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It is a fair assessment of Macbeth's character to call him nothing but a brutal and ruthless villain?

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  • Essay length: 2035 words
  • Submitted: 28/11/2003
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GCSE Macbeth

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It is a fair assessment of Macbeth's character to call him nothing but a brutal and ruthless villain?

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth is a very complex character showing many different traits in his many appearances throughout the play. The story starts after a battle; Macbeth then meets three witches who foresee that he will become King of Scotland. These witches knew all about Macbeth's fatal flaw, his greed for power. This fatal flaw, as a typical tragic hero was the cause of his downfall. There is no doubt that throughout the play Macbeth is a brutal and ruthless villain, but it is certainly questionable to say that they are his only qualities

Before Macbeth is even introduced to the audience, we are already told of his capacity for brutality. The captain describes Macbeth's actions to the king when he says, "Like Valour's minion, carved out his passage / Till he faced the slave." The captain goes on to say, "Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, / Till he unseamed him from nave to chaps." This statement also shows the brutality and barbarity of Macbeth's character very well as he did not just end this

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