Macbeth: Mad or Bad?

In the play 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare, it is often debated whether Macbeth was evil or whether he was just a victim of his own ambition. It is clear at the beginning, Macbeth is a brave and loyal soldier but tragedies unfold and one death quickly leads to another. Carried along by the persuasion of his wife, Macbeth gets deeper and deeper into his own guilt, struggling to make the witches prophecies come true. He realizes that the witches have tricked him and the play ends in a disastrous tragedy.

The witches play an incredibly significant role in Macbeth's tragedies. They try to manipulate Macbeth, treating him like a puppet on a string. Their predictions prompt him to murder several people and also to blindly believe in his own immortality. When the witches tell him the prophecies, his weak character is revealed. They cunningly use their psychic skills to toy with Macbeth and play a part in his insanity. Prior to his meeting with the witches, Macbeth appears content with his status in life. However, he foolishly believes what they have told him, and genuinely thinks that these predictions are inevitable. Once he believes he will be king, he strives to destroy all obstacles in his path. Striving to make their prophecies come true, Macbeth starts on a murderous rampage, killing anything and anyone who stands in the way of his own success.

Even as Macbeth manages to obtain power through treacherous means, he feels vulnerable and isolated in his position. He becomes more suspicious and mistrustful of everyone around him until, eventually, his guilt takes over. This is shown in Act III Scene IV, the banquets scene, when the ghost of Banquo appears to him, but no one else:

'Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me!'

This emphasizes Macbeth's feeble character even more and shows us that he isn't all he says he is. Throughout the play, we see hints of Macbeth being greatly influenced by women, particularly his wife, Lady Macbeth. Her powerful character fuels his growing ambition to become king and this is exposed in Act I Scene V when she tells him:

'Your hand, your tongue; look like th'innocent flower, But be the serpent under't.'

We now see her nasty and manipulative side, convincing Macbeth that he has the power to commit such a crime. It is hinted to that the influence she has over Macbeth is partly due to her love for him and also to her thirst for power:

'Of direst cruelty: make thick my blood.'

Their isolation from the rest of the world is a direct result of their partnership in crime. However, later in the play, she fall victim to her guilt and madness to an even greater level and eventually commits suicide. In Act V Scene I, Lady Macbeth is observed by a physician who is trying to make sense of her increasingly bizarre behaviour. She sees a non - existent blood stain on her hand, another sign of her paranoia.

'Out damned spot! Out, I say! . . . Here's the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.'
Blood is extremely symbolic throughout the play as it emphasizes the couple's guilt for their wicked deeds. This quote illustrates her guilt in a more direct way, acting as if the blood were actually on the hands of Lady Macbeth. She knows that she has been involved in a terrible crime, and will never be able to free herself of the guilt.

We first see Macbeth as a loyal, trusting soldier whom everybody loves. He is very faithful and fights valiantly in his battles:
'For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name - disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, which smok'd with bloody execution.'

This topic sentence draws us to Macbeth's nobility and gives the reader a great first impression. However, this character soon turns into an immoral, devil - like figure by the help of the persuasive individuals in his life. His impressive skills on the battlefield are quickly recognized by King Duncan who wants to make him Thane of Cawdor. This shows his first taste of power, and also a prophecy predicted by the witches. His best friend, Banquo, is also a courageous soldier who shares Macbeth's flattery of the prophecies, being told that his sons will be king:

'Your children shall be kings.'

Although he may have been a very trustworthy friend to Banquo, his powerful ambition prompts him to kill Banquo. Macbeth abuses their friendship throughout the play, becoming more and more egotistic as the play unfolds. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a very intimate relationship together and Macbeth is shown as the perfect husband. Their isolation from the rest of the world, to a certain extent, fuels the love they feel towards each other. The story of their relationship together is conveyed through the treachery of their acts. Shakespeare frequently characterizes the women in the play as cunning, scheming, plotting and manipulating from the opening scenes with the witches to the manipulation of Macbeth by his wife. In doing so, he almost manages to portray Macbeth as a victim, the true villains being the women: Lady Macbeth is the more dominant of the two, easily manipulating his decisions and persuading him to do these immoral deeds:

'And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more
than a man.'

Feeling the power of Lady Macbeth's words, Macbeth gives in and gets his first taste of power. She attempts to avert disaster at the banqueting scene, when Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost. She then whispers to him 'Are you a man?' She questions him about his fear of killing Duncan and tells him that it is a mere fragment of his imagination. Again, she persuades him to listen to her and take her advice without question. At Macbeth's first taste of blood, he acts like a butcher out of control and can't stop his murderous ways.

In conclusion, this play is about a man who was foolishly tricked into believing he was more than a man, that he was immortal. His character was not necessarily evil; his fatal flaw was in believing he was destined for greater things. He then embarked upon a course of betrayal and ultimately lost his mind, his life and his soul.

I enjoyed this play, especially because there was so many lessons to be learned throughout the course of the play and there is also a lot of controversy created. I, personally, was just so priveledged to read such an epic and popular play and I hope to be reading more of this great writer.

If you have any questions about my reviews, please ask: Doni07.