Macbeth

Macbeth is a tragic play which was written by William Shakespeare in

1623. The story takes place in the Scotland and shows Scottish army fighting
against Norwegian invaders. Battle shows Macbeth, the main character, as a
heroic, strong and trustworthy warrior. After the battle Macbeth meets the
three witches, they tell him he will become the Thane of Cawdor and lately the
King (in the times of Shakespeare people strongly believed in supernatural
powers). When Macbeth hears it he starts to believe that he will become the
King. When he gets home his wife, Lady Macbeth, persuades him to kill
Duncan and take his position. When Banquo suspects Macbeth, Macbeth
sends an assassin to kill him. Lady Macbeth commits suicide because of the
guilt. Soon after this Macduff (son of Banquo) kills Macbeth and becomes the
King.

In the opening scene Shakespeare creates a mysterious and ominous

atmosphere, foreshadowing that ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ suggesting the
evil which is followed throughout the play, also that nothing is as it seems to
be. In act 1 scene iii the witches greet Macbeth as ‘Thane of Glamis’, ‘Thane
of Cawdor’ and as ‘King of Scotland’. This prophecy leads Macbeth to
genuinely think about being in control and having power. Although a modern
audience would be critical about the role of the witches, Shakespearean
audiences viewed them as evil, having the capability of casting terrible events.
They merely revealed the future and chose to confront Macbeth at a time
when he is most vulnerable, after the battle where he is feeling very proud of
his achievements.

Lady Macbeth, who really influenced and manipulated Macbeth for the
worst is also another key factor in Macbeth’s downgrade. After Lady Macbeth
read Macbeth’s letter about his fortune that was foretold by the 3 witches, she
conducted a deadly plan to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth, calls on ‘spirits’
to take away her womanhood and make her cruel “Come, you spirits that tend
on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,” She eventually persuades Macbeth into
following her plan so that Macbeth will become King. Macbeth fell seduced
into Lady Macbeth’s plan because of his ambition to become King. Lady
Macbeth, firstly employs emotional blackmail; ‘From this time, such I account
thy love’. Then she launches an assault on his manliness, accusing him of
cowardice. It is her constant needling of Macbeth that pushes him towards the
decision to kill Duncan. She is strong willed and knows her husband well
enough to exploit his sensitivity about manliness.

Macbeth was a weak character, despite his noble and honourable

reputation. It was this weakness that allowed him to be seduced by the
witches’ prophecy; it was this very same weakness that resulted in his
succumbing to his devious, determined and power hungry wife. And it was
ultimately this weakness that resulted in Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth had
already thought of becoming king before meeting the witches. He was highly
ambitious man and a well respected soldier, described by Duncan as ‘O
valiant cousin worthy gentlemen’, and was referred to as being ‘Brave’ and
‘noble’. Macbeth, in the end, was a selfish character whose ambitions only

By Kamil Kowalczyk
Macbeth
benefited him. Throughout the play Macbeth ruthlessly pursues his own
interests. He may be physically strong and courageous on the battle field but
is morally weak. Macbeth has a conscience, but ultimately is not strong
enough to let it guide his actions. He is principally concerned with the
precedent he would establish by killing Duncan. If he kills Duncan he could
also be vulnerable to assassination. The audience notes that, despite being
preoccupied with his own ambitions, he has taken note of the witches
prophecy regarding Banquo. He mentions it twice, ‘your children shall be
kings’; Do you not hope your children shall be kings’. The audience questions
whether this is a sign of his jealousy that Banquo will be, according to the
witches, father of many kings.

In the end, Macbeth was a selfish, jealous and ambitious character, all
signs of wickedness. The witches may have provoked his ambition, but deep
down there was evil brewing with in Macbeth, as the witches acknowledged.
Lady Macbeth’s persuading words were just enough to lead Macbeth to
become king and in the end to his death and her own. However if it was not
for Macbeth’s weakness he would have been strong enough to say no.
Ultimately each character played a significant role in Macbeth’s destruction
including Macbeth himself.

By Kamil Kowalczyk