Macbeth (character)

## Macbeth

* Illustration
* 1948
* 1971
* 1979
* 2010
* 2015
* 2021

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Denzel Washington (2021)

King of Scotland

Banquo (friend, deceased)

### Personalities

Ambitious, powerful, brave, gullible, noble, anxious, moral, tyrannical, bold, ignorant, insane, loyal (formerly), trustworthy (formerly), honest (formerly), guilty, reckless, confident, lustful, murderous, depressed, violent, arrogant, deceitful, ruthless, cowardly, imaginative, cruel, obsessive, restless, foolish

### Allies

Lady Macbeth
 King Duncan (formerly)
Banquo (formerly)

The Three Witches

### Enemies

Macduff

Malcolm

### Likes

His nobility, fighting in battle, the witches’ prophecy

### Goal

To defeat the traitor Macdonwald during the battle with the Norwegian army (succeeded)
To kill King Duncan and become King of Scotland (succeeded)
To avoid being accused by having the royal guards blamed for Duncan’s murder (succeeded)
 To kill Banquo and Fleance from seizing the throne (succeeded with Banquo; failed with Fleance)
 To have Macduff’s family murdered (succeeded)
To secure his reign, the witches’ prophecy and his position on the throne

To eliminate everyone who threatens him and the throne (both failed)

### Fate

Killed by Macduff during the battle at Dunisnane

### Famous quotes

“Is this a dagger I see before me?”“I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.”

> "*False face must hide what the false heart doth know*"
> ― Act 1, Scene 7
>
>

Macbeth is the main protagonist, titular character and anti-hero in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name and is the husband of Lady Macbeth.

Initially a general and thane, Macbeth becomes obsessed when three witches make him a prophecy that he will become King of Scotland. He murders the king and seizes the throne for himself but goes into a bloody downward spiral to remain in power by killing innocents.

## Description

Macbeth is first introduced as a war hero King Duncan praises for saving Scotland from a Norwegian invasion. So much so that he is given a new title when another general is executed for treason, but before this, Macbeth meets three weird sisters on the Scottish moors who predict he will become Thane of Glamis and then King of Scotland. He doesn't take this seriously, thinking the witches are just playing tricks on him, but when the first part of the prophecy comes true, he believes that they are telling the truth and will likely take any risks to make the second half of the prophecy come true. He is unaware that no matter how hard he tries to commit the murder and get away with it without suspicion, the morality is that murderers will always face the consequences. On the other hand, King Duncan is a beloved, loyal king and has done nothing wrong to motivate Macbeth to kill him. The dagger vision Macbeth sees just before he commits murder is a warning sign of what will come for the Scottish heroic general turned tyrannical king.

He is loosely based on an actual Scottish king who bears his name. Mac Bethad mac Findláich (or Macbeth in English) was born in 1005 and became king in 1040. Unlike his counterpart, who is a tyrannical and bloodthirsty king, Macbeth was a wise, respected king who ruled Scotland for 17 years. In 1057, he was killed by Malcolm’s army, but his followers had placed his stepson on the throne. Malcolm later killed him and became king in 1058. Shakespeare used Raphael Holinshed’s The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland as a source when writing Macbeth, but instead of staying true to historical accuracy, he created an alternate version of the Scottish king and included his struggles and problems. In the mid-17th century, at the time when Shakespeare was writing Macbeth, there were tensions between Protestants and Catholics in England. King James I opposed the Catholics, and a group devised a plan to kill the king by blowing up the Parliament House with the king and his whole family inside, which famously became known as the Gunpowder Plot. As Shakespeare had lived through the Gunpowder Plot, he included some references in Macbeth, which included a scene where Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to overthrow the government and murder King Duncan.

Macbeth’s tragic story ends just as it began. He successfully defeats the Norwegian army and kills a Scottish lord who supported the opposing military. He is then rewarded with the title of Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, a prophecy the Three Witches predicted would come true. But by the end, everything was reversed from the beginning. Macbeth is now the enemy whose own allies now support Malcolm’s army but thinks he can still claim victory by winning the battle as he did previously. Instead, he realizes the Witches’s prophecy has been deceiving him the whole time, and the vengeful Macduff kills him and shows off his severed head to Malcolm, whose reward for defeating Macbeth is being the rightful King of Scotland.

## Storyline

### Norwegian War Victory/Macbeth Meets the Witches

During a battle against the Norwegian army, Macdonwald, an Irish lord, betrays the Scottish army and joins forces with the Norwegian king. The Thane of Glamis, Macbeth, fights through the Norwegians and kills Macdonwald for betraying the Scottish King Duncan.When the Scottish defeated the Irish army earlier, the Norwegians began to close in, but Macbeth, his friend, and comrade Banquo fought with bravery. After Macbeth defeats the Thane of Cawdor, who has also betrayed King Duncan, the Norwegian king Sweno immediately calls for a truce. The Scottish refuse to let Sweno bury his fallen comrades until he retreats to Saint Colme’s Inch and gives them ten thousand dollars.

Following his victory, Macbeth walks on the Scottish moors accompanied by Banquo. He recalls their success in the battle, and Banquo asks how far it is to King Duncan’s palace, Forres. The men spot the Three Witches, and Macbeth asks who they are. The Witches hail him as the Thane of Cawdor and the future King of Scotland.

Macbeth is startled, and Banquo asks the witches if they are real or illusions. He also asks them if they can read his future, too. The witches tell him he may not be king, but his descendants will be kings. Macbeth begs the witches to tell him more about his destiny, as he had inherited his current title from his late father, Sinel. He knows the current Thane of Cawdor is still alive and finds it impossible to become Thane and then King of Scotland. He demands the witches to give more answers, but they vanish.

Banquo wonders if they were really talking to the witches or were drugged, but they both know their destinies: Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and the king, and Banquo’s descendants will be kings. Two noblemen, Angus and Ross, appear, and Ross informs Macbeth that King Duncan has been delighted with his victory in the war but is shocked at how he killed so many rebels in the Norwegian army. Angus tells Macbeth the king has sent them to offer him his gratitude, and he wants him brought to him. The noblemen then hail him as Thane of Cawdor, which leaves Macbeth shocked and asks why he has been given the title when the first thane is still alive. Angus explains that the current Thane of Cawdor has been sentenced to death for treason, and Macbeth will inherit the thane’s title.

Macbeth talks to himself about how half of the witches’ prophecy has come true. He thanks Ross and Angus for the news and whispers to Banquo if his children will become kings. Banquo tells Macbeth that if he believes what is true, he will become king. He finds it strange how the “instruments of death” would sometimes tell the truth about some things that will quickly lead them to destruction. Banquo wants to talk to Ross and Angus privately, and when they move to one side, Macbeth is still in disbelief that half of the prophecy has already come true and is certain he will have the Scottish crown. He doesn’t consider the prophecy evil but wonders why becoming Thane of Cawdor became a reality. He then ponders about killing King Duncan and finds it so horrifying that it makes him shudder. He even fears the dangers he is in now than what he is imagining. He hopes that if fate makes him king, he may not have to murder Duncan.

Banquo notices that Macbeth is dazed and tells Ross and Angus that he is not used to receiving new titles. He tells Macbeth they are ready to see King Duncan. Macbeth apologizes for being distracted from the news and wants to see the king now. He whispers to Banquo that they should discuss what happened today when they have time. Banquo promises, and they leave.

The men arrive at a military camp near the battlefield. King Duncan welcomes Macbeth and says he has more to owe him than thanks.Macbeth pledges his loyalty, and King Duncan promises him he will become successful as Thane of Cawdor. He then offers his gratitude to Banquo, even if he doesn’t have much to reward him, and pledges his loyalty.

King Duncan then announces to the men that he has named his son Malcolm Prince of Cumberland and then the heir to the throne. He tells Macbeth he will visit his home at Inverness for a royal visit, and Macbeth will write to his wife, Lady Macbeth, about his arrival. But when he takes his leave, Macbeth finds his hopes nearly shattered now that Malcolm is Prince of Cumberland, and he ponders if he should give up or deal with Malcolm, as he’s now in the way of his ambition. Either way, he still thinks murder is the only option to make half of the prophecy come true.

### Macbeth Kills King Duncan

Macbeth later writes to his wife, Lady Macbeth, explaining how he met the witches after his victory in battle, and they prophesied he will be Thane of Cawdor, and then the King of Scotland, with the first part of the prophecy coming true.He decides to pass on the unexpected news to her and asks her to keep this a secret. Shortly after Lady Macbeth reads his letter, Macbeth arrives home and assures him that once he becomes king, he will be greater than his Thane titles. Macbeth tells her that Duncan will be spending the night here and will leave tomorrow morning. However, Lady Macbeth says the king will never leave tomorrow and convinced him to greet the king warmly, while he should “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”. She will handle all the preparations and urges him not to look troubled so they won’t arouse suspicion.

While the servants prepare for the evening feast, Macbeth paces alone, contemplating the idea of killing Duncan. He decides he must get it over quickly and then move on without any consequences, and he’ll risk his life to do it. However, he knows that murderers do face consequences, and it would teach other people to become violent. On top of everything else, he knows that the king trusts him and he is expected to protect him as his host. Additionally, Duncan is a beloved, virtuous leader and his death will cause overwhelming, widespread grief. As such, he doesn’t have the guts to murder Duncan or has a good reason to do so, and he’s only fuelled by his ambition.

Lady Macbeth arrives and he asks about any news. She replies that Duncan has almost finished his dinner, and he says that he doesn’t want to carry on with the plan, as he has been appreciated by the people and wants to enjoy these honours without committing bloodshed. She assumes that he has woken up with fear of committing murder, and asks if he’s a coward or has the courage to seize the crown. Macbeth says he can only dare to do something that he thinks is proper for a man to do, and she questions him about his manhood. He is worried that their plan will fail, but she has planned to get Duncan’s two guards drunk so they will fall asleep, and it will be their chance to slip into the king’s bedroom and kill him, and then frame the guards by smearing their faces with the king’s blood. After Lady Macbeth assures they will pretend to be grief-stricken over the king’s death, Macbeth is finally ready to go with the plan.

Soon after midnight, Macbeth walks down a dark hall with a servant carrying a torch. He finds Banquo, who tells him that Duncan is asleep and gives Macbeth a diamond, which is a gift to Lady Macbeth from Duncan as thanks for her hospitality.

## References

1. ↑ Act 1, Scene 2
2. ↑ Act 1, Scene 3
3. ↑ Act 1, Scene 4
4. ↑ Act 1, Scene 5
5. ↑ Act 1, Scene 7
6. ↑ Act 2, Scene 1