CHARACTER STUDY Macbeth

Macbeth Character What kind of person is Macbeth? In the beginning: He is brave and valiant. He appears to be loyal to Duncan and is a noble man. He develops into: A deceptive liar whose ambition pushes him to murder his King and friend. He becomes ruthless, cruel and cold. In the end: He is weary of the world, exhausted by everything he has done but remains defiant and brave until the end.

Macbeth Character Our first impression of Macbeth is positive. Why?: He is highly respected. He has won the battle for King Duncan at the beginning of the play. He is described by others as ‘brave’ and ‘noble’. King Duncan rewards his loyalty by making him Thane of Cawdor.

Macbeth Character Macbeth’s tragic flaw (the characteristic that brings about his downfall) is that he is too ambitious. How?: Macbeth knows Duncan is a good person but he wants to become king so badly he is willing to kill him. The witches use his weakness – ambition – to bring about his downfall. Later in the play, he is willing to do anything and kill anyone to hold onto his title of King.

Macbeth Character Macbeth’s conscience greatly troubles him at the beginning of the play. He knows what he is doing is wrong so he is plagued with guilt and worry. How?: He tells himself he owes Duncan loyalty. He admits it is only ambition pushing him to kill Duncan. Until Lady Macbeth convinces him, he changes his mind about the plan several times.

Macbeth Character Achieving his ambition brings Macbeth no joy, he is filled with feelings of horror about what he has done and insecurity over who is still a threat to him. He begins to change as a person. How?: Macbeth says he is jealous of Duncan because he can rest at peace, while Macbeth can get no sleep. His paranoia and insecurity means he decides to kill his good friend Banquo.

Macbeth Character Macbeth begins to murder with much greater ease and he stops telling Lady Macbeth what he is planning to do. However: His conscience is still troubling him and we can see this when he imagines he can see Banquo’s ghost at the feast.

Macbeth Character After seeing the witches, Macbeth sides completely on the side of evil and ignores his conscience and worries. How?: He decides to kill Macduff’s entire family without a second thought, simply because he is angry with Macduff. Macbeth becomes isolated as the people of Scotland realise he is an evil tyrant and his wife loses her mind before dying, which barely affects him.

Macbeth Character Macbeth is filled with despair at the end of the play and is described by others very differently to the start of the play. How?: He gives a sad speech describing how life has no meaning. He is referred to as ‘hellhound’, ‘devilish’, ‘tyrant’, and ‘butcher’.

Macbeth Character Despite his isolation, Macbeth refuses to surrender and face humiliation. How?: Macbeth bravely defies his enemies and shows his warrior instincts are still strong. Macbeth’s bravery is the one aspect of his character that stays the same the whole way through the play.

Macbeth Character Questions 1. What kind of person is Macbeth at the start of the play? What evidence is there to show this? 2. What does the term ‘tragic flaw’ mean? 3. What is Macbeth’s tragic flaw? How do we see this in the play? 4. After achieving his dream of becoming King, what kind of person does Macbeth become?