In the story MacBeth, many things change throughout the story.
The settings,clothing, and weather are just some of the noticeable changes that the readersees during the story. One of the most noticeable changes that the reader seesas the story goes along, is the change in the characters actions, opinions, andattitudes. The characters change due to what has happened around them and whathas been said to them. MacBeth changes in his actions and his attitudethroughout the story.
In the beginning of the play, MacBeth is content with hisstatus. He is the Thane of Glames. He has a great reputation among his peers andhis followers. He has many friends, including a good friend named Banquo.
He isa loyal subject to the King and he would do nothing to displease him. The Kingactually holds MacBeth with high regard, as he is about to proclaim him theThane of Cawdor. He would fight and die for the King. He is happily married tohis wife Lady MacBeth, who is sane at the time and they live their lives simplyand happily. As MacBeth and his good friend Banquo are returning from a battlewhich they have won they come across three witches.
The witches tell MacBeth andBanquo about their destinies. MacBeths destiny is to become the Thane ofCawdor and later become the King. Banquos fate is to have his sons becomeKings. This is where MacBeth becomes corrupted by his own ambition.
Thewitches prophecies make MacBeth wonder about the future. He thinks about what itwould be like to be King but he does not plan to take any action on it. Banquo,on the other hand, realizes that the witches prophecies must be hiding a trickbut MacBeth is ignorant and refuses to accept that. Banquo decides not to trychange fate and he lets nature take its course. MacBeth and his partner incrime, Lady MacBeth, try to change the future by going on a bloody and savagemurder spree. The try to change natures course.
After hearing about his possiblefuture, he is startled when he come along MacDuff on his journey home. MacDufftalks to MacBeth and presents him with the name, the Thane of Cawdor. MacBeth isstarting to realize that the witches prophecies may have not have been bogus. Heonce again is wondering about what it would like to be King. His change incharacter is starting to become more apparent as he is pondering about owningthe throne. His thoughts are becoming corrupted by the thought of becoming King.
Lady MacBeth does not help the situation. As MacBeth was a little ambitious atfirst, he is still not thinking about killing the King. Lady MacBethsambition of moving up socially far exceeds MacBeths. The thoughts of doingany immoral act to the King do not enter his mind until Lady MacBeth puts themthere. She keeps antagonizing MacBeth until he finally succumbs to her pressure.
Her once shy behavior has become cold-hearted and deceitful and MacBeth has beensucked into her game. King Duncan stays at MacBeths castle, while MacBeth andLady MacBeth plot the Kings death. As MacBeth is going to kill the king, heis still a little hesitant, as he still has a little compassion and decency inhis heart. The killing of King Duncan is when MacBeth loses any feeling in hisheart and he will stop at nothing to be and stay King. All through the play thereaders notice MacBeths character change not just the way he thinks and whatthe reader hears from the play, but from the actions that MacBeth takes duringthe play.
MacBeths character totally changes when he kills his good friendBanquo and attempts to kill his son. He has Lady MacDuff and her childrenmurdered to get under MacDuffs skin. These actions show MacBethsinsecurity while being King. After the Murder of King Duncan, MacBeth becomesparanoid and his first step of killing the guards is one of many that MacBethtakes to secure himself. This act also shows the cold-heartedness of MacBeth, ashe has to innocent mens heads cut off for his own benefit.
MacBeth is alsovery superstitious and this is also shown when he believes the prophecy thewitches told him that Banquos offspring would become kings. This is why heattempts to murder Banquos son. Towards the end of the play when Lady MacBethhas died and the battle against MacBeth is reaching an end, MacBeth shows alittle decency in his heart. He wishes that he could live a normal life. MacBethsays that if he could lived a normal life, he would have lived an honorable age. He realizes that he denied himself this opportunity and that he let his ambitionget the best of him.
He realizes that he will not be King forever and thatMacDuff is preparing to kill him. The witches prophecies have tricked MacBethinto thinking that he was invincible and that no one could stop him. Thatreality is halted when MacDuff kills him in a fight to the death. MacBethchanged from an honest and decent man to a cold-hearted killer. His characterhad many sides to it.
He was strong physically and very weak mentally. Hisweakness caused his downfall, which eventually led to his death. Lad MacBethsambition also took control of her. She led MacBeth into going on a killingspree.
MacBeths faith in the witches and his ambition in life is whatultimately changed him and led him to his miserable and wretched death.Bibliographyhttp://www.cyberessays.com/English/142.htm http://www.clicknotes.com/macbethhttp://www.homeworkhelper/notes/macbeth http://www.english/literature/macbethShakespeare
