Macbeth By William Shakespeare is a play of contradiction and ambition.

by gears146 (student)

Macbeth Critical Essay

“Macbeth” By William Shakespeare is a play of contradiction and ambition. Driven to becoming King, Macbeth will kill all and any that get in his way. He puts his faith in the words and prophesies of three witches, after their first one (that he will become Thane of Cawdor) comes through. Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, is instrumental in Macbeth's ambition, egging him on when he fears he has gone too far, and scheming of greatness. There were many wrongs committed in "Macbeth." But who should be responsible for these actions? The witches' prophesising? Lady Macbeth's plotting and persuasion? Or should Macbeth himself be held responsible? No doubt the witches and Lady Macbeth influenced Macbeth in the actions he took in his rise to power, but ultimately he must bear the major responsibility for his fate.

Macbeth kills an Macdonald. An enemy of Duncan’s which shows Macbeths real loyalty and devotion to King Duncan at the beginning before the hags’ prophecy. Macbeth did not just simply kill Macdonald he: “"unseam'd him from the nave to the chops, / And fix'd his head upon our battlements" (Line 22-23). This shows that Macbeth spared no mercy to this rebel and treated the enemy of the kings like an enemy of his own. This really illustrates great heroism in Macbeth and his loyalty to Duncan. The audience really feels a sense of power and devotion in this character and also a dangerous tone shines through and highlights this hostile and bloody attitude of Macbeth.

The witches were a large factor in Macbeth. Influencing him a lot. In act one scene three, the witches say: `all hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! ... All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!' (Line 47-50) these prophecies implement in his mind the possibility of further growth to greatness. If the witches had not told Macbeth of their prophesies, there is a very small chance he would have thought about them himself, and even less chance he would have murdered king Duncan. It was his own fault he chose to listen to the witches and go through with ambition and belief ...

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Macbeth soon develops an ambition to become King from the witch’s prophecy and his wife’s encouragement. Once his wife learns of the prophecy, she is all too ready for her husband to become king, no matter what evil deeds must be done to ensure his attaining of the throne, including the quickest route to the crown: the murder of Duncan. His loyalty is dissolved into a dark desire to attain the role of King and he changes into an evil ambition driven murderer. However previous signs of loyalty shine through the hunger for success. As you can see the corrupted Macbeth still has essence of honour for the King: “Is this a dagger which I see before me? The handle toward my hand”. This indicates a contemplation between killing Duncan or not. Which proves that Macbeth still has certain homage towards Duncan even though he has a deep ambition to get the crown.

Macbeth kills Banquo and his son. Showing a certain change in what he was like before. All the “Bravery” and “Honour” now fading away into a dark haze filled with paranoia and deception. Macbeth fears Banquo; he fears Banquo might suspect him of murder and will not be afraid to act on it. He fears Banquo's goodness now that he himself has lost his goodness: "To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared.” The Quote shows his early stages of paranoia and how Banquo is considered a threat to him. Macbeth has turned into this paranoid killing monster that is afraid of the consequences of his actions and fearful of anyone who is a liability to him.

In the final act, Macduff and Macbeth have a final duel. Macbeth’s character has undergone a lot of change in persona. He realises that he has made a grave mistake of killing Duncan and it has turned himself into something he didn’t want to be. Initially he didn’t want to fight Macduff: “my soul is too much charged/With blood of thine already”. Macbeth said he didn't want to cause any more blood to be shed in the Macduff family and household. He had already got Macduff’s entire family killed because of his stages in paranoia when the witches told Macbeth to beware of Macduff.

Macbeth came out and said that the outcome was condemned before the battle even begun. He clarified that he always would triumph over men born of women. At that point, Macduff revealed a startling fact. He had been delivered by caesarean section from a dead mother. He therefore hadn't been born of a woman: “Macduff was from his mother's womb Untimely ripp'd”. Macbeth's reaction was one of shock and betrayal. He realized that he had been lured down an evil path with the false assurances of security from the three witches. Also regretting all his actions he had prior to this battle. After a while of name calling by Macduff, Macbeth caved in and decided to fight. The significant trait in Macbeth's character was courage. He always had thrown himself into the heat of battles. And this last, lethal battle was no exception.

In conclusion Macbeth’s character changed from this Brave, Loyal and Honourable person into a greed and ambition driven killing machine that was paranoid of anyone who posed a threat. Even though the witches and Lady Macbeth certainly play an important part in Macbeth's downfall, the choice is his. He could have ignored the hags' prophecy, like Banquo does. He did not have to share his dark desires with his wife, either. But once he is interested in becoming king, Macbeth is willing to kill anyone in his way. Were it not for this flaw in Macbeth's character, he would have been content with his position of thane and never aspired to be king. In the end, he has no one to blame but himself.