However, Macbeth’s indecision on whether he should kill Duncan or not shows us that ruthless aggression does not come that easily to them. When the witches predict that he shall be king, Macbeth does not think he should do anything to make the prophecy come true “If Chance will have me king, why Chance may crown me without my stir”. However when Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm, will become the next king, Macbeth soon realises that he must kill Duncan if he is to become king. “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else oerleap for in my way it lies.
Or would he have never found the courage to murder for his own personal gain? When we are first introduced to Macbeth, we are told that he is a war hero who would do anything to defend his king’s honor. His journey to unrighteousness begins when he first speaks with the three witches. They tell him “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (948). Macbeth first takes this in a joking manner, but soon begins to take it very seriously.
Macbeth is a tragic play involving the loss of many lives, but could also be perceived as a personal disaster of a military hero. Initially, it portrays Macbeth as a noble man who had returned from a war with his best friend, Banquo. He is then rightfully crowned the Thane of Cawdor following the witches’ prophecy. This might have caused him to associate the two events after negotiating with Lady Macbeth about them. When Lady Macbeth informs Macbeth about the plan of murdering Duncan, he refuses to do so as he says “We will proceed no further in this business”.
Who do you trust, your king or your conscious? Many characters in Macbeth had to make this very choice as there kingdom was slowly deteriorating because of a tyrant of a king. Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is the story of a brave honourable soldier who ruins his life due to his own greed for power, respect and wealth. This play begins with three witches who inform Macbeth that he will become king. It is clear to all readers that Macbeth is not simply going to wait for these prophecies to come true, after the previous king Duncan is murdered.
But when he was told that he would become king, he started to have carnivorous thoughts like becoming the king quicker than waiting, like maybe murdering the king for his title and blaming it on somebody else. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other.” Basically he was about to back out, he told Lady Macbeth he wasn’t going to go through with it, because Duncan made him Thane of Cawdor which was great of him, and he owed him lots. He also was getting praise, and he didn’t want to give that up just to murder somebody else. “ Which does happen, but then he started thinking if he gets
Macbeth says to himself, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,/ Against the use of nature?” (1.3.135-138). This quotation tells us that Macbeth’s strong ambition tells him to want more because he feels unsatisfied. He thinks of murdering King Duncan and fulfilling the last prophecy because consciously, Macbeth knows that it is the only way to satisfy his ambition for things he does not have and that is by becoming the King of Scotland. This will eventually lead to his downfall and death, as karma exists. We know that it isn’t right for Macbeth to become the king, as Malcolm is the heir to the throne.
Macbeth’s ambition on becoming a king leads to an obsession to remain in his current position. His ambition comes to a point where he gives in to the temptation of evil which leads to Macbeth’s inevitable downfall. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a brave man whose performance in Scotland’s battle is celebrated. This is clearly evident from the courage in defense of Scotland in the opening scene. A wounded soldier describes Macbeth’s actions as “Cannons overcharg’d with double cracks ...
How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to kill King Duncan? At the start of the play Macbeth starts of as a brave and loyal man who had a lot of respect for his king, Duncan. He won the battle between the old king of Cawdor and the Norwegian king which shows he was a strong warrior. By winning this, King Duncan makes Macbeth the thane of Cawdor which boosts his position up in the social hierarchy. At the moment a lot of people seem to be fond of Macbeth and look up to him.
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, Macbeth has to cope with the strong feelings of envy, and hatred to fulfill his ambitions of being King. Macbeth started off as a loyal and trusting person that has triumphed in battle, therefore he is granted the title of, “The Thane of Cawdor,” from King Duncan. Soon after, Lady Macbeth receives good news saying that Duncan will be staying with them for some time. Lady Macbeth then manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan. Although Macbeth desires to be King he still has his doubts about the murder.
When the witches greet him as “...Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” [Act 1, Scene 3, Line 48] he begins to strive toward a larger goal: the throne. Despite initially mocking the witches, Macbeth places a great deal of importance upon their words. At the time, the people of Scotland held unwavering belief in the supernatural. Macbeth and Banquo believed that the witches possessed dark power in the same way that a person in the twenty-first century believes in gravity, and that is why Macbeth placed so much importance on their prophetic greetings. It was his belief in their words, and his own ambitious nature that led to his crimes, and his condemnation.