preview

Macbeth True Villain Research Paper

Decent Essays

A true villain is someone who is set on hurting others for personal gain. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, the vicious Macbeth and his unpleasant wife are both truly evil, but only one of them is the true villain this tragedy. Even though the devious Lady Macbeth is not completely innocent, she still falls short when it comes to being a truly vicious villain. Macbeth’s transformation from war veteran to mass murderer really proves that Macbeth is the true villain of Shakespeare’s tragic portrayal of real life events. Macbeth’s villainous side comes to light in many different ways, but everything all starts with Macbeth’s hunger for power. Macbeth’s blind ambition all starts with the war he is in (“The Progressive Character”). …show more content…

At the beginning, Macbeth brutally kills people throughout the war. For example, “Till he unseamed him from his nave to th’ chops, / And fixed his head upon of battlements.” and this shows that Macbeth ruthlessly split a man from his navel to the jaw (1.2.22-23). Obviously death in war is common, but this is just plain overkill. Macbeth truly shows the he is a villain because he continues to overkill. Furthermore, the husband and wife duo plans to just murder Duncan but when Macbeth is put on the spot, he murders the two guards to cover his tracks. Macbeth murders two more innocent people just for the sake of gaining power. Another example of overkill is when Macbeth hires murderers to kill Macduff’s family for no reason. The tragic murder of Macduff”s family is not only spiteful but is collateral damage in Macbeth’s feud with Macduff. Macduff’s family only dies because Macbeth wants to see Macduff truly suffer (“The Progressive Character). The whole situation dealing with Macduff’s family is nothing more than an example of overkill. A regular villain can murder, but only a true villain like Macbeth can overkill victims just for the

Get Access