Macbeth

At the beginning Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a sort of hero. He is presented as a great warrior and loyal servant of the king, Duncan. However, as we progress through the play we see another side of Macbeth. This is the side of evil all powered by his unstoppable lust for power and greatness. We see this lust for power become stronger and stronger until he leaves the whole of Scotland in a terrible state.

The play starts with the witches talking about Macbeth and what a great warrior he is. In Shakespeare’s time witches were thought of as evil and the fact that they were talking about Macbeth made the audience make the connection between Macbeth and evil. The witches also give the audience the setting of the play and the story so far. They tell the audience about the battle in which Macbeth is fighting and that they will meet Macbeth on his return.

When the king hears of Macbeth’s heroics in battle he is very pleased and refers to him as “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.” The king also presents Macbeth with the title of the Thane of Cawdor. This just adds to Macbeths already great status and shows him to be even more of a hero. This is backed up again by the sergeant who refers to him as “brave Macbeth” and “Valour’s mi

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On confronting Macduff, Macbeth learns that he was “untimely ripp’d” from his mother’s womb. Macbeth’s uncertainty about his future is shown when Macbeth resolves to get Macduff killed. ” This event causes Macbeth to go and search for the witches to learn about his future. In this scene Macbeth reveals how he regards his present state and he decided to continue along the path of evil. ”

Macbeth writes home telling his wife, Lady Macbeth about the witches’ prophecies. Macbeth dies a soldier’s death at the hands of Macduff and Malcolm becomes the new king of Scotland.

When the messengers arrive with the news that Macbeth has earned the title of Thane of Cawdor this acts as a catalyst in his lust for power and quest to become king. ”

Scotland under Macbeth was by now a very unhappy place and opposition to Macbeth was growing. He imagines a dagger in front of him showing him the way to Duncan’s chamber, which suggests he is uneasy about the prospect of killing the king. “Bloody instructions, which being taught, return to plague the inventor. The first words Macbeth speaks, “So fair and foul a day I ne’er have seen” mirror the first words we hear from the witches. He needs this security and shows it by saying “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. When Macbeth meets the witches they seem to know a lot about him and start implanting the idea of becoming king in his mind. On hearing that Macduff has fled to England, Macbeth decides to have his whole family killed instead, showing how cruel a tyrant he has become.

Approximate Word count = 1559
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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