Macbeth Essay

In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses characterization to drive the plot and convey the idea that man’s perception of fate affects his actions.

The characterization of Lady Macbeth illustrates the method Shakespeare uses in driving forward the action. Her actions and thoughts play a large role in many of the major events of the play. For example, she rekindles Macbeth’s ambition and persuades him to kill Duncan both times when he beings to falter in his resolve. She also provides excuses for him when he begins hallucinating, and provides an emotional anchor for his guilt, until she too succumbs to madness. Near the end of the play, Macbeth transformation into a tyrant is expedited by his wife’s condition; when he sees that even she, who was once so fierce, has lost her mind, he takes out his guilt and anger on the subjects of his castle. For the majority of the play, Lady Macbeth’s portrayal and actions drive the story.

The depiction of Macbeth, on the other hand, clarifies a theme of Shakespeare’s: what a person thinks will happen affects what he does. When the witch’s tell Macbeth that he will become the next king, he proceeds to murder Duncan to gain that title. Although he previously had only the slightest whisper of ambition to be king, after his perception of fate changed, he committed heinous acts to realize that fate. During the battle at the end of the play, Macbeth boldly charges into the battlefield without fear for his life because he thinks that he will be killed by someone who is not woman born. When he finds out that Macduff was ripped from his mother’s womb early, he falters, and it is possible this fear causes him to lose his battle against the other man. Because of what he believes will happen, Macbeth acts differently, and Shakespeare clarifies this view through the characterization of the king.

The combination of the actions, thoughts, and influence of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth pushes the action of the story while also making clear the concept of perception affecting action. The characterization of Lady Macbeth is primarily responsible for the action, while the characterization of Macbeth is responsible for the delivery of Shakespeare’s theory.