth's character, in
those times talking to witches was bad enough but the subject of the
conversation just made things truelly bad. ' All hail Macbeth Thane of
Glams... All hail Macbeth Thane of Cawdor... All hail Macbeth King.'
This was the prophecy of which the witches spoke and as soon as
Macbeth seemed to be intriged with, this above all would make anyone
in that era question Macbeth's character, to even think of conspiring
against the King was diabolical. 'Stay tell me more...' was enough to
seal Macbeth's fate as villian, this is point where the audience see
Macbeth change.
Macbeth was not the only one who became obsessed with the prophecies,
Lady Macbeth soon became obsessed once she heard of them from a letter
written by Macbeth. Both Macbeth and his wife hatch a plan to KILL!
king Duncan and become rulers of Scotland, which starts with the King
going to Dunsenain (Macbeth's Castle) to 'celebrate the victory
against the Norwegians. During the celebration feast the audience see
Macbeth's soliloquay, he is unsure of the plan, 'If it were done when
'tis done, then 'twere done quickly... ...He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the
deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the
door, Not bear the knife myself.
MacBeth is born of a noble birth and that means that great things are expected of him. So, when MacBeth encounters the three witches, they tell him ”All hail, MacBeth! Thane of Glamis! All hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail,
frustration in act 5 scene 5 when he says "I 'gin to be aweary of the
How people interact with others is largely influenced by how they perceive the world. In The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, characters’ thoughts and impressions are clearly demonstrated to have major impacts on their actions. The behavior and words of others motivate characters to act. Emotions play a strong role in creating the conflicts and Macbeth and the way they unfold. Some views are supported by reality while others are the products of emotion and faulty logic. A lot of the perceptions possessed by Macbeth are affected by the supernatural. Macbeth’s actions are a result of the heavy influence the witches have over him:
Macbeth is portrayed as a good man in the opening of the play. The wounded Captain described him by saying, “Brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name” (1.2.17). Macbeth is depicted by the Captain this way because he witnessed Macbeth brutally take the life of Macdonwald. Although he is brave and brutal, he is also honored because of his loyalty to King Duncan. Macbeth expresses his loyalty to Duncan when he says, “The service and loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself” (1.4.25). However, Macbeth’s appearance will change suddenly after him and Banquo meet the witches. The witches prophesized their fates to them and it all seemed great for Macbeth, who they said will be king hereafter (1.3.53). What the witches also state in their prophecies is that Banquo is lesser than Macbeth, but he will have sons as kings even though he won’t be one himself (1.3.70). One of the predictions actually comes true; the witches told Macbeth he would become Thane of Cawdor (1.3.52). Once this prediction comes true, Macbeth is already in a struggle with his ambition.
All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, thane Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth.
us to believe that Macbeth is in no way a traitor and that he is brave
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.
Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but his title as King of Scotland, causes for Macbeth to loathe Duncan. In the play there is very little interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies Macbeth is loyal to Duncan, and would never imagine killing him. After the one of the witches’ prophecies comes to be true, the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth "yield[s] to that suggestion / whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / and make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (1.3.146-148). Partly because of Lady Macbeth’s suggestion his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, and he begins to take into consideration killing Duncan, to become king. Macbeth however, does not feel comfortable in killing Macbeth, giving himself reasons why not to kill Duncan: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself,” (I, vii, 13-16) Lady Macbeth, convinces Macbeth, that killing Duncan is the right thing to do until right before he performs the murder. We learn from this murder that Macbeth truly had faith in the king and was very loyal, but knowing that one day he would become king, his ambition and the persuasion of Lady Macbeth, causes him to perform the act, that he will regret. This murder changes Macbeth as a person, however, and he soon feels little regret for killing King Duncan, but this act will soon aid in his downfall.
All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!" The Witches call macbeth king even though he is not one, which hints that Macbeth might
Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.
The witches tell Macbeth that he will become thane of Cawdor as well as king of Scotland. When he tells this information to his wife, she begins to plot the murder of Duncan, something that would never have happened without the witches' words. Lady Macbeth herself also plays a role in the fate of Macbeth. She is ultimately the reason that the murder of Duncan is carried out and Macbeth is successfully not blamed for the murder. Macbeth has conflicting feelings about the murder of his friend and king, Duncan, but Lady Macbeth criticizes him, saying that he is not a man unless he goes through with murdering Duncan.
The most prophetic statement in the work is given by none other than the witches. As Macbeth approaches the hags, they great him by saying, “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii. 47-50). The wicked women state the first two correctly; he is the thane of Glamis and the newly appointed thane of Cawdor. The third is correctly stated, yet the audience is unsure of this truth. Macbeth is not the current King, but fittingly all will “Hail him King”. This profound prediction lays the bedrock for the argument of fate. Once again, the witches have a control over Macbeth and merely suggest the possibility and leave the rest up to Macbeth.
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.
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the history of English literature as well as the world’s paramount playwright. Possibly the most superlative writing attribute he possessed was his unmatched ability of characterization. Shakespeare created unique, opaque, and eminent characters who related to almost everyone. When one thinks of these famous characters, Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth comes into consideration. Macbeth is possibly Shakespearian Theatre’s densest and most disturbed character, and this prestigious title can be credited to his obvious psychological problems. The troubled mind of Macbeth can be related to several modern day psychological problems.
When William Shakespeare created "Macbeth" he included in the title character all the key elements of a tragic hero. Macbeth has a decline from his good standing, reaches a lowest point and soon after turns himself around, the epiphany, and finally rises in his morals and standing; however it is too late and his death is apparent. Macbeth's decline begins when he heeds the witches prophecies. His lowest point is reached when he decides that life does not matter to him anymore, soon followed by his epiphany when he decides that he will fight honorably even if it means his death. He then raises his moral standing and regains his honor. Through well written literature, William Shakespeare is able to portray Macbeth as a typical tragic hero.