Whiles I see lives, the gashes Do better upon them.” (V, viii). At the beginning of the play, we view Macbeth as being a hero who would defend his King and country against traitors. He also holds a lot of guilt about killing Duncan, and is commanded by his own wife to do so. When Macbeth progresses into a villain, he becomes more detached from Lady Macbeth and can make decisions without her. With this, he becomes more ruthless in his efforts to stay as the King of Scotland and people describe him as ‘This tyrant’ (V, iii) and ‘A dwarfish thief’ (V, ii).
Worthy gentleman!” The audience's initial perception of Lady Macbeth is of a confident and evil woman. In her first scene she is reading a letter from her husband telling her about the witch's predictions. Upon reading the letter she instantly decides to obtain the crown for Macbeth through any possible means. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised.” It is these two bold and sure views of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth that are soon to change. Lady Macbeth forces Macbeth to murder Duncan and when he first refuses, she appeals to his manhood and courage.
Shakespeare's Four Giants. Rindge, NH: Richard R. Smith Publisher, Inc., 1957. Coursen, H. R. Macbeth: a Guide to the Play. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1997. Frye, Northrop.
Shakespeare's Four Giants. Rindge, NH: Richard R. Smith Publisher, Inc., 1957. Coursen, H. R. Macbeth: a Guide to the Play. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1997. Frye, Northrop.
Macbeth struggles with a choice: should he let the witches' prophecies realize themselves, or should he take the steps necessary to achieve them? Macbeth knows that the latter choice will involve the murder of his virtuous king Duncan, but even this is not enough to convince him to bide his time. After urging from his wife, he chooses the latter and murders his king. In doing so, Macbeth disrobes himself of all that is good in the human soul: kindness, courage, honor and love. Macbeth becomes so obses... ... middle of paper ... ... Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999.
Oxford: OUP, 1994. Scott, Mark W. (Editor). Shakespeare for Students. Gale Research Inc. Detroit, Michigan. 1992
I believe that this is the point in the play where Macbeth starts to think as a villain. If the witches had never greeted him as King on Scotland, then he would probably never have contemplated killing Duncan in the first place. When Lady Macbeth found out about the predictions, she pressurised her husband into killing Duncan. Anytime Macbeth had second thoughts, Lady Macbeth was there to spur him on – mostly by criticising him and calling him a coward! This could be another reason for Macbeth’s change of character; his wife constantly used ‘reverse psychology’ on him and even considered committing the murde... ... middle of paper ... ...robably one the most important murders in the play, despite this, it is a very short scene and Shakespeare spent very little time building up to the killing of Macbeth.
Twentieth Century Interpretations of Macbeth. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1977. Hunter, G.K. "Macbeth in the Twentieth Century." Aspects of Macbeth. Ed.
Appearance of Macbeth deceives to do his corrupt ambition. Macbeth is the Scottish soldier in King Duncan's army and the most trustworthy person by King Duncan. Macbeth becomes ambitious when Three witches gave him the prophecies from which he gets corrupted and willing to do anything. Macbeth is seen loyal to Duncan, frightful when Duncan dies but in the end, truth reveals about him as the murderer of Duncan and Banquo. In Act one, as Macbeth returns from the battlefield it made him the hero of Scotland, but he is still thinking of the prophecies that witches gave him.
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1977. Hunter, G.K. "Macbeth in the Twentieth Century." Aspects of Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir and Philip Edwards.