I would like to base my essay on the protagonist Macbeth.
Probably composed in late 1606 or early 1607, Macbeth is the last of Shakespeare’s tragedies, the others being Hamlet, King Lear and Othello.
If Hamlet is the grandest of Shakespeare’s plays, Macbeth is from a tragic standpoint the most sublime and the most impressive as an active play.
If we just consider the plot, Macbeth is a relatively simple play. In fact like Richard III and numerous pre-Shakespearean plays, it deals with a traditional form: the rise and fall of a great man.
In the first part of the play we read about Macbeth’s rise to power; then he manages to become king of Scotland. From this moment on he begins with a period of tyranny that will end with Macbeth’s death and the accession to the throne of the legitimate king.
For this reason he can be considered as the epitome of a tragic hero.
In the course of the play we notice a great development of Macbeth’s character. At the beginning he is a man much honoured by his countrymen for his leading and courageous part in defence of his good king and native land.
During many conflicts he showed his great courage and he continues showing this personal quality also when he becomes king and he has to take a lot of difficult decisions. But this first description about Macbeth’s character is not the definitive one: in fact as soon as we meet him, we find out also his negative qualities, for example that he is both ambitious and murderous.
It happens when the two Scottish generals, Macbeth and his friend Banquo, returning victorious from the great battle against a rebel army assisted by the troops of Norway, meet three witches in the middle of the road.
They begin to speak to Macbeth: the first of them greets him with the title of Thane of Glaning (so it is in the reality); the second follows by giving him the title of Thane of Cawdor, to which honour he has no pretensions; the third predicts that Macbeth will be king of Scotland. Then turning to Banquo, they prophesy that his son will be king of Scotland. So they turn into the air and vanish.
After a while Macbeth and his friend are stopped by some messengers of the king, who are empowered by him to confer upon Macbeth the dignity of Thane of Cawdor: an event so miraculously corresponding with the predictions of the witches astonishes Macbeth, who begins to think about the other and more important prophecy...
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- William Shakespeare: An Analysis of Macbeth’s Character
- The Rise and Fall of a Great Man
- Macbeth’s Character Development
- The Meeting with the Witches
- The Murder of Duncan
- Macbeth's Conscience and the Ghost of Banquo
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay analyzes the character of Macbeth, the protagonist of Shakespeare’s tragedy, and examines his transformation from a valiant warrior to a tyrant. The essay aims to explore Macbeth’s motivations, his inner conflicts, and the influences that shape his actions. It investigates the role of ambition, guilt, and the supernatural in Macbeth’s downfall.
- The nature of ambition and its corrupting influence
- The struggle between ambition and morality
- The power of guilt and its psychological effects
- The role of the supernatural in shaping human destiny
- The consequences of unchecked power
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The essay begins by introducing Macbeth, the protagonist of Shakespeare’s tragedy, and establishing his position as a revered warrior and leader. It highlights Macbeth’s initial positive qualities and the importance of his role in defending his king and country.
- This section delves into Macbeth's initial encounter with the witches and their prophecies. The essay examines how the witches' predictions plant the seeds of ambition within Macbeth, setting in motion a chain of events that ultimately leads to his downfall.
- The essay explores Macbeth's inner struggle as he contemplates the murder of King Duncan. It examines the conflicting forces at play within Macbeth: his ambition, his moral conscience, and his fear of the consequences of his actions.
- This section delves into the murder of Duncan and its immediate aftermath. The essay explores Macbeth's guilt and his struggle to cope with the weight of his actions. It also investigates the impact of the murder on Macbeth's mental state and his descent into a state of paranoia and fear.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and themes explored in the essay include Macbeth's character, ambition, guilt, the supernatural, prophecy, power, morality, and the tragic hero. The essay delves into the internal conflicts and psychological complexities of Macbeth's character, exploring the consequences of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power. It also examines the role of the supernatural in shaping human destiny and the consequences of defying fate.
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- Doktor Alessandro De Vivo (Autor), 2002, William Shakespeare: an analysis of Macbeth’s character, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/72750
