What Is Macbeth's Fatal Flaw
How does Shakespeare present Macbeth to the audience? Is he portrayed as a hated tyrant or a tragic hero?
A tragic hero is a person with good morals in a dramatic tragedy and is seen as an of import figure just is destined for a downfall or defeat because of their tragic flaws. In my stance, this describes Macbeth perfectly and therefore I volition be arguing that Macbeth is a tragic hero rather than a hated tyrant.
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In that location are several ways that the play can be interpreted, with Macbeth either beingness an innocent and noble person who is led astray by others due to his own personality flaw, or that he is evil from the beginning and uses the witches' prophecies every bit an excuse to conduct in the fashion that he does. Macbeth's tragic flaw is his ambition and the fact he can be easily influence.
The deception of outside forces such as Lady Macbeth significantly develop these flaws which allows the audience to sympathize with Macbeth as some might argue that his downfall was generated past others. At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth equally a practiced and noble character who is loyal to the Male monarch.
This can be seen when the Captain states 'For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name' (act 1, scene 2) and implies that the characters in the play retrieve very highly of Macbeth. The descriptions of Macbeth during the battle reinforce this point as demonstrated by the Captain's description of Macbeth and Banquo on the battle field: 'As cannons over charged with double cracks so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe'.
The quotation suggests that Macbeth fought in the battle with true strength of grapheme and likewise proves his loyalty to the King and Scotland because he prepared to dice for king and state. His heroic and courageous nature is further evidenced by the fact that the King rewards him with the championship Thane of Cawdor: 'What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won'. Additionally, Macbeth's circumvolve of acquaintances consists of Banquo, Ross and other Thanes.
They are all considered noble people and held the Kings blessing which reinforces the idea that Macbeth'south grapheme is ane of honour and good morals. Lastly, his integrity is illustrated in his first reaction to the witches' prophecy when he declares and to be Male monarch stands not within the prospect of belief'.
This proves that Macbeth wasn't ambitious nearly being Male monarch at the beginning of the play and that he had a clear conscience and he was happy with his position of Thane of Glamis. In my stance, the outside forces in the play such as Lady Macbeth and the witches (supernatural) encouraged Macbeth to do wrong and significantly develop his tragic flaws. Throughout the play Shakespeare develops this theme making us question whether he is following his own path or being influenced by evil forces.
In Act one, scene 3, the witches' trigger Macbeth's ambition with their prophecy. This is evidenced in the quotation 'This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be expert', highlights that Macbeth doesn't dismiss the witches' prophecy as he should if he were truly loyal to the king, and that he can be easily persuaded to exercise wrong for his own gain.
Another example of this is in Act 5, Scene 6, when the witches predict that Macbeth shall rule as long as Birnam Wood never reaches his castle. In Macbeth's eyes, this is an impossibility and he allows himself to exist persuaded that he will remain Rex as he begins to believe that he's indestructible.
Shakespeare uses strong visual imagery to show how evil forces fox Macbeth to follow the wrong path and forget about own morals. Shakespeare uses language and scenery as a technique to link Macbeth with evil forces and potential lack of integrity. The beginning of the play starts with thunder and lightning significant that the audience instantly associate Macbeth with evil and the witches country 'Fair is foul, foul is off-white'. This is linguistic communication which Macbeth then mirrors past maxim 'So foul and off-white a day I have not seen'. He too develops this through the use of the theme low-cal and dark equally light represents goodness and dark represents evil.
For example, the witches are described as 'instruments of darkness' and when Macbeth's ambition starts to ascension and he realises how evil his intentions are becoming he cries 'stars hide your fires, permit not light see my dark and deep desires.' Additionally, Shakespeare highlights Macbeth's lack of morals by contrasting his reactions with the grapheme of Banquo. He uses Banquo to convey the path that Macbeth should be taking for case the differences in how he and Macbeth react to the prophecies of the weird sisters.
Banquo says 'and oftentimes to win u.s.a. to our impairment. The instruments of darkness tell us truths' showing that he is suspicious and knows the witches should non exist trusted. Macbeth immediately starts to think nigh being King. He should have waited for fate to pb him to his destiny rather than stepping in and making information technology for himself. Shakespeare highlights Macbeth equally a tragic hero past showing his reluctance to kill Duncan and his guilt once he has done it.
His soliloquy 'is this a dagger which I see before me 'shows Macbeth struggling with his censor. This is a fundamental theme in the play, appearance and reality are starting to blur, showing his moral conflict and emotional turmoil. I believe this proves Macbeth not to be a natural villain.
The audition would have little sympathy for Macbeth if it wasn't for his soliloquy's showing us the how much he united states struggling in his mind and his heart. In this instance, Macbeth is tormented past guilt. Shakespeare has the murder happen offstage and then that he can focus on Macbeth's tormented mental state.
Macbeth'due south guilt is additionally emphasized when he is unable to country 'Amen'equally he's also ashamed to speak with god after committing murder. All these points allow the audience to understand with Macbeth as they encounter his struggles and good qualities and reinforces the fact that he notwithstanding has integrity at this point in the play.
Shakespeare farther personifies Macbeth'due south guilt with brilliant images, for example the references to claret, the vision of the dagger and Banquo's ghost. Before killing the Rex, Macbeth imagines a bloody dagger. The blood roofing the dagger represents Macbeth's guilty conscience. Blood is used throughout he play as a striking image of Macbeth's guilt equally after he believes his offense to be then wicked that the blood he has spilt will make "the multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one cherry".
Shakespeare too uses similes such as 'I had else been perfect, whole as the marble, founded as the rock'to convey strong images of how Macbeth feels he is weakening. Shakespeare also personifies Macbeth'southward guilt through the use of Banquo'due south ghost, showing that his anxieties are getting the better of him.
His mental land is condign unbalanced equally he talks to himself in front of his guests. Shakespeare uses alliteration to emphasise how tense he has become, only at present I am cabined, cribbed, confined'. All of these techniques help the audience to come across Macbeths struggles and that he is non simply an evil tyrant from the showtime.
With regard to the exterior forces within the play, Lady Macbeth is one of the nigh pregnant influences on Macbeth every bit she uses all of her passion and strength of graphic symbol to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan. Shakespeare portrays her character as far more ambitious and evil than Macbeth. 'I have given suck and know ....... And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn equally you lot take done this'.
The image of a mother murdering her innocent kid emphasises how evil she is. Ane of the primal means she persuades him to murder Duncan is to insult his manhood every bit is highlighted here: 'When y'all durst do it, and then you were a man'. She likewise suggests regularly that she is stronger that her husband as proven in this quotation "My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a middle so white".
Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to go more mendacious, the following metaphor highlights this: "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't". The brute imagery also implies Lady Macbeth's barbarous and forceful character. Shakespeare develops Macbeth'south character deterioration into a hated tyrant through the manner he reverses Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's roles. At the kickoff of the play Lady Macbeth shows us that Macbeth isn't naturally evil "thy nature is likewise full of the milk of homo kindness' equally she questions his ability to kill Duncan.
Throughout Duncan'south murder, Lady Macbeth is the 1 who sees violence every bit the respond and information technology is she who comes up with the murder scheme, while her hubby is racked with so much guilt and indecision that he doesn't think he'll ever permit himself to sleep again later committing murder, equally suggested here: "Glamis hath murdered slumber, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more than.
Macbeth shall sleep no more than". Withal, once Macbeth assumes ability every bit Rex and starts to see the success his deportment bring, he begins plotting murder confronting Banquo's and Macduff'southward family without consulting his wife at all which signifies a growth of force in Macbeth's character as he no longer needs the input of his married woman.
The swopping of roles can be proven when Macbeth says to his wife in act 3, scene ii: 'And make our faces vizards to our hearts, disguising what they are', equally before information technology was Lady Macbeth who told her married man to disguise his true intentions. By Act 3, Scene 4 Lady Macbeth and Macbeth never appear on stage at the same time.
This signifies that Macbeth is at present acting on his own. As well, by the terminal act of the play Lady Macbeth is the ane who is walking in a daze, seeing visions, and racked with guilt just as Macbeth was following the murder of Duncan equally proven when she cries 'Out, damned spot! Out, I say!' whiles mentally trying to scrub invisible blood from her hands.
Eventually, the outside forces combined with the fact that Macbeth is easily influenced lead to Macbeth's ambition consuming him. Throughout Act 5, Macbeth is ever referred to asa tyrant by the other characters in the play as shown when Malcom cries: 'This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, was in one case thought honest'. Even so, the principal issue that changes the audition'south view of Macbeth is the murdering of Macduff'south family.
The senseless murder portrays Macbeth to be a hated tyrant as he's willing to impale anyone in order to maintain his ambition. Macbeth's loyalty to Scotland is replaced with images of him causing death and disease beyond the land, something which he recognises himself 'the water of my country fill her disease, and purge it with a audio and pristine health.' At the end of the play, Shakespeare uses fauna imagery to portray Macbeth as evil and inhuman.
Macduff states 'Turn hell hound, turn!', symbolizing Macbeth's consummate character deterioration. To conclude, I believe Macbeth to be a tragic hero as he owns several good qualities and is lead to his downfall as a consequence of his tragic flaws and the deceptions of outside forces. Shakespeare reminds the audience in Scene 7 and 8 of Act 5 of all of Macbeth's good qualities and tragic flaws when Macbeth tells Macduff 'Only get thee back, my soul is as well much charged with claret of thine already.'
The quotation implies that Macbeth feels guilty near the many lives he has taken and refuses to accept some other, meaning that fifty-fifty later on all the terror caused past Macbeth the audience tin can still empathize with him at the stop of the play.
Lastly, the post-obit quotation reminds the audition that Macbeth is a great solider and that at the kickoff of the play he was seen as loyal to the Rex and a great homo: 'Still I will try the final. Before my body, I throw my state of war like shield.' All of struggles and suffering bear witness that he was a good man, ruined by his own flaws, ambition, pride, and an inability to concord onto his morals when others persuade his otherwise.
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