Macbeth
 
By William Shakespeare
 
The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a
Shakespearean tragic hero. There are many factors which
contribute to the degeneration of Macbeth of which three
will be discussed. The three points which contribute
greatly to Macbeth's degeneration are the prophecy which
was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth influenced
and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's
long time ambition which drove his desire to be king.
Macbeth's growing character degenerates from a noble man to
violent individual.
 
The prophecies which were told by the witches were one of
the factors which contributed to the degeneration of his
character. If it had not been for the witches telling him
that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and
King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self.
As a result of the prophecies, this aroused Macbeth's
curiosity of how he could be King of Scotland. As the play
progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches
prophecies. Shakespeare uses the witches as a remedy for
Macbeth's curiosity which corrupts his character.
 
The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also
contributed to his degeneration of character. Lady
Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a
lovable person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King
Duncan herself, it showed that Lady Macbeth could not
murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father.
This proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her.
Lady Macbeth plays an important role in this play because
she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth to assassinate
King Duncan. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later
regrets on his wrong doing. At the point of this play the
audience can note the change in Macbeth's character.
Macbeth's first murder was a trying experience for him,
however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the
only solution to maintain his reign of the people of
Scotland. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth who introduced the
concept of murder to Macbeth.
 
Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character.
However, Macbeth's ambition had not been strong enough to
carry the motive to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth's
influence also comes in to play because if not for Lady
Macbeth, his ambition would not have been intensified
enough to drive him to obtain and maintain his title of
King of Scotland no matter what it took, even if it meant
murdering. Macbeth's ambition influenced the cause of his
new character. This new character of Macbeth contained
greed, violence, and power hunger. Macbeth shows this when
he kills King Duncan.
 
In conclusion, the prophecies given to him by the witches,
Lady Macbeth's influence and plan, and his intensified
ambition, all contributed greatly to his degeneration of
character which resulted to his downfall...death. Therefore
Macbeth character displays strong signs of a tragic hero,
making him the ideal classic example.