The character of Macbeth

A detailed Summary of The character of Macbeth


The character of Macbeth was a classic example of a tragic hero. Though many factors contributed to the degeneration of Macbeth, the one that stuck out most was his uncontrollable urge to attain and retain power. His over ambitious desire to acquire power was let loose by the witches, with their prophecies of Macbeth becoming the Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland. At first Macbeth replied that such foreshadowing couldn't be taken seriously, because of the evil forces that lay behind them. However, when Macbeth was declared Thane of Cawdor, almost immediately after the witches' prophecies, he had private thoughts and ambitions that he could become King of Scotland. In an instant the witches had let loose Macbeth's over ambitious nature for imperial power. (An aside in I.iii.127-130 is a perfect example)

Now that Macbeth's uncontrollable desire to become king had surfaced, he became solely focused on obtaining


Macduff was now suspicious because everyone close to Macbeth became a victim to murder. He too thought it quite odd Macbeth could advance to the throne so quickly. His suspicions lead him to find Malcolm, Duncan's son who fled to England fearing his own life. Macduff planned on finding out who killed Duncan. Meanwhile Macbeth saw the witches' new prophecies, which warned him to beware of Macduff. Macbeth soon got word that Macduff fled to England to see Malcolm. Macbeth knew Malcolm and Macduff were planning an attack, so he instantly attacked Macduff's castle of Fife and put his family and household to the sword. Obviously Macbeth feared Macduff. His over ambitious desires to remain in power caused him to kill Macduff's family. When Macduff heard of his family's murder, he resolved to kill Macbeth at any cost. This turn of events showed that Macbeth's uncontrollable urge to attain and retain power caused his downfall.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 633
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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