The Change of Macbeth's Personality in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

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The Change of Macbeth's Personality in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

One of the many geniuses of William Shakespeare was his ability to create a real character on the stage. Macbeth's drama, his transformation from a noble knight to a tyrant, and his end, is a perfect example of the brilliance of Shakespearean talent.

The character of Macbeth is not just a straightforward foil character; he has emotions and thoughts that are familiar to every human being. The question is, how far would an ordinary person go to pursue his or her thoughts. The internal drama seems to be the main concern of the play.

Shakespeare aids his audience by assigning to Macbeth long 'asides' or soliloquy, which help to understand Macbeth's mind, and make judgements of his character.

The first insight to his personality is provided in Act I, Scene VII. Macbeth appears as a regular man, who is torn apart by the decision he just had made. The loyalty of a knighthood in Macbeth, and human compassion toward his King are in the conflict with the world of the evil. Considering the fact that the play begins with the appearance of three witches - symbols of supernatural world, it is possible to say that this soliloquy represents the clash of two worlds, irrational and human. It is as if the supernatural is trying to work its way into Macbeth's mind. Even the language used by Macbeth changes from normal clear English into a strange, almost incomprehendable talk. For example, Macbeth says things like "If it were done when 'tis done, than 'twere well," and "Might be the be-all and the end-all - here." As soon as he returns to the realm of sanity and normal human emotions, his speech changes to a clear and simple language: "He's here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject…" etc. It can be said than that it is during this first soliloquy that the change in Macbeth begins to occur.

The next time a reader has an encounter with Macbeth's private thoughts is in Act II, Scene I. He is still able to feel pain and anxiety, but already got sucked into the irrational. He begins to see visions, talks about ghosts and horrors, and it is obvious that he is not well, or at least begins to feel weird.

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