Character Analysis Macbeth Essay, Research Paper
MacBeth was a play written by William Shakespeare. It was actually written for King James I of England who was to attend the production. Because of all the immoral choices that MacBeth makes, this play was considered to be a morality play. MacBeth’s changes show what goes around comes around. His character is also dynamic because he is good in the beginning and turns evil by the end.
Early on, MacBeth treated people well,and it benefited him. In this quotation, Ross talked about how MacBeth was fighting. ” Point against point, rebellious arm ‘gainst arm, Curbing his lavish spirit victory fell on us.” This showed how well MacBeth faught for his king’s sake, he was loyal, and he gave everything he had for Duncan’s cause. Duncan later said to MacBeth,”My worthy Cawdor.” After saying that it was easy to tell that the king was happy to grant MacBeth the Thane of Cawdor. The granting of the title had come from MacBeth’s loyalty, hard work, and true goodness to the king. MacBeth later spoke about his duties, our duties are to your throne and state children and servants by doing everything safe toward your love and honor. In this passage MacBeth again proved his layalty and goodness to the king. This was a tribute of treating people well. Once Duncan appointed MacBeth the Thane of Cawdor, he said,”From hence to Iverness and bind us further to you.” That quote showes that because MacBeth was so good to the king, the king was to attend a party in MacBeth’s name, a great honor. Throughout the beginning, MacBeth was a good character inside and out.
MacBeth listened to the evil witches and that changed him for the rest of the play. After the scene where MacBeth met and spoke with the witches, he spoke with Banquo and said,”Your children shall be king.” The way he said it made it seem like he was worried about the transition of him being king and Banquo’s children being kings. His thoughts show that he believes what the witches foretold and now we see him change a bit and get a little worried. MacBeth sent murderers to kill Banquo and his son. After they returned and he found out they did not finish the job he said to himself,”The worm thats fled hath nature that in time will venom breed.” He shows that he is skeptical but is still worried that something bad will come from Burnam Wood, thus following the witches prophicy. Here MacBeth changes even more when he gets confused. He begins to think that murdering certain people is the only way to stay on top. In a confrontation between MacBeth and MacDuff, MacBeth said,”I bear charmed life, which must not yield to one of a woman born.” He is going mad with evilness and uses this for a false sense of security to say that MacDuff can’t kill him so that he does not need be worried. MacBeth has to use that false sense because he thoroughly believes in what the witches said. To answer MacBeth, MacDuff
commented that he himself was cut out of the whom therefor not being of woman. After that MacBeth said,” And be these juggling fiends no more believed then paltry with us double serve.” MacBeth’s quote shows that he now now the witches tricked him and that by listening to them he had turned himself evil. The witches symbolize evil and had played a very large role in MacBeth turning to evil.
The murders of Duncan and of MacDuff’s family came back to haunt MacBeth. After Lady MacBeth asked him whether he killed Duncan , he said,” I have done the deed.” This is MacBeth realizing he is on the downward spiral. That murder starts to set up MacBeth’s fate. Malcom said to MacDuff about MacBeth,” I shall treat upon the tyrants head or wear it on my sword.” This illustrates that Duncan’s murder would be avenged upon the newly evil MacBeth. It foretells his fate for later in the play. After MacBeth had turned evil he thought up proceeded with such a sinister act that he could not have possibly thought of in the beginning. The plan was to kill MacDuff’s family out of sheer badness just to make sure that MacDuff would stay away from him. When MacDuff found out he said,” Behold where stands the usurpers cursed head.” MacDuff has just shown proof of and told about MacBeth’s death. All of MacBeth’s bad deeds had just been caught up.
MacBeth’s part in the play shows that what goes around comes
around. In the beginning, when he treated people loyaly and when he still had goodness in his heart he led the good life. He listened and took in what the witches had to say and started to change in a bad way. MacBeth committed and set up murders that turned him evil and bad-hearted. All of the sins that he committed caught up to him as the last prophicy is fulfilled. MacBeth’s character represents life because what goes around comes around. MacBeth does very bad things and they all caught up to him at the end. He goes through a change throughout the play, in the beginning he was loyal and good natured and in the end he had a black heart and was evil. CacBeth is a dynamic character.
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