Macbeth/Macduff Essay Macbeth is the main character, but also ends up being the antagonist. At first the reader tries to understand what he’s doing and have sympathy for him but as the play progresses we lose faith. Macbeth is a very bad character, but there are also other “foils” which we can compare to him. Macduff is portrayed as the good, respectable and loyal protagonist of the book, juxtaposed to Macbeth, who is evil, deceitful and a traitor. Macbeth’s wrongdoings are amplified by the kindness and loyalty of Macduff and the legacy Duncan left as a great king.
But this does not mean that man is essentially wicked. In order for a man to become evil, evil must be taught to that person. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Macbeth, faces a conflict against evil. Driven to become king, his ambition leads him to do all that is necessary in order to obtain and retain the kingship. Though he is responsible for wicked things, Macbeth is inherently good, but becomes evil in order to achieve his goals.
Therefore, this essay will give evidence to show that trust is a vital element in Shakespeare’s Macbeth as well as an indispensable motif Shakespeare wants to reveal. Trust in Macbeth is a very important element to push forward the plot development. In other word, trust is an important reason for many deeds of different characters. For example, in Act I Scene VII, after Duncan sleeps in Macbeth’s castle, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plot to murder the king. There is a long monologue of Macbeth: “… He's here in double trust; First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself….” —1.7.15-19 Here, Macbeth tells us the double trust of Duncan.
When Macbeth is told that he is to be king, his ambition and greed arouse. The crown now becomes his deepest desire, and what seemed unrealistic and out of reach, is now within his grasp. These feelings are clearly expressed by Macbeth himself in the first Act: “The Prince of Cumberland – that is a step on which I must fall down or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires.” Macbeth wishes with all his might to be king, and is even willing to evade at any cost every obstacle that lies in his way. Macbeth’s weak personality allows his wife, determined and manipulative, to convince him to do as she
Shakespeare further cultivates Macbeths quickly changing character through soliloquy and dramatic irony. His success in doing so is disclosed as the once ‘noble’ Macbeth goes against all odds to convey his idea of fulfilling the witches’ prophecies: to kill King Duncan. Macbeth also notifies us that to even anticipate slaughtering the sacred King is an act of treachery and betrayal nonetheless he delivers himself as quite motivated and determined to do so. The “horrid image”, “doth unfix” his hair and make his “seated heart knock”; his lust for ultimate power poisons his loyalty and decays at his integrity. As the play moves on, the audience observe the hasty crumbling of his devotion to God and the King.
Hamlet is not crazy because his actions, his intelligence, and his words ultimately prove his sanity. In order to prove by actions that Hamlet is sane, one must look at his mannerisms, his overall state of mind, and his body language. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, there are numerous examples of where Hamlet’s mannerisms, although seemingly insane, actually prove his sanity. An example is when in act one scene two, Hamlet is genuinely forlorn and in grief over his father’s death (I.ii.79-89). This shows that Hamlet is truly in sorrow the whole endurance of the play.
Banquo is juxtaposed to show how an honest man would react to fair-surrounding predictions. Macbeth’s “aside” clearly reveals him to be a man who is morally flawed and susceptible to temtation. Shakespeare’s use of imagery with the three witches makes us realise that the witches only want bad things for Macbeth. They test his character to see if they can corrupt him from his natural state of mind into their evil ways. As such Macbeth is morally vulnerable to them.
Shakespeare’s characterisation of Lepidus is as a mediator within the triumvirate. Shakespeare presents Lepidus as a sharp contrast to Antony and Caesar, displaying his character through sensitivity and generosity. Though he is greatly hindered by his lack of authority. Shakespeare establishes his role as a mediator, between the consistent hostility of the other two members of the triumvirate, “Once name you derogatory, when to sound your name / it not concern’d me.” Shakespeare crafts Caesar’s behaviour towards other characters and his frequent use of authoritative language evidently shows his government as being stronger and assured, he is strongly favoured by the Jacobean audience. The dramatist crafts Lepidus as a subordinate character in Antony and Cleopatra.
Macbeth does this because he is afraid that Banquo will get in the way of his new title and Fleance, because he is prophesied to be king. Macbeth chooses to do this deed with no regard, although he knows better than to kill the innocent, showing Macbeth’s transformation and the
They very much encourage him in his accomplishments and awake his desires. They give Macbeth a false sense of hope with their prophecies of truths. They are the ones who cement the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. “When you durst to do it, then you were a man,” (Macbeth, Act One Scene 7) When you reason things out by yourself you have a habit of knowing what is right and what is wrong, a conscience.