Macbeth
Is it possible for a human being to be overtaken by evil, but then take over evil himself? That is what happens to the honorable man who turns into an evil tyrant in Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this tale of good to evil, Macbeth hears of a prophecy from three apprehensive witches. The witches foretell that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. After Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor, he then tries to fulfill this prophecy by killing the king. After that step, Macbeth continues to take a mental downfall. Throughout this play, Macbeth changes from a trustworthy noble to a sinister tyrant. Macbeth makes his transition by going from a dignified warrior to a bloodthirsty king, being influenced to face the darkness by Lady Macbeth, and he kills his own king, Duncan. Macbeth goes through these changes from a trustworthy man to a cold-blooded killer in several stages. While Macbeth is at war fighting for his country, a messenger goes to Duncan to explain this new hero, Macbeth. The messenger goes on to say, "For a brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)/ . . . with his brandished steel, / Like valor's minion, carved out his passage/ Till he faced the slave" (I:ii:18-22). The messe
nger explains how Macbeth fought for his land and killed the enemy for good causes. This makes one believe that Macbeth is a typical brave soldier. Then Macbeth hears of this prophecy and develops meticulous thoughts of killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth then helps him make his final decision to kill the king. After Macbeth completes the malevolent deed of killing Duncan, he gets a taste for it. This leads him to plot the deaths of his good friends Banquo and Macduff. His people soon realize the tyrant they have for a king. While Macduff visits Malcolm, he says, "Not in the legions/ Of horrid hell can come a devil more damned/ In evils to top Macbeth" (IV:iii:67-69). Macduff's statement about Macbeth proves how sinful Macbeth has become. They plan to take back their glorious land from the man who unlawfully betrayed it. Not only does Macbeth's change from good to bad affect him, but also the influence Lady Macbeth has on him. Macbeth goes through one of his last alterations when he prepares to, and actually kills Duncan. After Duncan is asleep at Macbeth's castle, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth get ready for Duncan's "last night." However, Macbeth starts to see things that will lead up to him becoming out of his mind. While talking to an illusion he sees, Macbeth says, "Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand?" (II:i:44-45). This dagger symbolizes what Macbeth is about to do. He is obviously being overtaken by his conscience, which tries to win the last battle for his sanity. After Macbeth does the enormousl
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Approximate Word count = 1034
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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