Macbeth was a Bloody Butcher in Shakespeares Macbeth :: essays research papers

The play 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare gives the audience plenty of opportunities to consider the reasons for Macbeth's actions, whither he had turned mad, or he was just simply bad. I will look at to the extent to which Macbeth is responsible for his own actions, as well as the contributions of other characters through an analysis of the playwright's dramatic techniques. After studying the play in detail I feel that although Macbeth was encouraged at the start he started planning executions on his own and by the end of the play, Macbeth's downfall showed him to be a bloody butcher. The play is about a ?golden couple,? Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth encounters witches who prophecies Macbeth as a king. This spurs them both to kill the king and over time power gets to them and Macbeth becomes a cold hearted butcher. The character of Macbeth is very complicated, which makes it difficult to arrive at a definite decision about how much he is to blame. At the start of the play Macbeth is held in high regard by many people. An example of this is when a sergeant from the army describes his as ? For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name? He is also thought of as a respected cousin by the king who calls him ? O worthiest cousin? , this shows us that Macbeth was valued by many people as the Thane of Glamis. When Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches, Macbeth seems intrigued. On three occasions Macbeth demands to know more ? Speak, I charge you.? Banquo however does not want to hear what these witches have to say. This shows us that Macbeth is weak and vain, as he likes what the witches have to say. Macbeth is far too easily seduced and completely taken in by these witches. When Macbeth objects to Duncan?s murder this is letting us see that Macbeth has a conscience, ? We will proceed no further in this business.? Although he is persuaded afterwards he feels extremely guilty , ?I?ll go no more, I am afraid to think what I have done.? If Macbeth was such a bloody butcher, then why would he think twice about killing Duncan and afterwards why would he feel guilty ? A particular technique Shakespeare uses to make Macbeth seem more human is soliloquy. This lets the audience know what Macbeth is feeling and what he is thinking about.