Introduction
The story of Macbeth was written by Shakespeare during the reign of King James. Macbeth’s analysis is infested with insatiable ambition and crime. He possessed some positive qualities at the starting of the play, within the sense that he was honorable, loyal and brave. His bravery was the reason he was given the assignment to defend king and country.
However, the prediction of the 3 Witches and the domineering influence and ambition Lady Macbeth led him to nurse evil wishes against the throne, which eventually makes him murder the king and ascend the throne. But he suffered for his action that a result because his life was filled with conflict and bloodshed. He is a very complex character. He was never really pleased with the actions he took, and they brought him anguish, sleeping disorder and hallucinations. And it surprising that Shakespeare used the witches to highlight Macbeth’s character flaw even at a time when they were being hunted and executed by King James.
Ambition
Macbeth had some noble qualities and some flaws. What truly fired his ambition was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the 3 witches that he will be made Thane of Cawdor. He was actually a villain, and he was not virtuous either. Because lacked moral integrity he was easily driven by ambition, greed, and loyalty to his spouse, and tempted to commit murder to fulfill that insatiable ambition.
The 3 witches is a symbol of his ambition. And that they helped in him in actualizing his thoughts, because as the thought of murdering king had occurred to him before, for example, this quote ‘’What beast was then that made you break this enterprise to me,’’ proof the acceptance of his ambition. Macbeth had the belief that he will be crowned king just exactly the way king made him Thane of Cawdor, but from the very time when Malcolm was named the king successor, he decided to murder the king to achieve his aim.
The actual Macbeth
- THE REAL MACBETH: In all that he did, he proved that his place was in battle, rather than the intrigues and politics that surrounded the throne. Macbeth was a powerful man, but he greatly lacked in the basic skills needed to rule. Macbeth character analysis essay shows that due to his tyrant nature he was prone to respond to every situation and the problem with murder and violence, instead of diplomacy that is greatly needed to rule. He was a man suited for the battlefield, his strength and powers as an army general made him win battles.
Despite how powerful and brave he was, he was unable to bear the outcomes which followed his numerous atrocities. When the 3 witches predicted that he will be king, it brought him great happiness, and at the same time inner conflict. Throughout the story, Macbeth was troubled with self-doubt. Macbeth’s character is unique in the sense that though he was considered powerful, strong and brave, but he almost aborted the act killing of the king due to worry, but for Lady’s Macbeth strong influence made him go ahead to kill the king.
Lack of moral integrity
- CHARACTER FLAWS: Macbeth’s character analysis shows that due to his ambition, his morals plummeted very low, that even some of his adversaries have this to say about him ‘’Who then shall blame his pester’d sense to recoil and start when all that is within him does condemn itself for being there.? He lacked compassion for other people, his only care was what people would think about him. The 3 Witches prophecies only helped to wake up the lack of morality in him. As the play progresses, his character flaws overshadowed the other good qualities he had at the beginning.
The initial perception that he is a brave and powerful soldier is diminished by the fact that he was highly influenced and manipulated by Lady Macbeth. He showed great strength and courage at the beginning of the play but succumbed to his wife’s questioning of his bravery and masculinity. He is an intriguing character that is completely filled with contradictions. He possessed virtue at the beginning of the play but lacked the moral integrity to realize that he was being coerced by his wife and resist the desire for power.
Motivated by superstition
- Macbeth is a brave and courageous general, but lack of moral integrity made it easy for him to be motivated by superstition. These superstitions haunted him and fueled his ambition, and turned him into a moral coward. His strong and powerful imagination was what actually led him to be susceptible to superstition. The superstition made him a victim to the influence of the 3 witches, but in the play, we saw that his friend Banquo doubted their predictions and credibility.
He lost is heroic status and turned to a villain because he believed the predictions of the witches. The superstition pushed him to the point that he forgot his conscience and considered murder as the only option. When he made the statement ‘’I go, and it is done. The bell invites me.’’ It proves that he has accepted the power of the witches over his destiny. His belief in superstition led him to believe that an act of murder was the only way to achieve his ambition.
