The first of the four characters is Duncan. Since Macbeth interacts with Duncan only a minimal amount before Duncan's death, Macbeth's attitude towards him changes very rapidly. Before Macbeth hears the witches' first prophecy, he is very close to Duncan, and would never even think of doing something against him. When the thought of murdering Duncan crosses his mind immediately after he finds that he has just been named Thane of Cawdor, he cannot believe he "yield[s] to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (I, iii, 133-35). In scene 5 of act 1, however, his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, but partly because of his wife's persuasion. He agrees that they must "catch the nearest way" (17), and kill Duncan that night. On the other hand, as

Macbeth starts out a heroic man of good doings, but his whole attitude completely changes because of the murders he commits. His relationships with many characters are broken or become weak. He starts trusting no one and hating - or killing - everyone. His wife may have started him on his killing streak, but he was the one to finish himself off. Macbeth got what he deserved.

Lady Macbeth, the third character, interacts with Macbeth a considerable amount, and influences him greatly. He and his wife as a pair is dangerous because his ambition combined with her bloodlines can cause fatal situations. In Macbeth's letter to his wife, he calls her "my dearest partner of greatness" (I, v, 8), and later, when he is talking to her in person, he calls her "My dearest love" (I, v, 54b). Shakespeare shows their close relationship until they have started falling into a state of near-despair after the murder of Banquo and Macduff's wife and son. At this point, they have started to separate a great deal. In act five, scene five, Macbeth hears the "cry of women" and not even noticing that it is a woman's cry, let alone that of his own wife, asks "What is that noise?" (7b). He feels so little towards her that when he is informed that she has just died, he remarks that "She should have died hereafter" (17), meaning that she would have died anyway. His distraction and present state of mind cause his loss of feeling towards his wife most likely. Had his mind been calm and relaxed, not distracted by anything, he probably would have reacted to this news with more feeling. However, his whole personality has changed, and perhaps death does not faze him any more because he has committed five murders since the beginning of the play.

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Approximate Word count = 1267
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)