Macbeth: A Protagonist's Descent into Madness

“Fair is foul and foul is fair” is a quote from Macbeth that perfectly describes the protagonist, Macbeth. Usually, the protagonist of a novel or play is a good person, but this is not the case in Macbeth. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s disposition changes many times. Through different circumstances and events, Macbeth becomes a brave and loyal soldier fighting for his country, an indecisive man trying to decide a major decision, a guilty ruler trying to relieve himself of his guilt, a fearful man willing to do anything, and a hopeless man coming to terms with death.

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a brave and loyal man. For example, at the start of the play, there is a war between Scotland and Norway, and Macbeth is shown fighting other men for Scotland, which shows Macbeth’s bravery. Furthermore, as a reward for his brave and heroic acts during the war, the King of Scotland, Duncan, awards Macbeth the title Thane of Cawdor. Through his actions and duty to his country, Macbeth is shown to be a fearless and faithful man.

After Macbeth hears the witches’ predictions, Macbeth becomes an

His guilt of his plans to kill Duncan is evident in his soliloquy. Macbeth sees a dagger and says, “I see thee still; and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before.” In Macbeth’s soliloquy, Macbeth imagines a dagger, but the dagger turns bloody and points toward Duncan’s door, which illustrates Macbeth’s guilt. Also, right after Macbeth kills Duncan, he hears someone saying, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,” but in reality, it was a figment of his imagination due to his guilt of killing Duncan. Also, at Macbeth’s banquet, Macbeth is the only one who can see Banquo’s ghost, which is a result of Macbeth's guilt of Banquo’s death. Throughout the play, it is evident that the deaths Macbeth causes make an impact on him, which leads to Macbeth becoming quite