Analysis Of The Tragic Nature Of Two Major Characters In Macbeth

Categories: Macbeth Novel William Shakespeare

Analysis, Pages 6 (1356 words)

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Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy of the time. The play is much more dramatic re-writing of the historical facts. The characters that are presented here is quite dramatic and dominating, filled with tragic events. Where Lady Macbeth seems very ambitious woman and dominating as well and has fewer moral scruples. She urges Macbeth to kill Duncan, and refuses to understand his doubts and hesitations. She is not a typical woman of her times. Gradually her close relationship with Macbeth crumbles into nothing.

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As the story comes to its end the audiences can see how Lady Macbeth gets psychologically weak, where her guilt covers her up and ultimately her suicides in agony, due to the victim of guilt. In the Elizabethan era women were not very strong if we compare her character with the lady Desdemona in another play of Shakespeare named “Othello” their characters seems quite similar in that sense. However, as she is the female protagonist, she helps represent what attitudes towards women were in Elizabethan era.

Macduff was a Scottish thane who comes to prominence after the murder of Duncan and leads the opposition to Macbeth and also a very typical character in this play and can be seen as an avenging hero who helps Scotland from Macbeth’s tyranny by putting his family at risk.

Lady Macbeth was a very ambitious and a jealous natured character compared to other characters, she dominated her husband in order to kill Duncan she was thirsty of power in Act 2 Scene 2 ,she takes the situation under her control “go get some water and wash this filthy witness from your hand” as a reader I could hear her commanding voice the water imagery connects to Macbeth’s guilt and Lady Macbeth was perpetuating to indulge her husband not to feel sorry at having killing Duncan and tried hard to give positive and convincing speeches, in order to calm Macbeth.

Personally I felt she was abusing her husband I see Macbeth being a victim of domestic violence.

She knew that Macbeth was such a honourable and loyal to the king and this sense of honour will allow him to ‘catch the nearest way’ which was murder .She became so desperate that she prepared to give up all the gentle, tender qualities of a woman and she takes full control over the situation. And calls Macbeth a coward for behaving like a guilty person. In Act 2 Scene 4 “it has been as a gap in our great feast …” When Macbeth sees Banquet’s ghost and becomes agitated. The whole scene break in to fragments, and Lady Macbeth asked her guests to leave without any formality with which they arrived. Her role and development in this play she was manipulative , ambitious in the Elizabethans era women were considered as weak and women who were not weak they were considered as cruel, vicious and mad this is why Shakespeare killed her by adding the theme of suicide, so that women get discourage for doing such ill acts. As the play reaches to its climax the mood of the play suddenly changes, Lady Macbeth feels guilty feels like the guilt has been transferred from Macbeth to Lady Macbeth in Act 5 Scene 1 she has been drinking to give herself courage her speech was jerky she was speaking and walking in her sleep, and was reacting to every sound, constantly washing her hands in guilt and her mind completely re-lives the night of the murder, she suffers a guilt of conscience. On that night , she declared confidently in Act 5 Scene 1 “a little water clear us of this deed” deep inside she knew no sweet fragrance of any perfume will sweeten her hands , so she decided to take her life from her 'self and violent hands”.

Macduff is a noble man and a true warrior and in addition to his role as a foil to Macbeth, he presents a different perspective of gender roles, where manhood has been portrayed of how to maintain a healthy balance between action and emotion. When his family was slaughtered mercilessly by Macbeth’s soldiers he says he will not only take the revenge like a man, but he will also “feel it as a man” which shows the true quality of a real man by openly grieving on his tragic loss and also feels sorry for the death of his wife and children because being a man he couldnot save and protect his family. He was the one who raised an alarm when Duncan was being killed In Act 2Scene 4 “those that Macbeth hath slain” it brings Macduff into greater prominence where he continued to be suspicious and regicide of killing Duncan .He has been seen as the avenging hero who helps and save Scotland and I find him the ultimate antagonist . He says to Malcom, who urged him to dispute it like man and Macduff replied “I shall do so; but I must also feel it as a man” where Macduff was thinking like a man as a human being, with tender emotions of love grief, which must not be denied. Then he raises the army to kill Macbeth where he has nothing to lose in the end because Macbeth has taken away everything from him so he had nothing left to loose, he was boiling with bloody revenge and in the final act he cuts off Macbeth’s head.

The themes of manhood and guilt is being displayed in the play where, Macduff feels guilty for not being able to save his children and wife he constantly regrets on this major issue, he also shares the theme of manhood by saving Scotland from the antagonist , Macbeth by seizing his life “Hail ,king, for so thou art. Behold where stands th’usurper’s cursed head. The time is free”. Macduff is seen the most important character because he could sense the smell of the murder of King Duncan which shows that he was concerned about the king. And did not spare Macbeth for his actions. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth was sharing the theme of manhood as well, by dominating her husband in a typical way not thinking what destruction she might leads her to where I personally felt that she was abusing her husband to get involve in a tragic act cajoling, indulging consecutively to gain the crown. However, Lady Macbeth suffers from guilt and gets mad after she manipulated her husband and found herself involved in a un lawful act, she could not tolerate the tragic pressure of conscience guilt of the dark cruel act, her increasing pressure of madness was a sign of her guilt where she imagined her hands bull of blood, she was suffering from a great remorse and ultimately killed herself. She was one of the frightening female characters of Shakesperean tragedy she constantly taunts her husband for due to Macbeth’s lack of courage, she had a burning desire to see herself as a Queen. She was so blind folded by the witch’s prophecy where she led herself to the road of destruction and took away her life. In Act 5 Scene 1 she gets totally mad, where she keeps walking and dreams that she and her husband are murdering King Duncan.

When I personally look at the character Lady Macbeth, I can see the real uncontrollable temptation of a woman where she is ready to ignore her gentle and kind nature for gaining the crown. In Act 1 Scene 7she also insults Macbeth for his manliness, and declares she would have murdered her child while it was feeding at her breast, rather than break such as promise as Macbeth has done. On the contrary, Macduff sets Scotland free by killing Macbeth and proved his bravery and loyalty who has gone through a lot of scarifies to protect the thane. After Macduff goes to England his family was slaughtered by Macbeth because Macduff exposed Macbeth who was the killer of King Duncan thus, he ordered his people to slaughter his family but he is brave and at the end he proved his masculinity by cutting of Macbeth’s head and gifted the kingdom, peace.