Theme Of Sympathy In Macbeth

Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet from the Middle Ages, had once said “There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery.” Today, this quote is put into effect in arts and literature in order to draw out feelings of sympathy from the readers and rom the audience. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the titular character plays the role of a tragic hero, having had his honorable life completely changed for the worst after the appearance of three meddling witches. Macbeth’s slow descent from morality into evil, and his subsequent downfall are used to evoke sympathy from the audience towards the character in spite of his wrongdoings.

The contrast between Macbeth’s character in the beginning and the middle of the play portrays to the audience his original noble nature, thus setting up his role as a tragic hero. In the opening of the play, a sergeant of Duncan’s army rushes in to inform the King of Macbeth’s heroic deeds on the battlefield. King Duncan responds with admiration, proclaiming that Macbeth is “[his] valiant cousin [and a] worthy gentleman” (1. 2. 24), thus highlighting Macbeth’s noble and courageous reputation at the beginning of the play. Furthermore, Macbeth’s resolve to adhere to his own moral values an ability to think logically are demonstrated when he decides against killing the King, pointing out that “as [he is] his kinsman and his subject, strong both against [killing the King]”

Macbeth perfectly portrays the idea that “there is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery,” having realized how he has ruined his own life when he is about to lose everything at the final battle. Arts and literature are recurring users of this theme not only to draw out more vivid emotions from its targeted audience, but also to remind them to treasure what they have right