Macbeth's Downfall

Categories: Macbeth

Have you ever wanted something so much that you were willing to do anything to get it? It was this that Shakespeare based one of his most well-known tragedies on; 'Macbeth'. It showcases the consequences of greed and over-ambitiousness through its main character who is called Macbeth. Macbeth is constantly manipulated, transforming him from a 'worthy gentleman' into his own worst enemy. This change in character is demonstrated by Macbeth's strengths and weakness which were influenced by events at the time the play was written.

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's darkest tragedies and is renowned for its themes of murder, manipulation and maledictions. It was written in 1603 to please the new King James 1 and was inspired by his reign. The King was a woman hater resulting in these themes surrounding Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's wife. It also depicts regocide as a very dark and unforgivable act. This is due to the Gunpowder Plot and the Gowrie Conspiracy of 1600 occurring around the same time this play was penned, therefore deterring future plots.

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Macbeth as a character was loosely based on a real person who perpetrated most of the horrific deeds in the play in the 11th century.

The first strengths we are introduced to is his ability to fight well and how highly he is thought of by the powers above. This is shown in Act 1 Scene 2, which comes after the witches first scene and before we are introduced to Macbeth. This scene provides a background for Macbeth and shows us his character whilst also acting as a type of foreword for the play.

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In the report of the battle, Macbeth is described in admiring terms such as 'Brave Macbeth','valiant cousin' and is likened unto eagles showing us his bravery, but most importantly is described to be a 'worthy gentleman'. This commending description builds the audiences' anticipation to meet the character who is so righteous but it also makes his downfall seem greater. A description of how he killed the villian in this battle is given, saying he 'unseamed him from the nave to the chaps, and fixed his head upon [their] battlements.' This tale is used to show Macbeth's physical strength and hypermasculinity but also shows his rash and cruel side as this act was slightly unneccesary. Shakespeare included this scene to show the audience that Macbeth was a noble, courageous man who, without the temptation of his wife, would have most likely not committed the deeds we see in the remainder of the play.

Macbeth's downfall begins in Act 1 Scene 3, the scene in which he is introduced. In this, we see the witches again and Macbeth engage with them, thus beginning his connection with the Weird Sisters and evil. The witches fortify their evil throughout this scene with their conversation of revenge, prophecies and their inversion of normal which ties in with contemporary notions as witches were believed to exist in the time period that the play was written and first performed. When Macbeth and Banquo see them, Banquo describes them as 'withered and wild in their attire', making a joke out of them whilst Macbeth seems scared and grave. This, to a Jacobean audience, shows his gullibleness and anti-Christian attitude. The Sisters give Macbeth three prophecies, the first that he would be 'Thane of Glamis' which was already true. The second prophecy said 'Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor' and the third was telling Macbeth that he 'shalt be King hereafter' although they did not tell him when. These prophecies seemed to scare Macbeth even further, which leads the audience to think he believes them and possibly had wanted them. Banquo, still making a mockery of them, is also given prophecies saying he is 'lesser than Macbeth, and greater, not so happy yet happier' and saying he 'shall get Kings' although he won't be one. Banquo doesn't believe them but notices Macbeth does. Although Banquo warns him, Macbeth becomes fixated with his possible future, increasingly so after the second prophecy comes true and he is given a traitor's robes and title, showing that he is easily persuaded, obsessive and introduces us to Macbeth's hamartia; his ambition.

The strengths and weaknesses we have been introduced to so far increase in importance throughout the play. Macbeth's quick obsession with the prophecies is evident in Act 1 Scene 7. In one of Macbeth's many soliloquies, we see another one of his strengths in that he is methodical. After hearing of the plot to kill Duncan he thinks it all through, weighing up why he shouldn't commit regocide saying he is 'his kinsman and his subject' and he, 'as his host should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife [himself]'. This shows us that Macbeth was still morally strong as he decided to 'proceed no further in this business'. However, as this strength is uncovered, a weakness is revealed in that he is easily manipulated by his wife into changing his mind. The prophecies drive him mad: he begins to hallucinate, kills his King and becomes very suspicious. Macbeth also becomes paranoid due to the prophecies. He fears Banquo, his best friend, who suspects Macbeth killed King Duncan, and Macbeth cannot forget Banquo's prophecies, thinking his sons will try to overthrow him as King. Due to this paranoia and greed for power, Banquo and his son are killed under Macbeth's order. This shows us Macbeth become visably more evil, having killed a King and now a child. A Jacobean audience would have regarded him as the most evil he could become and whilst and 21st century audience would think it less dramatic, they would still see him in a very evil light. Shakespeare uses his slow progression to insanity as a way of showing his deterioration after being convinced to commit regocide by a woman which would have pleased King James 1.

Macbeth becomes the epitome of evil to a Jacobean audience in Act 4 Scene 1, in which he addresses the witches again, this time as a changed man. Macbeth is decribed as 'wicked' by the witches which would have evoked a negative reaction from a 17th century audience having something they believed to be evil describing a once noble man as wicked. The New Macbeth in this scene is not scared as he was in Act 1 Scene 3 as he 'conjures [the witches] by that which [they] profess', calling on them by a darker side. He has also proved himself to have given up on caring for his people and trying to be a normal Christian King saying 'let them fight against the churches' and 'even till destruction sicken' which is a horrifying statement to a 1600 audience. He speaks in imperative to the supernatural creatures, proving he is not scared. After the witches offer to let him speak to their 'masters' he becomes cocky saying 'Call 'em, Let me see 'em'. More prophocies are made by apparitions creating a sinsiter feeling surrounding Macbeth when he addresses them. He is told 'Beware Macduff' and that 'none of woman born shall harm [him]'. The last prophecy in the play is that Macbeth 'shall never vanquished be until great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinaine hill shall come against him'. The three of these prophecies are taken at face value by Macbeth showing us that he doesn't think anymore like he used to and they tell us how Macbeth is killed before it even happens. He then tries to curse the witches showing us his new foolishness and becomes carried away by his ambition. From this, he kills Macduff's family is a bid to protect himself. At this point, Macbeth has become evil incarnate.

Macbeth was a 'worthy gentleman' at the beginning of the play, but by the end, he has been manipulated into a cocky, foolish, evil man. The prophecies made him paranoid, wanting them to come true, and cocky, making him think he is invincible as he took them at face value. Shakespeare manifested Macbeth's strengths and weaknesses to create a character who was loved and hated and who stuck in his audiences' minds but who also pleased King James 1.

Updated: Nov 21, 2022
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Macbeth's Downfall. (2019, Dec 19). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/macbeths-downfall-2-essay

Macbeth's Downfall essay
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