How does Macbeth's character develop up to the murder of King Duncan?

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How does Macbeth’s character develop up to the murder of King Duncan?

The story of Macbeth is one of the tragedies written by William Shakespeare. A tragedy was a category of play written by Shakespeare, where by a character of noble birth or a highly regarded figure has a ‘fatal flaw’, which ultimately results in their own downfall, leading to a catastrophic end. Character development is very important towards the progression of any story, as it helps to absorb the reader, making them want to keep reading, or watching, in the case of Shakespeare’s plays. Good character development is shown in the opening act, right at the beginning of the play, during the Witches meeting. Shakespeare shows his craft as a writer, in the way he contrasts our feelings towards Macbeth, even before we have encountered him. At one point, the audience can see Macbeth with great admiration, due to the praise given to him by King Duncan. This, however, contradicts with his reaction to the witches, which makes the spectators feel suspicious of him.

        In Act 1, Scene 1, the witches talk to each other, upon an open wasteland in Scotland. Shakespeare explains the setting using dialogue to show the current weather, thunder and lightning. In the second line of dialogue, the witches discuss when they will next meet up. The first witch asks “In thunder, lightning or in rain?” By the use of pathetic fallacy, I think that the witches are evil, and corrupt; They want to meet when nature reflects their own personalities. By meeting at this time, the weather’s turmoil and chaos relates strengthens their feelings, making them more supernatural, and mysterious. Shakespeare foreshadows events of the future by doing this. The use of the phrase, “When the Hurly-burly’s done,” shows how the witches aim to create a violent disturbance in the natural law. The equivocation of the paradoxical phrases, “When the battle’s lost or won” and “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” makes the reader and Macbeth question the intentions and mind sets of the witches at the time. I think that both of these quotes are used to show that the witches mind sets are not stable. I think that one of the meanings of the oxymoron, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” is that what some people find sweet, others find sour; Whereas most people would feel threatened by the thunder and lightning, the witches feel sheltered and secure. It also links in with one of the other major themes of Macbeth, and sets the general tone of the confused, unnatural world that is created by the Macbeths. “When the battle’s is lost or won,” could refer to how Macbeth wins the physical battle he is fighting, but his mental stability worsens as the story progresses. This could also have been included to try and mislead the audience, which helps to create tension and unease throughout the viewers. Straight from the opening scene, the audience anticipates Macbeth’s ruin in future events, because of the shocking ideas of pre-destination as soon as he meets the witches. At the end of this scene, the witches talk to their familiars – spirit like creatures, which have taken the shapes of animals. The witches call to them that they are coming, and then as one, they chant to “Hover through the fog and filthy air”. As the air is foggy, and filthy, it suggests that they want to be shrouded within it, as if their meeting should remain a secret.  Once the witches have finished cursing Macbeth, the witches leave.

        Act 1, Scene 2 represents justice and royal order, which provides a sharp contrast with the first scene. Also, it mainly focuses on the good and virtuous qualities to Macbeth, showing him to be patriotic and strong willed. Like Shakespeare’s other heroic soldiers, Macbeth’s valour on the battlefield is no help to the situation he finds himself in later in the play. Scene 2 opens with the sound of trumpets, showing royal authority, which contrasts with the sound of thunder and lightning from the last scene. The Captain – the ‘Bloody Man’ that Duncan refers to – is introduced in the first lines of the scene 2. Shakespeare uses this character to mislead the audience, like he did with the trumpets. Malcolm, the king’s son, is also introduced within this scene. Through the use of selected words, we can see that he respects the Captain, as he is, “a Good and Hardy soldier, who fought against [Malcolm’s] captivity”. The way in which this is done shows that the Captain may have saved Malcolm’s life, which is why he has such respect and admiration towards him. Most of Scene 2 is dialogue by the Captain, were he tells us about Macdonald, the current Thane of Cawdor, who betrayed Scotland. The Captain uses alliteration, “Merciless Macdonald” to make the audience remember his name. The idea that “The multiplying Villainies of nature do swarm upon him,” shows that he only has bad, evil qualities, which manifests around him, like vermin. This is ironic, as it foreshadows later events that occur in the play, where Macbeth betrays King Duncan.

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We are told that Macdonald is weak, unreliable and his attempts and efforts were inadequate. The quotes, “Showed like a rebel’s whore, but all’s too weak..” backs up this point. The Captain praises Macbeth as he is ‘brave’ because he ‘deserves that name’. The audience is told that Macbeth split Macdonald from ‘the nave to th’ chaps. (Naval to his Jaw). He then fixed his head upon their battlements, as if to use it as a trophy. Throughout the Captain’s speech, he keeps referring to Macbeth as being brave, like ‘Valour’s Minion’.  The way in which the ‘Brandished steel’, ‘smoked’ ...

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