He is a merciless king who kills all in his path to the throne of Scotland; this ambition leads to unnecessary violence towards others. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a courageous, battle proven hero. During the opening scenes of the play, the audience has no idea that such a change of character could happen. Macbeth is convinced into his first murder, being King Duncan, by his wife, Lady Macbeth. The devil, or the evil spirits, take up many disguises, one of which is through Lady Macbeth.
Although Macbeth was terrified and against the idea of killing the king, one night he went into Duncan’s room and stabbed him to death. When the kingdom came to know about the death of the king, everyone was dazed. Furthermore, Macbeth began to regret the sin he had committed. “I am afraid to think of what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not.” (II.ii.66-67). After Duncan’s burial, it was discovered that Macbeth had been pronounced king.
A lust for power already existed in Macbeth, but it was his encounter with the three witches on his return from battle that triggered his thirst for the throne, and subsequently the deaths of many, Macbeth among the deceased. The witches told Macbeth that he would become the Thane of Cawdor, and when he did, he became obsessed with the idea that he will become the King of Scotland; “prophecy” said so. With the encouragement of his wife, Macbeth murdered King Duncan, and Banquo, who was a comrade of Macbeth. Macbeth then orders the deaths of Macduff’s wife and children, because he fears that they stand a chance of taking the throne. Upon hearing of his families’ death, Macduff returns to Scotland to confront Macbeth, who is slain.
The vicious chain reaction of fear continues. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he is too scared to even carry the daggers back into the king’s chamber. He is completely surrounded by the immense fear which takes root in his mind and repeatedly reminds him of the fact that the regicide will eventually be discovered. In order to relieve this horror, Macbeth has no choices but to blame the murderous deed upon the two drunken chamberlains who are instigated by both Duncan’s sons. After he is successfully crowned as the king of Scotland, the prior fear fades away and begets another fear which forms images in Macbeth’ head with the previous scene of the day where him and Banquo listen to the prophecies of the three witches.
Macbeth Act V Macbeth's death was inevitable. Because he wanted to be king, his wife talked him into murdering Duncan, who was the king and a relative, while Duncan was a guest in his home. He had his best friend, Banquo, murdered because the witches predicted that Banquo’s descendents would be kings. He also wanted Banquo’s son, Fleance, murdered, but he escaped. Macbeth had reason to be afraid of Macduff, so he sent men to kill Macduff’s wife and children.
His paranoia reached the point to where he was mentally unstable. One source of motivation for the killing of the king derives where most people would not most commonly suspect: his own wife. The idea of her becoming queen engulfed her mind; therefore, she urged Macbeth to proceed with the killing of King Duncan. Following Duncan’s murder, the only thing bothering Macbeth was the prophecy told by the witches about Banquou’s son becoming the king. Fearing the worst, he allowed his paranoia take over his thought process, by not it should be obvious that his paranoia played a big role in his decision making.
Macbeth is the perfect example of what happens to people when you let hubris (execessive pride or arrogance) take over your life. Macbeth was a decorated war hero of Scotland and had everything going for him - a beautiful wife, a castle to live in, friends, loving subjects, and lots of land to call his own. By letting his hubris cloud his better judgement he lost it all and his own life. He began to care more about being feared by all and keeping a crown that was not even rightfully his, then making the right decisions. Macbeth murdered his king because his wife was calling him names, he also got his best friend killed to try and protect his investments, he murderer a defenseless women and her children to try and make a point, and was a huge
Her death caused much commotion to all the people who new her; the closer they were to her, the more they suffered. This is why the murder of Cassetti is looked at as justifiable. In Christie’s book many passengers denounced Cassetti, ”If ever a man deserved what he got, Ratchett or Cassetti is the man. I'm rejoiced at his end. Such a man wasn't fit to live!” and "I did so rejoice that that evil man was dead – that he could not any more kill or torture little children.
English – Macbeth Essay Brayden Schroeder “All Hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (Act 1, Scene 3, Page 3, Line 51) Who knew this one measly prediction would cause so much turmoil? The three witches are undoubtedly the most influential figures in what is possibly Shakespeare’s greatest playwright. The death of King Duncan came as a direct result of the witches’ prediction that Macbeth would one day be king whilst Macbeth’s superstition killed both Macduff’s family and Banquo. A result of his manipulable mind and arrogance, the witches also made him believe himself to be invincible, a mistake that would ultimately cost him his life. Although others played a role in turning Macbeth into the tyrant he became, it can be argued that this never would’ve panned out the way it did if the witches had never appeared.
Macbeth himself was always yearning for power. It is first shown when he is made thane of Cawdor, and is jealous of Malcolm for becoming heir of the throne. “As Macbeth hears the title given to Malcolm, he shows again the conflict within him between ambition and fear.” (Campbell 216) His greed and ambition for more gets the better of him, as he plots with Lady Macbeth to kill King Duncan and become the heir to the throne. This was a very selfish act in his position; by killing Duncan and becoming king, Macbeth disrupted the chain of being and doomed all of society as a whole. “The Great Chain of Being was supposed to keep the Earth in a stable condition and order.