Examine Macbeth's mental deterioration throughout the play.

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Examine Macbeth's mental deterioration throughout the play.

        Macbeth's character goes through a mental path during the play “Macbeth”. He is initially emotionally stable and devoted to his king; he then feels unsure about his intentions and deteriorates into an awareness based purely on belief; when this belief becomes less he feels unsure again. He ends his life in a noble death caused by his “return” to his stability and devotion.

        At the beginning of the play, Macbeth loves king Duncan, but when he is tempted by the three witches he starts his deteriorating mental path into evil.

Initially the Captain of the battle tells Duncan that Macbeth has fought powerfully for his king and that is why he can be called "brave Macbeth". The following quotation is the one in which the Captain speaks to the King:

                For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)

                Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel,

                Which smok'd with bloody execution,

                Like valor's minion carved out his passage

                Till he faced the slave;

                                                (Captain, Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 18-22)

These few lines are used by Shakespeare to give the first idea of how Macbeth is. He is considered a brave man that "disdaining Fortune" killed enemies until he got to "the slave". In this quotation, which ends with a caesura which is latin for "closing", it is important to understand that Macbeth laughed at Fortune which is personified since it is written with an initial capital letter. The fact that the protagonist laughed at Fortune could be the reason why, for Shakespeare, he ended up seeing the three witches: luck wanted to take revenge over him. "The slave" is Macdonwald, the man who is Thane of Cawdor at the beginning of the play, and who decided to become a traitor. He is considered a slave since that is what he has become now. He is chained and in the King's possession who then decides to hang him because of his actions against the Country. This quotation demonstrates how Macbeth would do anything for the King, he would even try to win against Macdonwald going against Fortune.

The following quotation is the famous monologue made by Macbeth after his first discussion with his "dearest partner of greatness".

                If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well,

                It were done quickly: if th'assassination

                Could trammel up the consequence, and catch

                With his surcease, success: that but this blow

                Might be the be-all, and the end-all. Here

                But here, upon this bank and school of time,

Join now!

                We'ld jump the life to come.But in these cases,

                We still have judgement here, that we but teach

                Bloody instructions, which being taught, return

                To plague th'inventor. This even-handed Justice

                Commends th'ingredients of our poison'd chalice

                To our own lips. He's here in double trust;

                First, as I am his kinsman, and his subject,

                Strong both against the deed: then as his host,

                Who should against his murtherer shut the door,

                Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan

                Hath borne his faculties so meek; hath been

                So clear in his great office, that his virtues

                Will plead like angels, ...

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