Explore Macbeth’s Downfall. Gcse
Explore Macbeth’s downfall.
How do Macbeth’s relationships with two other characters show how he changes from ‘Nobel Thane’ to ‘Dead Butcher’
Macbeth is firstly a soldier. At the beginning of the play he is shown fighting the Norwegians. The sergeant reports to King Duncan ‘Brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name’ he then says that Macbeth has ‘unseamed’ Macdonwald ‘from knave to chops’ and placed his head on the battlement. From this we can tell that Macbeth is a violent and aggressive warrior, however, Duncan says ‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen’. Macbeth is well thought of. By the end of the play Macbeth has changed status and is king. However, unlike Duncan he is not gracious or kind; he has become wrapt up in his newfound power and lacks ability to govern the country. He has become inhuman and so lacks compassion and he could not react, even to his wife’s death. Ultimately, Macbeth ends up in the same sorry state as Macdonwald – beheaded. In this essay I will look at how this change happens in Macbeth through his relationships with Lady Macbeth and the Witches.
At the beginning Macbeth outwardly looks strong and not the sort of man to be swayed by three evil beings. He has status he is not a nobody, he is already a thane. However, the Witches prophecy that he will become Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland lights a spark of ambition and greed for greater power. The audience of today often have mixed feelings about the use of the witches. However, the audience that Shakespeare was writing for believed in witches and was very scared of them. Through his use of the
How do Macbeth’s relationships with two other characters show how he changes from ‘Nobel Thane’ to ‘Dead Butcher’
Macbeth is firstly a soldier. At the beginning of the play he is shown fighting the Norwegians. The sergeant reports to King Duncan ‘Brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name’ he then says that Macbeth has ‘unseamed’ Macdonwald ‘from knave to chops’ and placed his head on the battlement. From this we can tell that Macbeth is a violent and aggressive warrior, however, Duncan says ‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen’. Macbeth is well thought of. By the end of the play Macbeth has changed status and is king. However, unlike Duncan he is not gracious or kind; he has become wrapt up in his newfound power and lacks ability to govern the country. He has become inhuman and so lacks compassion and he could not react, even to his wife’s death. Ultimately, Macbeth ends up in the same sorry state as Macdonwald – beheaded. In this essay I will look at how this change happens in Macbeth through his relationships with Lady Macbeth and the Witches.
At the beginning Macbeth outwardly looks strong and not the sort of man to be swayed by three evil beings. He has status he is not a nobody, he is already a thane. However, the Witches prophecy that he will become Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland lights a spark of ambition and greed for greater power. The audience of today often have mixed feelings about the use of the witches. However, the audience that Shakespeare was writing for believed in witches and was very scared of them. Through his use of the