Explore how Macbeth changes throughout the play
Macbeth, is a play that explores the corrupting nature of ambition and power. Throughout the play, Macbeth undergoes significant changes as he is consumed by his desire for power and he is ultimately driven to madness.
In the beginning, Macbeth is portrayed as a valiant and honourable soldier. However, his ambition and the influence of the witches and lady Macbeth lead him to commit regicide and become a tyrannical king. The quote, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other” shows Macbeth's initial struggle with the idea of killing King Duncan. Macbeth recognizes that he has no real reason to kill the king other than his own ambition, which he knows is not a good
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When he says, "I have lived long enough: my way of life is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf; and that which should accompany old age, as honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have" reflects the moment Macbeth realises that he has lost everything he once valued with his army has deserting him and every one close to him being dead. This is significant because at the time, loyalty to the monarch was considered a fundamental value, and a king who lost the support of his subjects was considered weak and unfit to rule.
As Macbeth's paranoia and guilt overwhelm him, he begins to see ghosts and visions. The quote, "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee" reflects Macbeth's descent into madness. He is so consumed by his guilt and ambition that he begins to hallucinate, and his sense of reality becomes distorted. This could be to show that those who believe in the supernatural will go mad and become like Macbeth. This would worry the audience at the time as things such as witchcraft were punishable by