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.
Macbeth was seen as a brave and noble man by all of his peers, and even King Duncan himself. This is why Duncan proclaimed “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won,” (1.2.67) referring to the fact that he named Macbeth to be Thane of Cawdor. One would think that after such accomplishment, Macbeth would be satisfied with his position. However, this is not the case. Chris risks his family, his secrets, his position gained in the high class society.
Hrothgar is a caring and generous ruler who just wants the best way of life for his people. That is a primary reason as to why Hrothgar has the Herot built. This mead-hall becomes a place for feasting and entertaining among the noble people of the land. When Grendel attacks the Herot, Hrothgar tries all that he can possibly do even in his old age to protect what was his. Grendel explains the courageouness and power that Hrothgar once had when saying, “I dismissed it, thought of it afterward only as you remember a tree that fell on you or an adder you stepped on by accident, except of course that Hrothgar was more to be feared than a tree or a snake”(Gardner 30).
The reason Macbeth suddenly changes is because he has realised that Duncan genuinely has respect for him and lauds him often. Duncan says ‘O worthiest cousin, the sin of my ingratitude even now was heavy on me’. Duncan is praising Macbeth huge amounts because he feels Macbeth has fought bravely in battle and has come away with an extraordinary victory and this shows the respect given off by Duncan. Duncan also gives Macbeth the title of the Thane of Cawdor, which is big news, and when Ross brings the news he says ‘thy praises in his kingdom’s great defence’. This shows that Ross is another person respectful to Macbeth not because he has to but because he has earned it.
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.
Macduff is a loyal Scottish nobleman and the Thane of Fife. After Macbeth murders Macduff's family, Macduff grieves for his loved ones and then resolves to kill Macbeth in man-to-man combat. At the play's end, he triumphantly carries Macbeth's severed head to Malcolm, the future king. Macduff is not a man of many words, but he is one of the few characters in the play whose absence or silence speaks as much for him as his words. When Macduff speaks, you listen, because it's a rarity and because it's generally sensible and genuine.
In Julius Caesar Brutus starts out as Caesar’s good friend. In the beginning of the play, Cassius asks Brutus if he wants Caesar to be king and he replies, “I would not, Cassius. Yet I love him well” (Act 1, Scene 2).This shows that he did care for Caesar and he respected him. However when he helped kill Caesar he lost Rome’s respect even though it was for the “good of the country”. This eventually leads to Brutus’ fearful death, his
Causes of Macbeth's Downfall Summary: In the play "Macbeth," both the witches and Lady Macbeth were responsible for Macbeth's downfall. Macbeth was at first a noble, loyal man who would never harm his king. However, the witches' foretelling gave Macbeth greater ambition and desire to become king himself, and Lady Macbeth's manipulation and insistence led him to commit the murders needed to fulfill this heightened ambition. Macbeth was a noble and loyal man, who would never harm his King. If it wasn't for the influences of the people surrounding him, he would have lived happily as Thane of Cawdor, an honourable title in itself.
Even his name expresses a lot about him. His name at the beginning of the book, Harry, makes people think of a common boy who is a nice person, but not powerful and grand. The name connotes immaturity and irresponsibility, simply telling us that a man with this name does not have the power to be a noble king. On the other hand, he changes his name to Henry, and this makes people think of a powerful, mature, responsible man who is independent and grand. It connotes authority, basically telling us that a man with this name has the ability to rule a country greatly.
In the beginning, Macbeth carries traits of strength, courage, nobility, and is admired highly as a good soldier, all the appropriate traits for a good king. Yet he has no chance of becoming king due to his position, or so he believes at the beginning of the play. Macbeth may seem a near perfect Thane initially but every person has his flaws and unfortunately Macbeth had several that eventually lead to his downfall. Macbeth’s moral cowardice is a one of his tragic flaws, as well as his overwhelming ambition and belief in superstition, Progressively throughout the play, these flaws consume his initial good qualities to the point where all that can be seen of him by the are his flaws. Macbeth is a character ready for