Sam Kulasa

Mrs. Wood

English 11A- 1st Hour

21 February 2016

Macbeth Characterization Essay

There can be no play without characters to tell the story. Shakespeare never shares with us any physical traits of Macbeth. He presents us with the psychological being of Macbeth and that is what we follow throughout the story. We are given an almost diagrammatic study in the fall of a man, both physical and psychological. We are enveloped with the wonder of how a man can go from “brave Macbeth”(1,i,16) to “dead butcher”(5,ix,36). Something that speaks to the complexity and dynamic nature of Macbeth’s character, analyzing him is a daunting task. Although Macbeth is loyal and fair from the start of the play, as the plot progresses, his personal flaws contribute to the absolute degeneration of his character.

The degeneration of Macbeth’s character can be attributed to his uncontrollable urge to attain and retain power. These emotions were let loose by the witches, when in Act 1, Scene 3 they were stumbled upon by Macbeth and Banquo. There they had prophesied that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland. With Macbeth’s reply of “so foul and fair a day I have not seen”(1,iii,40) it can be inferred that he didn’t take them seriously, or at least was trying to appear like he didn’t think much of it. However, once Macbeth was claimed the Thane of Cawdor, the thought of the prophecies of the witches being true completely espoused Macbeth, at that moment Macbeth’s over ambition for imperial power was let loose. He became solely focused on obtaining the position of king, which would involve killing king Duncan. Macbeth had hesitated at first, but eventually his ambitions took over and provided him with sufficient excuse to kill the King.

    Macbeth had now achieved his goal, being the King of Scotland. His urges should have diminished, but they didn't. Macbeth was now dead set on retaining his new power. He became paranoid and feared his once greatest friend Banquo, whose integrity and loyalty could allow him to avenge Duncan's death. Even though Banquo thought it was quite odd that Macbeth quickly acquired the titles the witches hailed him, he did not think Macbeth was capable of murdering Duncan. However, what really was bothering Macbeth was how Banquo's sons were prophesied to inherit the throne. Macbeth would do whatever he could to prevent anyone, even after his death, from taking the throne. He was not just satisfied with being king; he wanted to have his descendants share the title as well. In order to do so he had to kill anyone who was aligned for the throne. Including his best friend Banquo and his sons. Macbeth hires assassins to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, the assassins only killed Banquo while Fleance escaped. After learning of Fleance’s escape, Macbeth was obviously troubled , he says “Then comes my fit again. I had else been perfect,Whole as the marble, founded as the rock, As broad and general as the casing air. But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears”(3,iv, 22-26). At the dinner he was notified of this, he later saw the ghost of Banquo sitting at the table. This was the first time that we really saw the total perversion of Macbeth, not just in his decisions, but now his mental state. So much that he is seeing things and having mental breakdowns.

As Macbeth’s paranoia continues to grow about preserving his reign, he goes back to the witches to ask about his future. They tell him that he cannot be killed by any man born of woman, and that his reign will be safe unless the woods of Birnam comes to Dunsinane. When Macbeth hears this his confidence is raised even higher. Ironically these two guarantees would be exploited. Malcolm brings an army to defeat Macbeth, yet Macbeth was not concerned because he rested his trust on what the witches had said. Unfortunately for Macbeth, Malcolm’s soldier cut branches from the woods of Birnam in order to trick Macbeth’s men into thinking the invading army has greater numbers than they really do. When Macbeth sees that the woods have moved to Dunsinane he feels he had been cheated by the witches. Knowing the end is near, he remains calm, as the only thing he is concerned with is dying a brave and noble death in battle, and a battle is exactly what he would get when he was confronted by Macduff, a man not born of woman because his mother required a Cesarean section for him to be birthed, meaning Macbeth was vulnerable. He and Macduff fought until Macduff landed a fatal blow, ending Macbeth’s life and reign.

Although Macbeth is loyal and fair from the start of the play, as the plot progresses, his 
personal flaws contribute to the absolute degeneration of his character. His susceptibility to the witches and what they said ultimately led to his end. Macbeth was viewed a tragic hero, but we should ask ourselves if that's true. While he made deprived decisions that ultimately led to his defeat, he died a brave and noble death, like the soldier he once was. In the last few minutes of his life, Macbeth portrayed the man he once was, not the man he had become.