Throughout literature, we see human characteristics in our characters. Characteristics such as punishment, downfall, middling character, free choice, and nobility. In this play called Macbeth we see all these characteristics fall into place throughout the good and bad choices acted on by our main character Macbeth. The play demonstrates how power will make or break character and lead to his/her own destruction by possessing a few of these characteristics.
Macbeth demonstrates both literal and figurative nobility as the plot beings to grow throughout the play. Literal nobility is shown at the beginning of the play when the audience is shown macbeth is a general, and a good one at that. This is demonstrated in (I.II.2) “For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody excecution, like valor’s minion carv’d out his passage, till he face’d the slave”. This shows that as a noble general, Macbeth deserves more. However, his nobility falls short in act 2 scene 7 after he kills King Duncan to take the throne. Which brings us to Macbeth 's downfall and figurative nobility. Killing Duncan was his downfall that also brought down Scotland and because of this evil act, Macbeth was punished over and over through the play until his downfall cost him his life. His figurative nobility is brought up when Macbeth becomes king. Once a noble general now and noble king keeping secrets. The audience sees his figurative
The play entitled Macbeth by William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth, a loyal and brave thane to the king. When a prophecy reveals he will become king, Macbeth is overcome with ambition and greed. Convinced of this prophecy and the encouragement from his wife, he is able to kill the king and take the throne. Although Macbeth was able to obtain the throne, he was was overwhelmed by power and guilt leading to internal conflict, which suggests that success is not desirable through cheating and corruption and ultimately cost more than its actually worth, Macbeth`s reckless pursuit of killing and becoming the king is representative of the power he has and what he is able to do with the power he's gained; therefore. His relentless ambition for king reveals the guilt behind power.
When we are first presented with the character of Macbeth he is pictured as a noble and loyal warrior. However, once his future is presented to him by the witches saying that he, Macbeth, is to become the next great King of Scotland, he begins to lose focus and makes the wrong decisions. Macbeth begins to only make choices that will benefit only himself and to gain power. Becoming almost unrecognizable to the person he once was. After confronting his wife, Lady Macbeth, he isn't the only one with a lust for power.
When the story begins, Macbeth truly is a “peerless kinsman” to the king (1.4.66); however, as the story progresses others refer to him in this way only because they are oblivious to his true desire” (Balwan 3). As Balwan states, Macbeth has as significant change due to the so call “power” of being king. While Macbeth transitions to a new form of character, he isolates himself from Lady Macbeth. As the power increases, Macbeth is determined to kill.
Macbeth had become everything that he had ever wanted to be which was the king of Scotland and when the witches told him that someone else was going to take his crown he went to extremes to try to keep them from doing that which was eventually what lead to him dying. The witches had told Macbeth that the sons of Banquo would take his crown so he decided to have Banquo and his son killed Macbeth said, “Our fears in Banquo stick deep/ And in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared”(3.1.49-51). Macbeth did everything he could to protect his crown, but that is eventually what lead to his downfall and his death. He killed his best friend Banquo which was when his ambition had gone to far and was the beginning of his decline.
As people read literature, it can pose many benefits to them by offering help in their lives. One of these benefits is that it warns people about hubris and teaches them to happy with what they have in life and not sad about what they don’t. There are some classic writings, such as Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut, and Macbeth, by Shakespeare, which are prime examples of pieces of literature which have subliminal messages warning us to not be over ambitious. There are also contemporary writings, specifically an article about Trump, by Callum Borchers, which give us examples of present day people who are being affected by their own ego. When people read others writing, whether it is contemporary or classic literature, they are taught about how it is human nature to always want more than they currently have and the dangers that can arise from not being humble, which helps shape their identity and can be used as a guide throughout life.
Macbeth’s mental condition begins to dwindle as time goes on, starting with the murder of Duncan. At first, Macbeth is seen as a soldier that everyone aspires to be, strong, brave, and compassionate about his duties to the king. In act one scene two, Captain says, “...For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-...” This shows that he is a likeable person who has only the objective of serving his king. After meeting with the witches and hearing his prophecy, Macbeth starts to think about what it would be like to be king of Scotland.
Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.
Macbeth’s personality as a dynamic character changes throughout the play as opposed to a static character like Lady Macbeth, whose fixed goal is to kill King Duncan. A dynamic character allows Shakespeare to create a tragic hero, since Macbeth is of noble birth, goodwilled and transitions to evil natured and faces his downfall. The alterations Shakespeare makes for King Duncan and the events that surround his demise, reveals Shakespeare’s feelings regarding the monarchy, which serves dramatic and thematic purposes. These changes exemplify Duncan’s kingly virtues and underlines the calamitous ramifications for slaying the monarch. Shakespeare’s
Nobility of Birth, is the first requirement for a tragic hero: the hero has to start off as a hero, respected and often of royal descent. Macbeth, starts off the play in this state. Macbeth has just won a major battle, already is a Thane of Glamis and is about to become Thane of Cawdor, which are positions of nobility. Macbeth is described in the beginning as, “Brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel” (Shakespeare Act I, Scene II). The moral character of Macbeth, at this moment is clear.
William Shakespeare, playwright of Macbeth, shows the importance that power and corruption can hold on a person’s humanity. In order to prove the true effect of personal gains, he uses the main character, Macbeth, to show how evil people are willing to become. Personal power has the ability to be essential to greatness, but at the same time is able to destroy a person’s true nature. Believe it or not, Macbeth once was a man of honor. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was loyal to King Duncan, a strong military leader, and a respected husband.
Macbeth shows his downfall when the English army comes to his castle and an English soldier starts to call him a “tyrant”(5.2.12). This demonstrates Macbeth's downfall because everyone used to think that he was a good strong leader and that he could do anything. When everyone realized that it was Macbeth who killed king Duncan and the others, they were disappointed in him. His downfall ended up leading to his punishment. In the play everyone finds out that that Macbeth killed Duncan and the others, Macduff brings an army to attack Macbeth at his castle.
Macbeth’s Moral Deterioration Throughout the years where ruling and power took place everyone has always wanted to feel powerful and wouldn't stop at any lengths to have it even if it means hurting others along the way and choosing the wrong path . For others not so much, but some will choose anything to have power for instance in the tragedy of Macbeth. This is a story of an unsuccessful ruler who became king by murdering and manipulation. He chose to kill and lie in order to have power. His immoral decisions eventually lead him into extreme feelings of guilt and remorse later on in the tragedy.
From being a respected soldier, to killing King Duncan, Banquo and Mcduff’s family, Macbeth has turned from a noble man into a tyrant. His once noble heart and kind soul has transformed into a cold and bitter one. You can say that Macbeth was a victim, but we must also consider the horrors of his actions, and his downfall as a tragedy. At every turn of the book, he was fighting inner enemies, falling to ambition and the misanthropic spiritual world. There was no stopping after killing Duncan, and he will do anything to protect his throne, battling against the suggestion of fate, and manipulations of his wife the whole time.
The Tragedy of Macbeth incorporates character development to present William Shakespeare’s motive; throughout the play it allows the audience to see the message the play relays. The play is a tragedy and it specifically shows the tragedy of humans as they self destruct. There is a use of literary devices to create different aspects of each character allowing them to portray different images of themselves that wouldn’t be noticed initially. Compared to how the audience views each character in the beginning of the play, the image develops into something new as different aspects are revealed. The characters and their continuous changes become the essence of the play.
Whereas in Macbeth many of the character’s were once a great people until the play started to come to an end. Macbeth subsists to be a very noble leader to King Duncan. The witches prophecies drove him into becoming