Internal Conflict In Macbeth

“Macbeth,” the dark and violent tragedy created by William Shakespeare, is about a Scottish general who is tempted by the prophecy of three witches and makes a series of choices that lead to his downfall.

The series, which will air its fifth and final episode Wednesday, is a brutal and bloody drama that follows Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, in 11th-century Scotland. But the more significant conflict is internal within Macbeth. In the pilot, Macbeth has an encounter with three witches who plant a seed in his mind that he will become king. This seed grows to be a tree of misfortune as he becomes more and more paranoid as the series progresses about whether or not fate is enough or if he has to take matters into his own hands. Nearly every

He suggests that if he is already predetermined to become king, then it will happen if he acts on it or not. This attitude quickly modifies as he does everything in his power to become a secure king, including killing a man… well, five. Five ‘main’ characters, that is, there are also background characters that Macbeth kills, such as the guards in episode 2 when Duncan is murdered. In episode 2, after Macbeth kills King Duncan, Macbeth is filled with extreme guilt and anxiety. He says, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.” (Act 2 Scene 2) This can be interpreted as him being fearful that he won’t wash away his guilt.

In episode 3, after Macbeth kills Banquo, he “sees” Banquo’s ghost at a dinner party and goes absolutely berserk. He exclaims, “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold.” (Act 3 Scene 4) Director Shakespeare uses flamboyant hyperboles to express to the audience how scared Macbeth is of the ghost, so much so that he almost admits to killing Banquo to the people at the dinner

Critics predict that Macbeth and Macduff will battle each other in episode 5, and only one will make it out alive. Some believe that Macbeth will be the one to kill Macduff since Macbeth is the main character, and his name is literally the title of the show. Personally, I think that is an absurd reason to believe that Macbeth will be the survivor of this duel since in much popular television series, the writers have killed the main protagonist, such as in Game of Thrones, Avengers Endgame (RIP Iron Man, and Black Widow), the Gladiator, etc. Being the main character does not make him invincible—this and the fact that Macbeth is not the protagonist of the show. A protagonist is a character who makes decisions in order to further the plot; these decisions shape the story. Although Macbeth is the main character, his choices are mainly driven by the leverage of Lady Macbeth and the witches prophecies. The idea to assassinate King Duncan is first suggested by Lady Macbeth, who also pushes Macbeth to follow his desires. By luring Macbeth with their prophecies and coercing him into following them, the witches also are a significant factor in Macbeth’s decisions. Hence, the story is driven by the characters around Macbeth making them protagonists. The extraordinary Director William Shakespeare would not shy away from the idea of Macduff killing Macbeth. In my opinion, this