Macbeth is Honest and Vulnerable

Macbeth was honored and looked highly upon by the soldiers he commanded. He was a brave fighter and trusted by everyone around him. When a soldier is telling the events of the battle he says to King Duncan “For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name” (4). This showed how much his subordinates trust him on and off the battle field. After the battle Macbeth was promoted to Thane of Cawdor, on top of his current position, Thane of Glamis. King Duncan honored Macbeth for his courage on the battlefield. At this point in the play, Macbeth had no intentions on hurting or turning on his king.

Then ‘tis most like the sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth” (Act 2 Sc. 4 39-42). Ross declares the murder that took place as “thriftless ambition,” and against the natural order. Yet, the irony behind the situation is that “thriftless ambition” has led to Macbeth's rise in power. It is inappropriate to deem him “brave Macbeth” and more appropriately “cowardly Macbeth.” Macbeth’s thought process is Machiavellian in nature, as if the “ends justify the means” and his success is worth what he loses. Becoming the king is his ultimate goal, and now that he has succeeded, the only obstacle in his way of losing that ambition is himself. Gareth Lloyd Evan states in the Literary Companion Macbeth that “However, as long as Macbeth can at least give himself the illusion he has some control over his destiny he seems decisive”(Lloyd 166). Grief and regret are both emotions that Macbeth tries to hide from not just everyone else, but also himself. If he started to be too overwhelmed, his facade would quickly dissipate and reveal a flawed man. He forms an illusion of a perfect situation for himself, away from the vast possibilities in his imagination, swamped by thoughts of possible

As a virgin to The Shakespeare Theatre, I was pleasantly surprised when my recent encounter with Macbeth was a stimulating and enjoyable excursion. The two and a half hours I had predicted to be less than enchanting were filled with symbolism, and an overall attitude towards the Shakespeare classic that I had never contemplated before.

He is Duncan’s ‘kinsman and his subject’, he reminds himself that what he is doing is wrong and that he has the duty to protect the king, not murder him. In an interaction with Lady Macbeth prior to the murder of Duncan, he says they ‘shall proceed no longer in this business’, this shows that he has a moral compass, and he knows that what he is about to do is wrong. Also, previous to the murder he hallucinates a ‘dagger’, it is a figment of his imagination because he is very anxious, and is already feeling culpability. This part in the play is key in showing that Macbeth is consumed by guilt and anxiety, so is not in the best mindset to commit a murder. Despite this, he still kills Duncan. His guilt returns after the murder when an ‘Amen [is] stuck’ in his throat, he knows that he has sinned against God, and he is too anxious to say Amen. Immediately after killing Duncan he is ‘afraid to think of what [he has] done’, he has immense regret and feels a lot of guilt.

“Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised. Yet for I fear thy nature; It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (Shakespeare 1.5.12-15). Lady Macbeth is the bad influence Macbeth has in his life that persuades him into killing King Duncan and rushes into being King. Before Macbeth became paranoid after the brutal death of King Duncan, he was a worthy captain of the kings army. “The service and the loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself. Your Highness’ part is to receive our duties, and our duties are to your throne and state children and servants, which do but what they should by doing everything safe toward your honor and love” (Shakespeare

While at first, Macbeth is a very loyal warrior, at some point, ambition gets the better of him and he is willing to do anything to anyone who stands in his way,

Before Macbeth attains unchecked power through regicide, he is an honorable soldier who helped Scotland win a war. Macbeth’s efforts in the war are appreciated when the Captain and King Duncan discuss how “brave Macbeth, / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel… / O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” (1.2.18-26). Duncan’s appreciation for Macbeth’s valor is clear indication that Macbeth is viewed as a noble civilian loved by his people.

Macbeth, however, does not stay loyal to Duncan and almost immediately following the words of the witches he admits that, “my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical shakes so my single state of man that function, is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (Shakespeare 1.3.139). With this personal confession, Macbeth reveals how he is struggling internally between his own personal ambition and what he knows is right. When he does later decide to murder Duncan, he “acknowledges that his deed will entail all the kinds of violence civilization has been struggling to suppress since it first began” (Watson) as he had just recently help put down a rebellion against Duncan, ironically enough.

Macbeth took some very risky actions in this play. He killed innocent people that he thought were going to harm his position as king, and he killed people just to show his power throughout Scotland. He increasingly became more paranoid as the story went on, which all started from his first murder of Duncan. Near the end of the story, Macbeth says “I have lived long enough. My way of life is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf, and that which should accompany old age, as honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have, but in their stead curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honor, breath which the poor heart would fain deny and dare not” (5.3.22-28), which shows that he feels his life is ruined and is pointless now because he will have nothing to look forward to if he survives the battle.

After hearing the prophecy that he will become king, Macbeth resolves to leave his future up to fate proving his pride and prestige are very important to him. Once he is told of Malcolm being named successor to the throne, Macbeth decides that if he is going to reach his goal he cannot leave it up to luck. Again Macbeth’s resolve to murder Duncan wavers when he leaves the grand banquet to assess his situation and decide whether he wants to proceed. His arguments include wishing to keep his honor and not kill Duncan for Duncan is there ‘in double trust’. Thus, Macbeth is shown to be clinging to his honor. Finally, Macbeth must stand his ground one last time against his wife who uses tact to emasculate Macbeth. In his final attempt to stop the whole ordeal before it can start Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he does not want to ‘cast aside’ the honor he has just recently received. Unfortunately, Lady Macbeth will have none of what her husband is saying and so convinces Macbeth to follow through with his plan of murdering King Duncan. Hence, the audience is given the first example of how powerful selfish motives are and how quickly they can spread to others along with cause them to perform unthinkable

Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.

Characters in plays begin to become influenced as their stories unfold. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, two prominent characters Macbeth and Banquo have certain differences and similarities, and as the play progresses, contrasting attributes of both characters begin to appear. Both characters uniquely develop in the play, portraying eminent leadership skills, while possessing contrasting attributes towards temptation, and relationships with their families.

Selfish desires and ambitions can have great sovereignty over one's actions as their thirst for power only grows. In the play, a loyal, honourable hero transforms into an evil murderer which is driven by his greed and ambition. Macbeth is portrayed as a brave, loyal and courageous nobleman who is incapable of committing evil deeds. Nevertheless, this changes when the witches prophecies are introduced which causes macbeth to think about his aspirations for power and his nobility ranking. He betrays king Duncan when he kills him and obtains the Scottish throne for himself. An example of his loyalty in the beginning of the play in the place when king Duncan thanks Macbeth for his bravery and victory in the battle; Macbeth responds and says, “The service and loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself. Your Highness’ part is to receive our duties, and our duties are to your throne and state children and servants. Which do what they should, by doing everything safe toward your love and honour” (I, iv, 25-30). Macbeth is pleading a great deal of loyalty by expressing that serving him is its own reward and

In life, there are two types of people: those who do the right thing and those who don’t. In the play Macbeth, by Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is given a prophecy by three witches that says he will become king; however, there is no descending line of kings of his own blood. With the knowledge of the Witches’ prophecy, Macbeth’s ambition, and manipulation from his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is quickly dragged into a never-ending, bloody murder rampage to obtain the crown and get rid of those who stand in the way of obtaining it as well. Macbeth constantly battles with his moral dilemmas; however, he easily falls victim to influences that go against his morals. Influences on major characters emphasize how easily one’s decision making can be negatively affected, resulting in one going against his or her morals/integrity.

in all purity. This is mainly due to the fact that he was willing to