The Degradation of the Character of Macbeth
Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth explores the decline of the central character, Macbeth from a respectable warrior to a murdering and lying fiend. This change in character is a direct result of Macbeth’s unbridled ambition and greed.
In act 1 scene 2 Macbeth is described as "brave", "valiant" and "heroic" and everyone admires him. King Duncan and his court receive news from the wounded Captain that the battle against the traitor and the rebel MacDonwald and his army was evenly balanced until Macbeth and Banquo in acts of outstanding courage and ferocity destroyed him and his troops, like "sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion". But as this occurs , reinforcements from the King of Norway and the traitor, the Thane Of Cawdor, counterattack Macbeth and Banquo " but all's too weak; for brave Macbeth well he deserves that name". However these two are not at all dismayed; but as the Captain is taken away to tend to his wounds, the outcome is still unsure. The Thane Of Ross arrives to report that, through the fighting spirit of Macbeth, Duncan's army has won a great victory " The victory fell on us". Duncan declares that the "most disloyal traitor" the Thane Of Cawdor is to be executed which is very ironic "Go pronounce his present death" and Macbeth "O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!" is to receive his title and estates as a reward "Nobel Macbeth hath won".
Although we haven't yet met Macbeth, whilst the battle is primitive and bloody the Captain's and Ross's descriptions emphasize an "heroic", even "epic" quality of Macbeth part of them. This is shown in the personifications such as "Disclaiming fortune", "valorous minion", and references such as "memorize another Golgotha". Duncan himself generously praises Macbeth, and the final epithet he gives is "noble". These quotes show that people and even the king have a very high opinion of Macbeth.
The witches appear at the beginning and are highly ambiguous creatures- whether they are human it is debatable. The witches create a sense of mystery: they will meet when "the battles lost and won", which seems a contradiction. The fact that they are evil is show in their final couplet. According to them "Fair is foul, and foul is fair". Put another way this means:
good is bad and bad is good. All of Act 1 scene 1 creates a very ominous atmosphere.
Macbeth, one of the darkest and most powerful plays written by Shakespeare, dramatizes the disastrous psychological effects that occur when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition for power. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character loses mental stability and becomes enthralled with the idea of being king. Empowered by the three witches, this situation consumes Macbeth’s consciousness until his mental state becomes deranged. This mental deterioration is evident in what he says and does as he evolves into a tyrannical ruler attempting to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. In an attempt to fulfill his ambition for power, Macbeth displays mental deterioration and becomes increasingly bloodthirsty.
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a five-act drama that shows a clear example of how pride, greed, and power can alter a man's actions and personality. The taste of power blinds the story's main character, Macbeth. Sparked by Lady Macbeth, he becomes heartless and cruel as he kills anyone who is a threat to his power due to his paranoia of losing the throne. This fear ironically leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. The theme of the story is deceit and evil and how they affect a man's decisions.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
Macbeth's Actions in William Shakespeare's Macbeth As soon as we start to read the play, we learn that Macbeth has earned. himself an 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.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centring around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a nobel 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 naïve, gullible, and vulnerable. He is vulnerable and willing to be persuaded by many characters throughout the play, his wife, the witches to name a few, this is the first sign that his mental state is not as sharp as others. One will see the deterioration of Macbeth and his mental state as the play progresses, from level headedness and undisturbed to hallucinogenic, psychopathic and narcissistic. The triggering event for his mental deterioration is caused by the greed created from the witches first prophecy, that Macbeth will become King of Scotland (I.iii.53). Because of the greed causing his mental deterioration, Macbeth’s psychosis is what caused his own demise by the end of the play. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the tragic hero Macbeth’s demise is provoked by his hallucinogenic episodes, psychopathic actions and narcissistic behaviours.
Until his death, King Duncan was misled by Macbeth’s false loyalty. When the Thane of Cawdor had been found guilty of being a traitor and was hanged, King Duncan thought so highly of Macbeth, that he gave the title to him. The Thane then ironically dies with pride while Macbeth dies a foe of Scotland. The King was under the impression that Macbeth was a loyal and brave soldier, calling him “O worthiest cousin” (1/4/14), but Macbeth was actually already planning to kill the King, “whose murder yet is but fantastical” (1/3/139). Even when Duncan goes to visit Macbeth, he praises the castle’s pleasant environment and hospitality, “This castle hath a pleasant seat” (1/5/1), but is totally unaware of Macbeth’s plans to murder him.
From the beginning of the play, Macbeth undergoes a complete change in character--from a virtuous nobleman into a monster. He has a tragic weakness--ambition--which, when released, draws him into a web of evil and corruption that finally leaves him with none of the noble human qualities he possessed at the beginning of the play.
Macbeth's eventual demise is by virtue of his obsession for power and retaining his power. Before he desired the power of being king, Macbeth was a respected noble. He was labeled, "brave Macbeth" (Act I, scene, ii, line 16) for his actions in battle. During a conversation between Duncan and the Captain, the Captain describes how Macbeth brutally slew the rebel Macdonwald:
In Act 1, Macbeth is a brave and noble soldier ready to die for his king, Duncan. He is considered a hero after taking a leading role in defeating the invading army. We know this from his defeat of Macdonwald and the Norwegian king. King Duncan was thrilled with this victory and decides to make Macbeth his new Thane of Cawdor. In Act 1, scene 2 Macbeths victory is recognized recognition and status and he is praised by the captain. "For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name...."Macbeth is presented as a brave man who led King Duncan 's forces to victory. Shakespeare creates an impression to the audience of Macbeth as a servant of bravery as the word "brave" suggests he is very loyal and noble . His brutality in the battlefield revealed his courageousness and that is why the Captain calls Macbeth ‘ brave Macbeth’. This shows the respect and status Macbeth has gained which portrays him as a very heroic character. kings
Right at the beginning of Act I we are confronted with three haggard women, Every detail of this scene urges our imagination to sense a confusion of the usual human order. Their curious paradoxes, fair is foul and foul is fair' and the rhyme in which they speak. In the middle of this scene we are confronted with the startling line There to meet with Macbeth '
Macbeth shows how greed and ambition can bring down a person as well as others and how the changes of power occur because of loyalty and betrayal. Macbeth is the play’s main unhappy character. The play tells of Macbeth's greedy thirst for power is a dangerous trait.
can all be predicted through these first few lines in Act 1 Scene 1, events and themes that
Act I of Shakespeare’s Macbeth serves as the beginning and exposition for the story to come, a tragedy filled with deceit and dishonor. This is made clear through the introduction of the titular character, Macbeth himself, and the dichotomy that develops within him. Before Macbeth ever enters the act, he is spoken of by a Scottish captain as among the bravest and most valuable soldiers in the army under King Duncan. After hearing of this account, Duncan has the utmost respect for Macbeth, exclaiming that he is “smack of honor” (ii. 61) and rewarding his courage with the title of Thane of Cawdor. At this point in the play, Macbeth is not only appears as a noble and worthy subject, but every indication suggests that this is the reality of his
Macbeth shifts from being loyal and courageous to a murderer executing a treacherous plan to kill the current king due to supernatural suggestions that he would be king himself. Macbeth is discussed as a man worthy of recognition by other characters in act one scene two. In this scene, the Captain states: “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)” (1. 2. 18). Macbeth is being praised for his courage and loyalty to Scotland and the king. This first impression is hastily contrasted after hearing the prophecy of the witches stating he will be “king hereafter” (1. 3. 53). Immediately after hearing this, Macbet...
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.