The Evil Transformation of Macbeth

A detailed Summary of The Evil Transformation of Macbeth

In the tragic drama Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 1606 during the English Renaissance, the hero, Macbeth, constantly declines in his level of morality until his death at the end of the play. Because of his change of character from good to evil, Macbeth's attitude towards other characters, specifically Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macbeth, and the witches, is significantly affected.

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" (1.3.134-136). In scene five of act one, 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" (1.5.17), and kill Duncan that night. On the other hand, as the time for murder co

Macbeth: "There's blood upon thy face.

mes nearer, he begins giving himself reasons not to murder Duncan. "First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself" (1.7.13-16).

Lady Macbeth, the third character, interacts with Macbeth a considerable amount and influences him greatly. He and his wife are dangerous because his ambition, combined with her bloodiness, can cause fatal situations. In Macbeth's letter to his wife, he calls her "my dearest partner of greatness" (1.5.10), and later, when he is talking to her in person, he calls her "My dearest love" (1.5.57). 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?" (5.5.7). He feels so little towards her that when he is informed that she has just died, he remarks that "She should have died hereafter" (5.5.17), meaning that she would have died anyway. His loss of feeling towards his wife most likely is caused by his distraction and present state of mind. 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.

The second of the four characters towards whom Macbeth's attitude changes is Banquo. Before he murders Duncan, Macbeth is a very close friend to Banquo, and they are almost alw

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Approximate Word count = 1232
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English