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How Does Macbeth Change Throughout The Play

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In Shakespeare’s notable play Macbeth, the main character Macbeth experiences a journey in which he transforms from the play's protagonist to the antagonist. Throughout the five acts, Macbeth goes from being a brave and noble man to an egotistical and greedy murderer. He betrays all of his friends and family and he puts himself above the well-being of the country he is supposed to protect, all because he wanted to be the King. This character development enhances the play because the reader has the opportunity to witness Macbeth’s path to becoming the villain, interpret it, and learn from it. Macbeth’s tragic ending teaches the reader an important lesson about power and ambition, two main themes in Macbeth. The nature of Macbeth’s villainy is very complex as he is initially influenced by a lot of …show more content…

At the beginning of the play, it is clear that Macbeth is a good man. In act one scene two, the captain describes Macbeth as “brave” and Duncan describes him as a “worthy gentleman”, proving that he is and has always been loyal and noble, as well as respected by most. However, as the story unfolds, Macbeth murders King Duncan and the guards and then hires murderers for Banquo and Fleance in order to become King. In act three scene two Macbeth states “'O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”, using the metaphor of deadly stinging insects to express how he can’t rest until he kills Banquo and Fleance. This presents a clear comparison from who he was in act one, making it undeniable that Macbeth’s craving for power has destroyed him. Without Shakespeare taking the protagonist and turning them into an antagonist, the reader would not fully understand the lesson he is trying to teach throughout the play. This character development enhances the overall takeaway of Macbeth that power and ambition combined can make you

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The Shakesperian play Macbeth is about drive and misfortune. There are different messages and themes in the story of Macbeth which depicts how it could affect an individual’s life. During the course of the story, we as the reader are capable of recognizing how easy it is for ambition to transform into greed. As the story progresses, we are able to view how the build up of the story leads to Macbeth’s eventual downfall. The events in Macbeth demonstrate the theme of how power corrupts and leads to greed and fear of losing the power.

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At this point in the book Macbeth has become a totally different character who has lost all empathy and feelings towards other characters. He makes the statement “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife. / Thou know’st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives”( Shakespeare 3.2. 38-39). Macbeth's own mind is like poison wanting to kill anyone in the way of his journey.

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In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Shakespeare explores the consequences of unchecked ambition and greed paired with blind trust in the wrong people, and how this will ultimately result in inevitable repercussions. Shakespeare's character Macbeth explores these ideas through his political greed and desire to become King of Scotland. Macbeth was a virtuous man who was enrolled in the army, and this play represents how power can corrupt even these kinds of people. His ambition to be the king guides him to commit multiple heinous crimes, including the murder of his friends and allies. He lets this idealized version of himself control him, and lead him to malicious acts that eventually lead him to his death.

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Macbeth has a lot of development in this book. Some of the ways he changed built characters, some changes killed bonds. This happens many times throughout the plot some changes were made by force, through the manipulation of his wife. Others are from the power getting to his head. Through these developments you can see Macbeth go from coward to killer to demise.

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Macbeth begin to feel as if the bonds and relationships were fake, so he turned against the people who supported him with little to no regret. He was solely focused on this motive of becoming king and gaining as much power as he can. For example, he ended up killing his best friend Banquo and almost killed Banquo’s son. This was all to try and prevent them from fulfilling the second part of the prophecy, Banquo’s descendants becoming king. His valuing of human life, even those close to him, disappear right before the reader or viewer’s

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Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a rather bloody and demiseful tale. Although the characters of the play all have different emotions the main theme is based on greed and suffrage of one’s actions. The main character, Macbeth, is ridden with guilt and greed, while Lady MacBeth is very controlling and demanding. Macbeth's curiosity led to a great demise for both him and Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s actions are being controlled by the emotions of curiosity, guilt, and fear.

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Macbeth explores the themes of power and ambition. From the beginning, we see Macbeth as a loyal soldier and a brave warrior, who is respected and admired by all. However, his ambition to become king pushes him toward committing wicked acts that destroy his reputation. Strong ambition for power which can cause a lot of misjudgment on stuff like one with too much power will see past one's judgment and perception. Ones with too much power look past their emotions and seek too much that they can't handle.

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Macbeth becomes increasingly consumed with his own ambition and paranoia, causing a rift between him and his spouse. Lady Macbeth’s control over Macbeth begins to fluctuate as he becomes more independent and carries his bloodlust for power. Macbeth’s ruthlessness becomes clearly visible, in his decision to kill Banquo and attempt to kill Fleance, “I have done the deed” (3.2.14). As Macbeth’s actions escalate, Lady Macbeth is caught up in her own guilt, causing their relationship to deteriorate further.

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In the Shakespearean play Macbeth, Macbeth’s character undergoes many significant changes. The visual that we created gives a basic idea of how Macbeth’s character changes throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is illustrated as a loyal, respected and dedicated Thane who is highly regarded by the King of Scotland, King Duncan. As represented by our visual, Macbeth’s character in the beginning can be considered as valiant as he is noted for his bravery and successes on the battleground, but after the witches’ prophecies that Macbeth will be king and with Lady Macbeth’s encouragement, Macbeth falls to ambition. His thirst for the throne causes him to do “shocking” things, as noted by our visual, such as killing King Duncan for the throne and many others that prevent him from

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William Shakespeare's Macbeth is a play that explores the tragic downfall of the character, Macbeth, as he surrenders to his desires for power and control. As the play progresses, Macbeth becomes increasingly evil, driven by a ruthless ambition that leads him to commit unspeakable acts of cruelty and violence. This essay will examine how Macbeth is portrayed as an evil character through various quotes in the story. Once Macbeth decides to commit killing a king, his actions become increasingly cruel and calculated.

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“He is seriously flawed in that he cannot resist the powerful external force that is driving him to commit an act of unmitigated evil”(Golden). Macbeth knew the difference between right and wrong, and chose the wrong path deliberately, for power. Macbeth was an extremely arrogant man, which has led him to not have a reality check or change his ways. After murdering the king and taking the throne, Macbeth is full of guilt and

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During act I scene II of Macbeth, Macbeth has many characteristics described in this tragedy by William Shakespeare. In act I scene II there was a battle between the brave Macbeth and Banquo. There are many people reporting back to the king about the battle while aside macbeth. While Macbeth is said to be a big and strong character, he proves this in the battle against Banquo. As the Sergeant says “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name),/ disdaining fortune, with his brandished and steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution / (Like valor’s minion), carved out his passage” (I.ii.16-19).

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Intimidated by Banquo. Macbeth orders his assassination, however in order to avoid blood on his own hands, he hires murderers. His ambition led to his decline from a brave warrior to a weak man. Although Macbeth views himself as a leader in his society and a man of great privilege, Shakespeare undercuts his manhood and lack of control ironically, consequently leaving Lady Macbeth to distract him from his own

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An evil nature may be perceived as the only cause of a person’s corrupted actions, but ambition is possibly the most fatal reason for becoming evil. Within the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores this idea through the changing of Macbeth’s character - from a once good and moral warrior to an evil character by the end of the play corrupted by his lust for power which is fueled by ambition. With the push of external forces, Macbeth is nudged further to the edge of unforgivable malevolence. As Macbeth is ultimately taken over by his ambition, his innocence is wiped away which leaves him indifferent to the chaos he is causing by killing. Through Macbeth’s character, Shakespeare demonstrates that the actions men make as a result of their

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Although Macbeth has done some really bad deeds, he cannot be called a bad person out and out who goes on to achieve his ambitions without any consideration. He’s also a victim of the realization that there is no meaning as such in this world. This instability snatches his power to think and he gives in to his wife’s provoking speeches without providing any counter arguments to her. If he had any of his individuality left, he certainly must have had given some thought to her speeches but the lack of it shows his confusion. As soon as he joins the opposites foul and fair, he’s encountered by the weird (which is undefined because in the world of Macbeth nothing is normal).

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