Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Is Macbeth a Thoroughly Representative Character?

Good Essays
417 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Is Macbeth a Thoroughly Representative Character?
Is Macbeth a Thoroughly Representative Character?

Some critics may contend that Macbeth is not a thoroughly representative character, yet through a close observation and understanding of the drama, it can be seen that any rational human being, given the identical situation, would have undergone the exact thought process and taken equal actions as did Macbeth.
Macbeth was presented with a situation where he was forced to make an extreme decision. His driving ambition to become King of Scotland corrupted him and caused him to murder not only the king, but all those who had any ties to him.
People may say that Macbeth was insane for doing this, yet others will agree that the common character would have done the same. Given the situation, the ideal individual would have undergone the same alteration as did Macbeth. Presented with an equal degree an opportunity, one would have become very eager and anxious, thus carrying out the same criminal actions that Macbeth himself conveyed. A person, always eager to gain endowment, would jump at the chance to acquire that power as soon as possible, no matter what they had to do. This is the situation Macbeth was in. He was seeking the throne, and only wanted to find a faster way to obtain that authority, thus he killed, lied, and cheated his way to that place of honor. Readers may debate that Macbeth was indeed insane, thus leading the reader to believe that he was not representative of a typical human. This is true, yet any human can be insane, which further proves the validity that
Macbeth was a common individual. Perhaps driven to insanity, no evidence exists to say that Macbeth was not ordinary, which means that he was not in any way different from the rest of humanity. What he did in the drama was no different than what anyone would have done given the position Macbeth was in. Conceivably an individual may not have murdered and become so very evil, however one would surely have become eager to gain power and found some way to accelerate the process. Ultimately it is seen that Macbeth exhibited all the characteristics of a typical human, and showed no signs of being abnormal in any way. He was presented with a situation, and dealt with it as would any individual, confronting it in his own way, and striving for what he wanted. He was perhaps insane, however that does not make him any less representative of a common
person.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The enormous favours that he heaped on them at the beginning of his reign has a political purpose…

    • 333 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Enhance his reputation and ambition. Comparisons with other great warrior Kings eg. Henry V.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    macbeth vs oedipus

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages

    defending the throne by killing the rebels, he is also a good fighter (why he is…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    fight for the other side, in the end he is executed and the position is giving to Macbeth. In…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    attempt at rebellion to overthrow him which failed. This led him to be suspicious and distrustful of…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page

    Even now knowing that MacDuff and an entire army is on their way to storm his castle, Macbeth refuses to flee. Soon you will find out what will happen to Macbeth and what his downfall will be. “Why should I play the roman fool and die on mine own sword?” (V. VIII.1-2) this means that Macbeth is saying was the point in me fighting Macduff because he already killed his whole family why would MacDuff be any more different. In a turn of events MacDuff kills and beheading Macbeth in order to end his rule as king and get revenge for Macbeth having his family…

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Unorganised Doc.

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Greed for power and other benefits lead to surpass his honour, and in order to achieve them he even cooperated with the enemy of his people for his personal goal.…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many factors that can drive a person to commit a heinous crime, jealousy and fear being the two biggest factors that apply. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth depicts a murderous villain whose body count is on the rise due to Macbeth’s dissatisfaction with his place in life. Banquo’s murder reeks of jealousy and of Macbeth’s quest to secure the crown for himself. The witches instill doubts into Macbeth’s mind luring him into killing his best friend just because he felt threatened by his best friend’s kingly qualities. With the killing of Banquo, Macbeth loses all his conscience and becomes an assassin that turns killing into a game. Macbeth’s killing spree can only stop once he has been vanquished. Macbeth will never be able to…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In many great pieces of literature, secondary characters play important roles in developing the main character and the story’s themes. In William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, the author uses many different secondary characters to develop Macbeth’s and the play’s themes. This will be shown through the analysis of three secondary characters: Duncan, Macduff and the Weird Sisters.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth True Character

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One’s true character traits can be hard to read. In the case of one’s ambition and his or her movement of power in the hierarchy, one’s instinctive choices show their true character traits. Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, produced by George Lucas and Rick McCallum, display characters’ who are merciless, savage, and courageous in the case of a shift of power in the hierarchy.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth was naturally an ambitious man, who constantly desired more. However, he was greatly influenced by his wife Lady Macbeth, for in the beginning Macbeth’s nature was “too full o[f] the milk of human kindness”. Lady Macbeth’s provocation encouraged the evil residing in Macbeth and his ambition only increased “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other.” The weird sisters were aware of his overpowering determination and were able to manipulate him into believing he had the potential to gain “absolute power”. Via these strong influences and his unfathomable ambition, Macbeth went to great extents to retrieve ultimate power, essentially transforming into a tyrant within the process.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Understand The Future

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    it. He stopped paying reparation and started building up the army. He soon started taking land and…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    macbeth killed the king. Macbeth is power hungry, wants to be wealthy, and he wants to…

    • 200 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    declaration of arbroath

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Whatever the true motive, the idea of a contract between King and people was advanced…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Macbeth Characters

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages

    William Shakespeare was a decent English playwright and poet. Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon; Warwickshire. He started his successful career around 1585 as an actor and a writer in London. He got married at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway and had three children; one girl and two boys. The time period that he lived in was during the English Renaissance; more specifically during the Elizabethan times. He died at the age of 52 at the Great Bard of Stratford on April 23rd, 1616. Shakespeare is one of the finest English writers in history. Most of his finest work he wrote was tragedies. Most of Shakespeare's known works were written between 1589 and 1613. His plays remain highly popular today. Shakespeare was respected greatly during his time period; however he was not well-known until the 19th century, and in the 20th century his plays are constantly studied by students. Macbeth is a tragedy written around 1606 by William Shakespeare. Macbeth is one of the famous texts Shakespeare is known for. This short play is one of the darkest and powerful piece of work written by Shakespeare. The play, Macbeth, is set in Scotland during early 1600s. This play is about the adventures that take place when Macbeth's over vaulting ambitions turn into greediness which leads him to evil actions so he can fulfill his dream of becoming the king of Scotland. Throughout the play the audience realizes the change and the development in Macbeth's personality which is reflected in his thoughts and actions. His change in personality does not only affect him, but it also affects the people around him. Unlike Macbeth, Macduff, the Thane of Fife, is a very loyal nobleman who would protect Scotland with all the power he has from evil as well as Banquo. Shakespeare depicts the characteristics and personalities of Macbeth, Macduff, and Banquo through their actions and thoughts.…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics