The Joker, Professor Moriarty, and Lord Voldemort are all examples of famous villains in literary history that have something in common: they didn’t start out as villains, but their choice led to the point of becoming bad. The same can be said for Macbeth, a protagonist in William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. Towards the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a respected the general, a devoted husband, and a loyal subject of the King. However, Macbeth made a defining choice that set him on a path of destruction. Macbeth is considered a true tragic hero as proven by his own downfall, through his rash judgment because of his hamartia. Specifically, Macbeth’s hamartia is seen by analyzing the three Witches’ prophecies, also the murder of King Duncan …show more content…
Macbeth’s deterioration becomes evident in the collapse of his own marital relationship with Lady Macbeth. Over time, Lady Macbeth becomes more and more unimportant to her husband after he is crowned King. Macbeth even excludes Lady Macbeth in his plan to kill Banquo and Fleance. While Macbeth becomes busy trying to protect his throne, Scotland’s and Lady Macbeth’s condition worsens as her guilt begins to consume and torment her that she soon loses her sanity. In fact, the blood spot Lady Macbeth sees is symbolic for her dirtied conscience that she tries to get rid of by constantly washing her hands. Macbeth uses the Witches’ premonitions that no man born of a woman is able to harm him to deny that he is coming closer to his defeat and to boost his fake confidence.
In conclusion, Macbeth is considered a true tragic hero as his position of high importance becomes completely nothing. The Witches’ prophecies, also the murder of King Duncan as well as Macbeth’s relationship with Lady Macbeth all contribute to his downfall. Although, he realizes his mistakes at the end, it is all too late as his death has already become his fate. Ultimately, the price that Macbeth has to pay for his ambition and desire for power is death. For Macbeth, a loyal subject of the King to be blinded by greed, loses his opportunity to remain highly respected for
After the slaughter of his former comrade, Macbeth explains to his wife, “Strange things I have in head that will to hand/Which must be acted ere they may be scanned” (3.4.137-140). This assertion from Macbeth paves the path for his future misdeeds. Lady Macbeth is concerned by her husband’s announcement and responds with, “You lack the season of all natures, sleep” (3.4.141). Lady Macbeth believes that her husband has lost his sanity. She no longer supports Macbeth’s murderous plans, and resents his new impulsivity. Following this conversation, Macbeth continues to kill harmless people, such as Macduff’s wife and children. He implies that he will no longer think about his actions before completing them, which is a deranged approach to life. The change in Macbeth’s behavior reshapes Lady Macbeth’s personality. She realizes that “what’s done cannot be undone” (5.1.57). Lady Macbeth now recognizes the lasting impact of the murders on herself and her husband. Initially Lady Macbeth approves Duncan’s murder, as it leads to her queenship. Her sadism and zeal for power declines after Macbeth’s killing spree. Lady Macbeth’s newfound heart is the outcome of her husband’s wicked
When she learns Macbeth has been given a fortune of been given thane of cawdor then king and half the prophecy has become true, she knows if Macbeth is king she will be queen. She is willing to do anything to get it. On the night that Macbeth and lady macbeth have planned to kill Duncan. Macbeth is having second thoughts but Lady Macbeth is not letting him back down by saying he is a coward and she would do it if she was in his place by saying ”When you durst do it, then you are a man. And to be more than what you were you would be so much more than a man”. Macbeth is a hearty warrior and feels as though he has to prove to Lady Macbeth he is a man and he is not a coward. Therefore due to Lady Macbeths manipulation Macbeth murders Duncan. On Macbeths return Lady Macbeth is happy but Macbeth is Filled with regret Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to forget what happened “ A little water clears us of this deed”. Which is Ironique as At the end of the play Lady Macbeth has been in the anxiety and it has finally eaten away at her and she has gone mad and keeps seeing blood on her hands. “Out damned spot out, I say !” which in turn leads to her own suicide and portrays Lady Macbeth as taking her fate into her own hands in an evil manner, However the guilt from doing the evil task highlighted Lady Macbeth was not as manly as she wanted to be and she still had feelings, showing the audience by her suicide as an act showing she was unable to withstand the guilt of being queen knowing the great evil she had to do to get
As Lady Macbeth becomes consumed by fear and guilt, she is slowly losing her sanity. This is a result of her not being able to handle what she has done to Duncan. In one scene, Lady Macbeth is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands, even though she is sleepwalking, though the doctor and woman in the room dare not blame her for anything, for fear of being accused and executed for treason. At the start, Lady Macbeth was pushing the fearful Macbeth to kill Duncan. Now, late in the play, their roles have reversed, and it is Lady Macbeth who is fearful, not her husband.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as brave, heroic and a victim too, but when the three witches tell him that he will be crowned king of Scotland, he gets more and more evil and twisted by letting the power he has go to his head. He is more of a villain than he is a victim. Macbeth is a villain in the play because he is a murderer, liar and he is insane.
Macbeth feeling this way convinces a pair of men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. By having Banquo and Fleance murdered, Macbeth believes that it will prevent Banquo's sons from becoming king. Macbeth also hires the murderers to kill Macduff's family. This demonstrates Macbeth's obsession because it indicates that Macbeth values his power over his friends. His obsession with power causes Macbeth to feel guilty and lose his sanity. Macbeth's guilt and loss of sanity is indicated in the hallucinations he experiences. His first hallucination occurs just before killing King Duncan. Macbeth sees "A dagger of the mind, a false creation" (act II, scene I, line 38).
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. It artfully takes its audience to a place that allows one to examine what a human being is truly capable of once tempted by the allure of power. In the play, Scottish noble Macbeth and his wife inevitably fall prey to their own self corruption. Initiated by prophesies made by three mysterious witches, the Macbeths set their sights on the throne. When the curtains open on the plot to murder King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the driving force. Her criminal mind and desire for ruthlessness have led many a critic to define her as evil. Closer examination, however, reveals that she is a multifaceted character; other sides to her persona include: genuine good will towards her husband, coy manipulation, and feminine tenderness.
Evil is an injurious power; it brings harm to those who adopt it and their victims. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, protagonists Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become tethered to the reigns of evil. Evil compels people to commit twisted acts of violence and takes control of ones body and mind. “In Macbeth evil is the opposite of humanity, the deviation from that which is natural for humankind, yet evil originates in the human heart” (Pilkington). Macbeth succumbs to evil through his own imperfection, greed, which in turn causes him to upset the predetermined chain of being. “Shakespeare shows, with Macbeth as an example, that any man can turn evil due to the temptations led on by many things. His temptations of evil are led on by the witches prophecies, and by being manipulated by what others say” (Rosner). When Macbeth willingly murders, lies and deceives for his own personal betterment, he loses his self and his sanity. The parasitic nature of evil cause it to influence all objects that lay in its’ path, and Macbeth agrees to become evil's disciple. When Macbeth takes on evil, it totally consumes his mind, and it ultimately leads to his downfall. Lady Macbeth is an associated victim of Macbeth's desire to be king, and becomes thirsty for power herself. After the Macbeth’s are well into the depths of greed and corruption, it is clear that their guilt will revisit them for the rest of their lives. Those who felt the effects of their evil will reciprocate the Macbeth’s bad karma.
“Macbeth,” written by William Shakespeare initially described the main character, Macbeth, as an honorable, brave, loyal hero. He was a Scottish General and thane of Glamis. Macbeth fought for his country and supported the king. Macbeth was looked up to and admired for being so courageous and brave. He understood the difference between right and wrong. Macbeth was a man who seemed to have everything, including a loving wife! So what happened to this great man? How did he change from a hero to a villain in a very short time? Macbeth had a very bad character flaw. He was a powerful man, but he was not virtuous; thus, he allowed many outside influences to invade his thoughts and he acted on them! He was immoral.
In Shakespeares “Macbeth”, Macbeth is an anti hero. He is very ambitious and courageous. However, he is also a moral coward, this is Macbeths fatal flaw, which in the end leads to his doom. Shakespeare defines Macbeth as a hero very clearly. His valor in defense of Scotland is significant in the opening scene. However, he is very ambitious to be king. At the beginning of the play, he was loyal to the king. While he did imagine the murder his mind rejects it and said, "Why, if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me," (1.3.12-13). Yet his ambition increasingly defeated his good nature.
According to the classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does macbeth do this?
Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.
Throughout the play of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is supposed to be a likeable character until he kills the king. By committing this heinous act, Macbeth instantly becomes a villain and continues to commit murderous acts, all stemming from his first terrible mistake. One of his motives consists of choosing power over integrity, therefore he kills the king. Another reason why Macbeth is a villain is because he continued to kill innocent people to hide his doings. Lastly, since Macbeth is a villain and murderer, he deserves to be condemned and disdained.
text of the play seems to imply that Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own
Macbeth concludes that Banquo is a major threat to him very early on in act three; he expresses that he is too smart to be trusted and cannot let his children inherit the throne and must be killed. He convinces his hired murderers that Banquo is the source of their troubles to motivate them to succeed. He conveys that he cannot kill him because they have common friends; deceit is shown as one of Macbeth’s newly-discovered strengths. When Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth for being so glum after all that he has accomplished, he expresses that, “We have scorched the snake, not killed it./ She’ll close and be herself whilst our poor malice/ Remains in danger of her former tooth” (3.2.15-17). He recognizes that because he has taken his fate into his own hands, there will be consequences which will be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid. When Macbeth learns that Banquo’s brother, Fleance, has escaped the hold of his assailants, he expresses arising fear because a problem has arrived. At the banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his seat and exclaims, to the confusion of his guests, that the table is full; his outrageous vision signifies that he is beginning to lose control of his mind. The moment passes but he is revisited by Banquo’s ghost while trying to lead a toast. Macbeth begins to yell obscenities at him and the guests are dismissed from the table. Once
Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.