Macbeth: A Hero and a Diabolical Figure

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William Shakespeare once indicated, “As he was valiant, I honour him. But as he was ambitious, I slew him,” yet this vehement desire Shakespeare loathed was the exact inner drive that forced one of his most famous characters into desolation. Furthermore, this character is depicted with ambivalence moral and is given the appellation of both a hero and a diabolical figure. In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the central character is initially portrayed as a glorious and courageous noble. However, because of the atrocious murders he commits he is more of an acrimonious tyrant than a brave thane. To begin with, Macbeth was originally perceived as a young hero with a scintillating future. Meanwhile, the plot commenced with Macbeth returning from the battlefield after defeating his enemies, the Norwegians. A sergeant greets brave Macbeth and he acclaims upon Macbeth’s name. “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution…till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops, and fixed his head upon our battlements” (Macbeth 1.2.16-23). In summary, this quote states Macbeth as a true war hero who shows no mercy towards his foes. In addition, the sergeant praises Macbeth and showers him with copious veneration. Furthermore the audience can tell that Shakespeare’s intended message was to show or illustrate Macbeth’s mettlesome attributes. Accordingly based on this knowledge, the audience professes Macbeth as a brave courageous noble or hero. Additionally, Harry Jaffa perceptibly includes this in his article, Macbeth and the Moral Universe. “He feels keenly the honor that accompanies his heroic deeds. In serving the country by serving the king, he is keenly aware of the greatness if the... ... middle of paper ... ...day life. The everyday incidents that we might take as examples of ethical thinking also come to us as a tale told” (Keller 1). The article’s author states that Macbeth is truly an evil tyrant. However we should not forget of the situation he was in and all of the everyday problems he had faced. Furthermore, Macbeth is still considered evil because of the heinous murders he has committed and amount of remorse he showed. Regardless of the actions Macbeth performed, he is a brave noble who initially commenced as a courageous hero. However his desolation is caused by his blind ambitions. Therefore Macbeth is considered an evil and nefarious human being. The lesson Shakespeare intended for the audience was that strong ambitions is not the same as being bold and having strong perseverance. These strong negative morals are the cause of desolation destruction of oneself.

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