Macbeth is one of Shakesphere’s most well known plays, and for a good reason. It is also one of the most relatable plays due to its many displayed universal character traits.. Macbeth’s main character, Macbeth, shows off a wide range of complex character traits. These traits range from being very relatable to not being relatable at all. However, there are three of Macbeth’s character traits that almost everyone should be able to relate to. In this essay, I will look into Macbeth’s portrayal of the universal character traits ambition, weakness, and guilt. Ambition is undoubtedly Macbeth’s most recognizable character trait. Ambition is a trait that everyone has, even if most people don’t realize it. Macbeth has very strong ambition throughout …show more content…
Every human feels guilt at one point in their life. Guilt is something that we come across almost every day, but sometimes our guilt turns into something bigger than it supposed to be. Throughout the play, Macbeth is plagued by his guilt as it slowly eats him. In Act 2, Scene 2, Macbeth exclaims, "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine”. Macbeth’s graphic hallucination shows Macbeth’s guilt as he fails to wash the blood off of his hands. This symbolizes Macbeth’s failure to escape the consequences of his brutal actions and shows how much his death affects him. Later in the play, Macbeth states "I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on ’t again I dare not." (Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 2). This quote is important because it shows that Macbeth feels immense guilt over his actions. The quote also shows how Macbeth is trapped in a web of his guilt and regret for killing the king. Guilt is something that everyone experiences, wether it’s over something small or something big like Macbeth. Macbeth’s guilt is a reminder to everyone that it’s important to admit your actions and seek forgiveness before the guilt ruins your
Macbeth is at a serious loss of integrity in these moments as he does the horrific deed by following an apparition, “Is this a dagger I see before me?”. It can be questioned whether the apparition was something more than his own desire to kill and him needing a reason or excuse to get blood on his hands without feeling guilt and with this he doesn’t take responsibility for the actions he carried out. Although Macbeths actions against the king were moments of extreme lack in nobility and integrity, he follows through with great guilt “To I know my deed twere best not know myself. Wake Duncan. I would thou couldst” “all Neptune’s ocean cannot clean his hands”, this metaphor/hyperbole brings back his original character of honor where he is saying that no amount of Neptune’s water can clear his guilt or wash away the blood on his hands or the mistake he has made.
Macbeth's guilt haunts him throughout the play, ultimately leading to his downfall. It is a warning that the pursuit of power at any cost can lead to disastrous consequences, not just for an individual but for an entire
He also attempted to fight Malcolm which ultimately led to his death. Macbeth, an antagonist in the novel “Macbeth”, portrays the character traits loyalty, ambition, impulsiveness and ultimately his impulsiveness is the most important trait because many times throughout Macbeth, his actions occur without any thought, but instead with rapidity.
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.
Shakespeare evaluates Macbeth's guilt after killing King Duncan in Act 2 Scene 2. "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?" The hyperbole implies that there is not enough water to rid him of his guilt. Shakespeare reviews Macbeth's growing guilt and conscience in Act 3 Scene 2. “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife.” the metaphor brilliantly communicates how tormented Macbeth’s ‘mind’ has become, eroding his humanity through his degenerate greed for power.
Macbeth shows a true sense of ambition in his personality which is acted out in a positive manner initially, but overtime becomes cynical. It must be noticed that in the beginning, his ambition is evident through his daring traits. The Captain speaks with Duncan, king of Scotland, about Macbeth’s courageous spirit during war: “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), /Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, /Which smoked with bloody execution” (1.2. 18-20). Many people around Macbeth admire him for his bravery and leadership in and out of the battlefield.
Macbeth Essay In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, passage 2.2.13-93 is significant because of the use of metaphors, irony, and theme topic, guilt. Specifically, the passage is significant because if the use of metaphors that create images of purity ruined by disorder. Furthermore, because of the use of irony that foreshadows the tragic future of the Macbeth’s. Finally, it is significant because it reveals how guilt can drive one into madness.
Of all the things people possess, their personality traits are among the most significant because their qualities are what define who they are. Each person is unique and distinct in their character, but there are some personal attributes that many humans have in common. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, the tragic hero, Macbeth, embodies several of such universal human traits. One important character trait that Macbeth holds is selfishness, and this facet of his is universal because it is reflected in great leaders like Steve Jobs and also in normal individuals such as the Rod Dreher.
Macbeth’s responsibility People of our society struggles the most to take responsibility for their actions. When someone does something wrong they will deny it because they know they did wrong. Shakespeare uses scenes in the play to show the responsibility of character and how they react to their responsibility. Macbeth is responsible for what happens to him because, he puts absolute faith in the word the witches say, which causes him to commit murders and internally he fells guilt for his actions.
Macbeth indicates his guilt when he say’s "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”(2,2,61-62). He’s meaning if he would ever be able to forget about the deed that he has committed of killing the kind of Scotland Duncan. He also is saying that even the entire ocean could wash his hands clean of the blood. Macbeth feels that what he has done was wrong and shameful.
MacBeth is the main character in Shakespeare's MacBeth and rightfully so. He is the character that changes the most and has the greatest impact on the story. MacBeth is the one whom the tragedy is placed on, and because of this it is his story. MacBeth's dynamic character changes throughout the play driving the story forward and showing the theme of visions of power create ambition in individuals. The first point that has to be explained is MacBeth's dynamic character.
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.
Should his wife suffer for macbeth's faults, he doesn't deserve her dead and she doesn't deserve to be dead. Also when Macbeth says “ I will not be afraid of death and destruction until Birnam forest picks itself up and moves to Dunsinane.(A5S3) he is saying it to prove that he will never be afraid of death, but when his messenger says that the forest is actually moving, we can't help but feel bad for the man. Increased awareness is another Characteristic of a tragic hero. Macbeth seems to have an idea of what the future has in store for him.
In the drama “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” William Shakespeare reflects on guilt . More specifically, Shakespeare implies guilt and how repercussions of guilt can be detrimental towards an individual because it creates emotional instability and distorted judgement. Guilt is displayed many times throughout the play, but mostly through internal conflicts of Macbeth. For instance, Macbeth feels internal guilt when he murdered King Duncan. Macbeth says, “ I’ll go no more/
Celia Beyers Tinti Period 1/5 12 April 2015 Literary Analysis: Macbeth In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, he presents the character of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is shown, as a character that schemes into making rebellious plots. She reveals the desire for wanting to lose her feminine qualities in order to be able to gain more masculine ones.