Why Does Macbeth Turn from War Hero Into Evil Murderer?

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A hero, a soldier, a noble man - we are first introduced to Macbeth at the start of the play and it becomes apparent that he is these three things. As the play advances he begins to shine through as revenge seeking, devious and an evil murderer? But why; what makes Macbeth change character and to perform lifes most gruesome act, murder? Of course Macbeth himself had reasons and influences that allowed him to become this way, including his wife Lady Macbeth, the witches prophecies, his need for power and of course his 'fatal flaw'. Lady Macbeth - cold hearted, power, witch-like - is the most reasonable for turning Macbeth into an evil murderer. Her influences and desire to acheive more power is displayed throughoutthe play, particularly within her relationship with Macbeth. When Macbeth attempts to reconsider his plan to kill the King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is absolutely furious. She tells Macbeth "Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail". Lady Macbeth understands that in order to committ murder they both must remove all sense of humanity. This shows that she has a major influence on Macbeth and his change in character. Within the time of the Elizabethan era, witches were believed to be real and in fact very powerful. For this reason, the witches prophecies could be seen as an important influence on Macbeth and his desire to murder. When Macbeth meets with the witches they tell him two things - 1. Thane of Cawdor will be his title and 2. here will be King hereafter. In the letter that Macbeth wrote to his wife he wrote, "The witches saluted me with 'Hail, King thou shalt be'". This shows that like most people of the time, he believed the witches and had a desire to make them come true. In saying this, Macbeth comes to knowledge that he could murder Duncan and be promoted to King. He thinks this in a way that he knows is worng but is still

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