Summary: Macbeth As One Of Shakespeare’s Great Characters

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Macbeth is undoubtably one of Shakespeare’s great characters. He metamorphoses from a strong and powerful soldier into an overambitious king and a victim of fate. While he is certainly not a hero, he’s not a typical villain either. Like all those who question the divine right of kings in Shakespeare’s plays, he does not fare a well end. Macbeth follows a linear path from good to evil throughout the play. Shakespeare, however, achieves this this development through complex elements.

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Shakespeare uses soliloquies to give us an insight as to what Macbeth is thinking, they are un-edited thoughts and opinion that he is not saying to anyone else. Shakespeare uses these soliloquies in order show the different faces of each character, adding to their depth. In Macbeth, Shakespeare does not use a narrator who could explain what Macbeth really thinks, he therefore uses soliloquies in order to show and emphasise Macbeths true thoughts. In this essay Macbeths development will be explored through a series of soliloquies and the factors that pushed him to develop in the way that he did.

Macbeth is introduced to the audience as a strong and powerful warrior. He is first introduced to the audience with the words “For brave Macbeth” and “As cannons over-charged with double cracks.” The audience is given the impression of a great warrior who is simultaneously valiant on the battlefield. This is emphasised by the alliteration of strong “c” sounds, mimicking Macbeths dynamic movements. Furthermore, the use of “over” and “double” highlights that Macbeth stands above the rest, being of far more value than a typical soldier.

Macbeth is even compared to “Bellona’s bridegroom” or like Mars, the god of war.

In Act 1 Scene 3 the three witches greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, Glamis and finally King. The belief in the existence and power of witches was widely believed in Shakespeare’s day, as confirmed by the witch hunt craze. King James (the monarch at the time) became convinced in the existence of witchcraft, even publishing a book on it: Daemonologie. His hatred for witches was well known, and Shakespeare most likely composed Macbeth to please his new king. The witches are at least partially responsible for creating Macbeth’s evil desire for the throne, therefore furthermore spreading the evil image of witches in England. Macbeths first development is the one of his growing ambition. The seed of ambition is planted by the witches in his mind, Macbeth lets it fester, eventually leading him to believing them. When it is announced that Macbeth is to become thane of Cawdor he ponders upon the Witches prophecy:‘This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill cannot be good. If ill why hath it given me earnest of success commencing in a truth?’

Macbeth tries to convince himself that nothing is nothing wrong has happened. Repetition of this though is used throughout the play, emphasising the balance between good and evil. Shakespeare still shows the audience that Macbeth has not developed fully yet. The quotation ‘My Thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical’ emphasises that Macbeth’s idea of murdering Duncan inorder to become king is only a fantasy and not reality. This indicates his gradual change and unsurity concerning his fate . Banquo interrupts Macbeth during his speech saying ‘Look how our partner’s rapt.’ This symbolises a direct contrast between Banquo and Macbeth as now Banquo is the symbol of good and Macbeth’s integrity is in question. To counter this idea is Macbeths next line : ‘If chance will have me king then chance will crown me without my stir’. This shows that Macbeth is still willing to let fate take its course, and appears to be ready to accept its judgement. The witches’ prophecies make him believe he will be crowned without having to intervene . However, ambition gets the etter of him, resulting in him commiting regicide. This had a very real application within the time in which Macbeth was performed. The divine right of kings stated that the king was gods representative on earth. Thus political dissent was seen as a pact with the devil. In the play, when Macbeth commits regicide he therefore partners with the supernatural, as in the devil and witches. As Macbeth obtains the throne through ursupation he is seen as subverting the natural order (the gret chain of being), therefore causing chaos in the microcosm. Through “Macbeth”, Shakespeare is pleasing the recently throned James I, showing the audience, (17th century england) that even though Macbeth hets the crown, he loses love, friendship, respect and finally his life. Shakespeare reinforces the idea that crime does not pay.

While he is speaking to duncans servants, preparing for his arrival, Macbeth realises that the witches prediction is coming true. The soliloquy opens with a euphemism of the word murder “If it were done.” Macbeth uses this, and other, euphemisms as murderous thoughts are alien to him at this point. Macbeth is depicted by the language Shakespeare used to still be a very moral and conscientious man. The euphemisms show that the “horrid deed” disgusts him, because he knows that regicide is a sin punishable by eternal damnation.

The sibilance used in the quotation: “If th’ Assassination, Could trammel up the Consequence, and catch, With his Surcease, Success”, draws attention to ‘surcease’ and ‘success’. The word use is ironic as death and success are rarely related. Macbeth is shown to be willing to sacrifice the afterlife for greatness, now, in his mortal life. At this point in the plot, Macbeth is clearly giving the idea serious thought. He then lists the reasons why not to kill Duncan, demonstrating tht he is still logical in his decisions and aware of gravity of the issue of a “host” or “kinsman” killing the king.The next soliloquy represents a turning point within the play: “But in these cases, We still have Judgement here, that we but teach, Bloody Instructions, which, being taught, return, To plague th’ Inventor.” This is because, while Macbeth is aware that his bad deeds will come back and plague him, he shows no signs of doubt. The soliloquy signifies a turning point as it goes to show that Macbeth can at this point not differentiate between good and evil, by virtue of his ambition making him focus solely on becoming king.The next soliloquy occurs while Macbeth is waiting for the signal for him to kill Duncan. This is naturally a very tense time for Macbeth, resulting in his mind being tormented and him hallucinating, seing a dagger.

Shakespeare cleverly places this speech just before the murder, creating an air of apprehension. The tone of the speech creates a sense that there is no reneging. Lady Macbeth then rings the bell, a precursor to the murder, adding to the intensity of the speech and creating suspenseHere the audicne is given time to reflect the transformation of the lead character. Macbeth is now more identifiable as evil rather than noble and courageous. The bell signifies the beginning of the end for Macbeth, his former character does return after this scene. His new self is far different, with his deeds becoming more gruesome and evil as the play progresses. There is almost an abrubt change in Macbeths behaviour, seeming almost eager to murder Duncan; “Come let me clutch thee.” Macbeth is anticipating how the murder is to be carried ou. Rather than contemplating whether he will murder the king, he is now deciding how to do so.

Macbeth is no longer reasoning rationally, which formerly separated him from animals, but has reduced himself to their moral status. The animal mentioned in the soliloquy: “The Wolf, Whose Howl’s his Watch, thus with his stealthy Pace, With Tarquin’s ravishing Sides, towards his design moves like a ghost.”, is the wolf, which in Shakespeare’s age, was a symbol of witchcraft and evil, again exposing Macbeths current, predominantly evil character.