Macbeth Essay- Zach gershman P2

Characterizations: the creation and representation of fictitious characters. In Macbeth, Shakespeare’s representation of the protagonist Macbeth describes how man’s perception of fate affects such a man’s action. Such perception is shown to be either active or passive, forcing one’s own fate to come around, or allowing fate to take its “natural” course. This perception of fate is ultimately tied in with such a man’s character, their own ideals and moral justifications. These ideals and moral justifications involving the realm of fate are represented by Shakespeare most prominently in the form of the characterization of Macbeth, revealed through both his own appearance to both his subjects and rivals, as well as through Macbeth’s own treacherous and sometimes delusional actions towards personal fulfillment.

Macbeth is first mentioned and heralded by the injured captain in the second scene of the play, who proclaimed Macbeth to be a selfless man who had fought with honor for the kingdom. This former instance of characterization, however, was far from the truth behind Macbeth’s character. Macbeth, through the prophecies of the witches, came to believe that his fate in life was to be the sole King. To this end, Macbeth actively pushed forward his own fate; those he had once been loyal too, such as Malcolm, came to revere him with nothing but disgust, calling him at points a “tyrant” taking refuge in a ruined empire. Macbeth’s pull towards his fate, outlined not by him but by supernatural forces, induces a wild, new sensibility from his inner soul, a change from a selfless, loyal lord to that of a paranoid, tyrannical maniac worried only upon his own being and his own fate. Shakespeare clarifies through this change in both the character’s and the audience’s change in perception of Macbeth that, men who actively seek out an artificial fate are doomed to senseless worries of both achieving and maintaining grandeur, and thus are predisposed to act in illogical means that can only lead to failure.

Macbeth's tendency towards homicide is a reoccurring action throughout the play that makes clear a central point of characterization. Macbeth, on the active path towards his own artificial fate, murders the King Duncan, and all those who might otherwise oppose his rule, all for the supernatural prophecy. This characterization revealed again both to the audience and supporting characters within the play reveals a ruthless character that, like the stark change in power dictated by the prophecies given to the eventual king, is willing to break the morality he had been living by for absolute power. Macbeth reveals himself as a character more interested in potential than in the present, a character willing to risk everything for a single bet, and give in to the lust of power. Macbeth’s perception that his supernatural fate of becoming king would only be possible through active participation inspired the original cause for homicide. This participation within his own artificial fate inspired Macbeth to never falter back into the world of men, and give in to the desires of man over both morality and loyalty.

Shakespeare maintained throughout Macbeth that the desire of power contains enough ill-will to temper the souls of men to change and bend to meet its needs. This desire came to bear upon the mind of Macbeth throughout the play, burdened by the Witches’ prophecies, and took over both Macbeth’s perception of self and eventual actions. This active need to complete his own fate is what drove Macbeth’s character to tyrannical actions, although there had once been loyalty, driving Macbeth to his eventual artificial fate a far different man than when he had begun.