The Metamorphosis of Macbeth

This being the case, in the play Macbeth, Shakespeare puts forth the idea that by betraying others one is in turn betraying themselves. Shakespeare proves this by showing that at the conclusion of every murder Macbeth commits, he gradually declines on the ladder of respect and nobility. Macbeth starts off as a noble and respected leader. He is kind and a brave fighter. But after three witches give him a prophecy, he starts to betray other characters and becomes an evil malicious man.

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.

William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, written in the 1600’s is a perfect example of Shakespeare’s ability to manipulate his audience through creating a tragic hero. A tragic hero who, because of a flaw, tumbles from a well-respected hero to a cowardless murderer. It is through Shakespeare’s manipulation of figurative language, dramatic conventions and social expectations of the seventeenth century, do the audience witness the demise of this mixed up man. Macbeth’s persona of the tragic hero is enhanced even more when the characters around him influence his decisions, creating mayhem inside his mind and disorder throughout Scotland. Shakespeare positions his audience to respond to the central theme: the struggle between good and evil, by illustrating to the audience his weaknesses, which through the guidance of the supernatural, leads to murder and mayhem and eventually madness.

This shows Lady Macbeth’s superiority over her husband. “would be” indirectly indicates that he is a wimp and a coward and that if he does not kill the kin... ... middle of paper ... ...To conclude it can be said that Shakespeare has crafted Macbeth into attracting sympathy. If all the sins that Macbeth committed were just told to a person then it leaves the reader no choice but to consider him evil and immoral; yet when the book is fully read the audience understands his mental anguish, a feeling of sympathy is aroused. Macbeth was a victim of his own power and ambition. He breaks down mentally losing power of himself, becoming very paranoid.

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, first published in 1606, is an endearing tale outlining the dangers of unchecked ambition and moral betrayal. In the subsequent centuries after first being performed, Macbeths critics have been divided upon whether Macbeth himself was irrevocably evil, or if he was guided by the manipulation and actions of the women in the play to his ultimate demise. Although Lady Macbeth and the witches were influential with their provocations in the opening acts, it is ultimately Macbeth’s inherent immorality and his vaulting ambition, that result in the tragic downfall. It was Macbeth’s desire for power that abolished his loyalty and trustworthiness and led him down a path of murder. It is evident through his actions and words

He clearly doesn’t fully accept his role as a villain. He experiences guilt and his haunted by his conscience. Unfortunately, because he was convinced to commit murder, Macbeth must continue on this villainous path which ultimately leads to his own destruction just as the prophecies

Macbeth 's avarice leads him to predetermine more and more terrible gluttonies. Because of these deeds and the guilt he has, Macbeth is obsessed by spiritual events such as meeting Banquo 's ghost and the floating dagger. Macduff 's reason for wanting to kill is completely different from Macbeth 's. Macduff is considered the prototype of the revenging hero. He only has an intention of revenge when Macbeth kills his family.

This fall can be seen soon after the murdering of Duncan, when Macbeth soon finds that he has an insatiable need to kill Banquo. Afraid that Banquo was going to be a problem for him due to arising suspicions that Macbeth played a role in Duncan's murder, "Our fe... ... middle of paper ... ... To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair/ Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir, /As life were in't. I have supped full with horrors: /Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, /Cannot once start me." (5.5.9-15). As we can see, Macbeth was now a very corrupt and troubled man.

Duncan even tempts Macbeth, by pronouncing him as the Thane of Cawdor. This gives Macbeth a taste of power and he begins to have a desire for more. This desire or ambition is his fatal flaw. Shakespeare, by using Macbeth as a guide, shows that even the honorable men can fall into the hands of evil just like everyone else. No one is safe from his or her own ambitions of power and success.

Macbeth’s life is a tragic story about how he was deceived and molded into an evil man. His evil, sparked by lady Macbeth, began with the murder of king Duncan. Macbeth’s heart couldn’t handle the sin but Lady Macbeth forced him to change his mind. Macbeth’s evil was a result of his overconfidence, guilty conscience, and his human nature, all of which are traits that could be seen in any person in search of power. Work Cited Shakespeare, William.