FREE ESSAY ON MACBETH

MACBETH

The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are
many factors which contribute to the degeneration of Macbeth of which three will be
discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth's degeneration are the
prophecy which was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth influenced and
manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's long time ambition which drove his
desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character degenerates from a noble man to violent
individual.
The prophecies which were told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed
to the degeneration of his character. If it had not been for the witches telling him that
he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still
be his ordinary self. As a result of the prophecies, this aroused Macbeth's curiosity of
how he could be King of Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the
witches prophecies. Shakespeare uses the witches as a remedy for Macbeth's curiosity
which corrupts his character.
The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his degeneration of
character. Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable
person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady
Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This proves
that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an important role in
this play because she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan.
After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later regrets on his wrong doing. At the point
of this play the audience can note the change in Macbeth's character. Macbeth's first
murder was a trying experience for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to
be the only solution to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Therefore, it was
Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth.
Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character. However, Macbeth's ambition
had not been strong enough to carry the motive to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth's
influence also comes in to play because if not for Lady Macbeth, his ambition would not
have been intensified enough to drive him to obtain and maintain his title of King of
Scotland no matter what it took, even if it meant murdering. Macbeth's ambition
influenced the cause of his new character. This new character of Macbeth contained greed,
violence, and power hunger. Macbeth shows this when he kills King Duncan.
In conclusion, the prophecies given to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth's influence and
plan, and his intensified ambition, all contributed greatly to his degeneration of
character which resulted to his downfall...death. Therefore Macbeth character displays
strong signs of a tragic hero, making him the ideal classic example.