Is Macbeth a victim or a villain? Who or what is to blame for his downfall?
‘Macbeth’, William Shakespeare’s 1606 play, follows the violent doings of Macbeth, an exceptionally ambitious 11th century Scottish Thane in pursuit of the throne, and his resulting degression into a tyrannical and violent dictator. Though Macbeth is initially depicted as a heroic and law-abiding figure, his flaws - ambitious, impressionable and with a tendency to violence - make him weak to the manipulation of the witches and Lady Macbeth. However, he is far from a victim - it is his violent actions alone which lead him to become a villain.
Macbeth does not begin as a villain but, being an ambitious and impressionable man with a penchant for violence, certainly possesses …show more content…
Even after hearing the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth is unwilling to act on his ambition by murdering King Duncan. In a state of near-panic hours before Duncan is to be killed, he stands vacillating over whether to go ahead or not. He mutters, ‘Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek… I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other.’ (1.7.17-28), meaning Duncan has been very calm and controlled with his powers, and that he has no reason to kill Duncan aside from his reckless ambition. At this moment, Lady Macbeth uses her mastery of emotional manipulation to convince him to kill Duncan. She argues, ‘What beast was’t then that made you break this enterprise’ - promise - ‘to me?’, (1.7.48) using the metaphor ‘beast’ to imply that Macbeth’s decision is as illogical as a beast’s, who relies on instinct over intellect. She then quips, ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man.’, attacking Macbeth’s masculine pride by implying he is no longer a man now that he does not dare to act, then, ‘And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.’, meaning if he moves up from Thane of Cawdor to the King, he will be much more of a man. At the end of Lady Macbeth’s wily speech, Macbeth is convinced he must now kill Duncan. Macbeth, who was on the verge of letting Duncan go, crosses the path of no return by murdering him in his sleep in his first act of villainy. From here onwards, Macbeth begins to act ruthlessly and independently on his ambitions of his own accord. In a conversation with Lady Macbeth before a dinner with his guests, Macbeth hints of his plans to kill Banquo and Fleance, his son, who are also potential threats to his throne. Lady Macbeth asks what is to happen, to which he responds, ‘be innocent of the knowledge,
‘Macbeth’, William Shakespeare’s 1606 play, follows the violent doings of Macbeth, an exceptionally ambitious 11th century Scottish Thane in pursuit of the throne, and his resulting degression into a tyrannical and violent dictator. Though Macbeth is initially depicted as a heroic and law-abiding figure, his flaws - ambitious, impressionable and with a tendency to violence - make him weak to the manipulation of the witches and Lady Macbeth. However, he is far from a victim - it is his violent actions alone which lead him to become a villain.
Macbeth does not begin as a villain but, being an ambitious and impressionable man with a penchant for violence, certainly possesses …show more content…
Even after hearing the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth is unwilling to act on his ambition by murdering King Duncan. In a state of near-panic hours before Duncan is to be killed, he stands vacillating over whether to go ahead or not. He mutters, ‘Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek… I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other.’ (1.7.17-28), meaning Duncan has been very calm and controlled with his powers, and that he has no reason to kill Duncan aside from his reckless ambition. At this moment, Lady Macbeth uses her mastery of emotional manipulation to convince him to kill Duncan. She argues, ‘What beast was’t then that made you break this enterprise’ - promise - ‘to me?’, (1.7.48) using the metaphor ‘beast’ to imply that Macbeth’s decision is as illogical as a beast’s, who relies on instinct over intellect. She then quips, ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man.’, attacking Macbeth’s masculine pride by implying he is no longer a man now that he does not dare to act, then, ‘And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.’, meaning if he moves up from Thane of Cawdor to the King, he will be much more of a man. At the end of Lady Macbeth’s wily speech, Macbeth is convinced he must now kill Duncan. Macbeth, who was on the verge of letting Duncan go, crosses the path of no return by murdering him in his sleep in his first act of villainy. From here onwards, Macbeth begins to act ruthlessly and independently on his ambitions of his own accord. In a conversation with Lady Macbeth before a dinner with his guests, Macbeth hints of his plans to kill Banquo and Fleance, his son, who are also potential threats to his throne. Lady Macbeth asks what is to happen, to which he responds, ‘be innocent of the knowledge,