After Macbeth’s return from the battle, Macbeth is soon named the ‘Thane of Cawdor’. With Macbeth titled the Thane of Cawdor, the promise of the witches begins to seem so realistic for him, therefore he starts to be pushed by an ambitious idea that he could become king. This idea soon motivates him to think of an evil doing, ‘Murder’. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,” This quote by Macbeth shows that he understands that murder is a wrongful act but he still considers it. At this stage Macbeth is torn between his good morals and his desires to become a king, nevertheless, we notice that his desire to become a king is greater than his good morals when he calls on the darkness to hide his desires. “Stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires.” This quote by Macbeth illustrates how he is now walking towards the decision to murder King Duncan for his own benefit and selfishness.
When Lady Macbeth is told through the letter about the witches’ promise, she becomes determined to have Macbeth made King for her own good as well as her husband’s. Macbeth arrives home in confusion with his good morals mixed with his wild desires to become a king and at that point, Macbeth is not willing to murder King Duncan, “We will proceed no further in this business” this quote shows that Macbeth views murdering the king as a horrid action which goes against nature and the society’s ‘chain of being’. This shows that Macbeth is good person. However, Lady Macbeth drives Macbeth’s ambition hard with her seductions in order to convince Macbeth into murdering King Duncan and she challenges Macbeth’s manhood and mocks him. “When you durst do it, then you were a man.” This quote made by Lady Macbeth shows how she exerts power over Macbeth, with her persuasiveness in order to get him to murder King Duncan. The confidence and the determination of Lady Macbeth influence Macbeth to decide on murdering King Duncan without any hesitations. This is a turning point in Macbeth’s characteristics, from here on we see Macbeth going downhill towards darkness and wickedness.
After the Murder and with Macbeth named the new King of Scotland, Macbeth begins to walk down an evil pathway which brings changes to the character from an honourable man to an ambitious man with dark desires. The first change in Macbeth’s character is that the respectful relationship Macbeth had with his wife is vanished. He no longer shares his emotions and troubles that he holds in his heart with his wife, but rather hides them from her, showing that his trust and love for her is gone. “We will keep ourself till supper-time alone.” This shows that Macbeth’s healthy and loving relationship he had with his wife in the beginning of the play is gone and now seeks for his private space. It also symbolizes that Macbeth no longer holds any kind of trust towards anyone as he is terrified that somebody will find out his sinful act of murder.
Furthermore our ideas on the heroic characteristics of Macbeth we had in the beginning are altered when Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth orders the murders to kill them because Macbeth suspects Banquo of knowing his sinful act of killing the king, but it’s more the fact that on the witches’ promise to Banquo, “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” This promise by the witches frightens Macbeth as he wants his heir to take over the throne not Banquo’s. This shows the change in Macbeth’s character and the high degree of selfishness. When one of the murderers return and report that they have killed Banquo but Fleance had escaped, Macbeth praises the murderer “Thou art the best o’th’cut-throats,” We can see that Macbeth seems to have forgotten the big friendship he and Banquo have, as he too blinded by his desires with his ambitious eyes.
Finally, the act of seeking the evil witches confirms that Macbeth is now an evil person. “I will tomorrow- And betimes I will – to the weird sisters.” This quote made by Macbeth shows how Macbeth is changed into a character of wickedness who now seeks very dark evil.
In conclusion, over the course of the play, Macbeth’s ambitious decision to murder his own rightful king under the influence of the three witches as well as his wife changes him to a brave soldier with good morals into an evil and selfish man. Macbeth became too obsessed with ideas that someone or something will overthrow him as a king and this obsession contrasts to the beginning of the play, when Macbeth fought for Scotland to bring his country peace and freedom. This play had conveyed an idea that even a courageous man like Macbeth has cracks underneath his perfect exterior and can make wrong decisions.
GRACE KIM 11LG
