The Character of Macbeth

The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are many factors which contribute to the falling apart of Macbeth of which three will be discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth's collapse are the prophecy which was told to him by the three witches , how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment , and finally Macbeth's long time ambition which drove his desire to   become king. Macbeth's growing character falls apart from a respected and loving man to a violent and hated person.

          The prophecies which were told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed to the falling apart of his character. If it had not been for the witches telling him that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King here after, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. As a result of the prophecies, this awakened Macbeth's curiosity of how he could be King of Scotland. As the play moves on, Macbeth slowly have faith in the witches prophecies.

          The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his degeneration of character. Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an important role in this play because she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later regrets on his wrong doing. At the point of this play the audience can note the change in Macbeth's character. Macbeth's first murder was a trying experience for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth....