Macbeth Essay Brian Min p3t2

Macbeth Essay

Macbeth, one of William’s Shakespeare’s notable works, is a tragedy surrounding the events that lead to the death of King Macbeth. In this literary classic, we are initially introduced to Macbeth, a ferocious however ambitious general serving under Scottish ruler, King Duncan who eventually by backstabbing and killing the king, is awarded the crown. A prime element of this tragedy is the concept of perception of fate; one that affects the actions of Macbeth. Shakespeare essentially uses this perception of fate to drive the plot, which is ultimately done through characterization.

Before we are even introduced to the main protagonist, the tragedy opens with the scene with Three Witches, who we know plan to meet Macbeth and tell him of his fate. When finally meeting Macbeth, they chant “All Hail, Macbeth! Hail to you…. In the future, you shall be king” and vaguely tell him of his future. However, after the witches leave before Macbeth could even respond, he shows eagerness to find out what the witches mean by saying” Wait vague speakers, tell me more.. Tell us why you stop and greet us on this wasteland with these predictions”. Because of his response, it can be assumed he already desires to obtain the title of King. Had he responded differently by brushing off the witches predictions, the plot might’ve failed to continue. This altercation with the witches, is a prime example of how Shakespeare uses both the actions of others and the protagonist’s response to characterize and drive the plot.

Additionally, as the tragedy unfolds, in Scene 2 of Act 1, Macbeth carries out a brief soliloquy saying, “Is this a dagger...for it’s a bell that summons you to heaven or to hell” and hallucinates a floating dagger and the sound of bells ringing. This is ultimately representative of his conflicted character and his inward struggle to do the morally right thing. Through what he says and his hallucinations, Shakespeare characterizes Macbeth’s conflicted moral ideals to further carry out the story.

Essentially, through the actions of others, and many of Macbeth’s responses , Shakespeare indirectly characterizes Macbeth as a deeply ambitious, conflicted character; a feature of the tragedy, which is the prime driving force of the plot.