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Universal Character Traits Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare

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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

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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.

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Guilt can be a major feature in people’s lives. This guilt will haunt the characters of Macbeth. Guilt will be a feeling that last forever. It is the feeling of responsibility for this poor action that has been committed. Macbeth just wanted to become king and have the crown.

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The play “The Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare is about how guilt weighs in on a person's conscious and reveals how if strong enough, guilt can make someone so paranoid that they cannot think straight. Macbeth’s guilt begins to rise after he kills King Duncan to gain power. Macbeth first shows his guilt when he says “ To Know my deed ‘twere best not know myself” (2.3 71). Macbeth is basically saying that in order for him to comprehend what he has done, he must lose his conscience. From this point in the story, Macbeth’s guilt avalanches into something huge that Macbeth didn’t expect.

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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.

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