William Shakespeare's Macbeth

William Shakespeare's Macbeth

In the Shakespeare play "Macbeth" the main character, Macbeth who

begins as a proud soldier to his country, becomes a villainous tyrant,

hell-bent on turning his previously beloved Scotland in to a bloodbath

full of murder and misery. Without realising, the once loyal Macbeth

is turned into a killing machine by the supernatural, his scheming

wife Lady Macbeth and his own ambition.

At the start of the play Macbeth is a highly praised soldier to king

and country and a well respected honourable man. King Duncan, in act 1

scene ii, calls Macbeth, "O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!" This

amount of praise from the King would be very rare which shows how much

respect and even trust Macbeth has gained by his brave efforts in

battle. The battle between Scotland and Norway had become a stalemate.

With everyone becoming tired, Macbeth and his partner Banquo valiantly

fight like warriors, so much in fact that Macbeth's "sword smoked with

bloody execution." Macdonwald, the traitor meanwhile was slaughtering

his own countrymen in a vicious act. The Thane of Glamis, Macbeth

showed no mercy to Macdonwald and is described as "Bellona's

Bridegroom", which says he is the same status as the God of war, as

Bellona is the Goddess. In his rightful killing of the traitor, "he

unseam'd him from the nave to the chops, and fix'd his head upon our

battlements." After the courageous Macbeth had defeated this round of

Norwegians, more soldiers were cruelly laid on. This did not put

Macbeth off, he was put off, "As sparrows eagles, or hare the lion."

Macbeth simply was, "As cannons overcharg'd with double cracks: so

they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe." This purely says that

Macbeth goes into frenzy and easily dispatches the enemy.

At first the weird sisters are alone on the moor. The first witch is

questioned by the third, "sister, where thou?" The first witch

explains that she saw "a sailor's wife", eating chestnuts and that

when she asked for one she was insulted by the woman, "Aroint thee,