What opinions of you formed of Macbeth in Act I

A detailed Summary of What opinions of you formed of Macbeth in Act I


During Act 1, the audience is presented with many views of Macbeth and it is difficult to decide whether he is good or bad. Macbeth is a complex character and it is too difficult to decide whether Macbeth is simply good or bad; the question has to be looked at in more detail.

Macbeth is introduced to the audience as the Thane of Glamis; soon afterwards he becomes Thane of Cawdor due to his help in the battle against the Norweigians, as he is a member of the Scottish army. Macbeth is the King's kinsman as well and is therefore in line to the throne, though this is only a distant claim. He is clearly important as he is summoned to the King's court and the King then stays a night at Macbeth's castle.

At the start of the play, Macbeth is revealed as a brave and courageous fighter. The Captain tells the King (Duncan) about Macbeth's bravery in battle:

"For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)

The King, who clearly already has an high opinion of Macbeth, describes him as a "valiant cousino and a "worthy gentlemano, and he shows he respect for Macbeth by awarding him the title Thane of Cawdor. At this moment, Macbeth is seen to be loyal to the King by fighting for him,


One of Macbeth's most important qualities is his ambition and determination. Once he has decided, he does not deviate, and each step subsequently re-affirms his initial choice. For example, when Macbeth hears the prophecies of the witches, his ambition from then on is to become King and do whatever it takes to become so. Macbeth's ambition fuels this determination to succeed and with this goes a violent and ruthless nature. One of the tragedies of the play is that Macbeth's ambition, which could have been put to many good uses, is used to make evil.

Macbeth's determination to kill the king shows a reckless and greedy lust for power. It is possible that the King could have made him more directly in line of the throne as a reward, as Duncan told Macbeth that the Cawdor title was "in earnest of a greater honouro.

This episode show that Macbeth is too eager to please other people - he needs Lady Macbeth to love him and cannot cope when she mentions "green and paleo and tells him that "such I account thy loveo if he cannot kill Duncan. One of the reasons that Macbeth gives himself for not killing Duncan is that he has recently bought "golden opinions [of him] from all sorts of peopleo.

Another good point for Macbeth is the trust he places in his wife, in an age where women were almost invariably thought as inferior to men. He is prepared to share all his secrets, since he tells her everything he has seen with the witches in his letter to her. This also shows Macbeth's absolute trust in his wife, for such a letter could have been considered treasonous and led to Macbeth's death. Lady Macbeth is addressed in the letter as "my dearest partner of gre

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lady Macbeth, Macbeth Banquo, Thane Cawdor, Banquo Indeed, Macbeth Cawdor, Macbeth King's, Duncan Macbeth's, , King Outside, Macbeth King, lady macbeth, easily won evil, macbeth describes, respect macbeth, bloodthirsty warrior, thane cawdor, trust wife, won evil, easily won, line throne, killing king,

Approximate Word count = 1118
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

join now Save Paper



Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.