Macbeth: Hero or Villain?

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MACBETH: HERO OR VILLAIN? 1- Shakespeare wrote this play taking in mind current affairs at the time in 1603-1606. This is the time when Scottish king, James I, was given the English crown. This king was obsessed with witches, so Shakespeare brought this theme strongly into the play (the play starts with the appearance of three witches). All happens in a chaotic time (the reign of James I of England), so "Macbeth" shows as a Jacobean play, describing a period of England history. 2- I think Shakespeare wants to show us “how a human can change depending of the circumstances around him”, “how the morale of a person can change” and “how a human can go from being a hero to a villain”. For all this, it’s very interesting to see how Macbeth’s character changes throughout the course of the play. 3- At the opening of the play, in Act 1 Scene 1, appear three witches who say: “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. With this alliteration used by Shakespeare, we note the paradoxical formula which summaries Macbeth’s world and also the character of the protagonist; Macbeth is both "foul and fair", both "villain and heroic". 4- From the beginning of the play, Macbeth demonstrates a fair amount of heroism, winning the battle against the rebel Macdonwald and the invading Norwegian king. Macbeth has fought bravely and courageously in the service of his king. We hear about Macbeth even before we meet him, in Act 1 Scene 1, when the third witch says: "there to meet with Macbeth". In the scene with the captain, we hear that Macbeth is like a hero and is faithful to his king (Act 1 Scene 1.. Duncan: "O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman"). 5- The first of the witches' prophecies bring out his ambitious nature. When Macbeth realizes that he is Thane of Cawdor, after conversation with Angus and Ross, he starts thinking about to be king, (Act 1 Scene 3 (aside)... “Glamis and Thane of Cawdor:

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