Character Flaws Of Macbeth Essay, Research Paper
Portrait of a Murderer
In the world today, many businesses fight each other for more money
and better deals. To achieve this, they will do anything that it takes to accomplish
the job, even if it means putting someone else out of business. These businesses are
ruthless and ambitious. Without these traits, businesses can not achieve a higher
rank in commerce. These concepts are not new to society. They have been with man
since time began. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Macbeth is a perfect
example of how being ruthless and excessively ambitious can lead to trouble.
The main character trait that Macbeth possess is ambition. Webster’s
dictionary defines ambition as the desire of power. This is exactly what Macbeth
craves. Even as the thane of Cawdor, Macbeth aspires to be the king of Scotland.
The current king of Scotland is Duncan, a kind and noble king. When Macbeth and
Banquo, Macbeth’s friend, are traveling back from battle, they come across three
witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become king in the future. As
Macbeth hears this, he becomes frightened, because he is thinking about killing
Duncan in order to become king. Banquo says, “Good sir, why do you start and
seem to fear/ Things that do sound so fair” ( I . iii . 54-55). Because of Macbeth’s
ambition he decides to kill the king. After he kills the king and takes the throne, he
decides that he is still not satisfied. He remembers that the witches told Macbeth
that Banquo’s children will become king someday. Because Macbeth wants to have
his offspring inherit the throne, he concludes that he must kill Banquo and his son,
Fleance. Macbeth dispatches a few murderers to go and kill Banquo and Fleance
while they are horseback riding in the forest. The murderers succeed in killing
Banquo, but Fleance escapes. Even after killing Banquo, Macbeth is still not
satisfied. He tells his wife that, “We are yet but young in deed” ( III. iv. 176).
Macbeth’s ambition is drawing him to the point that he can never be safe on the
throne. He feels that he must know everything. Instead of waiting to let things
happen naturally, Macbeth goes in search of the witches, in that they might tell him
how to defeat his enemies. Once he knows what he thinks to be the truth, he
prepares for battle with England and Norway without a care in the world, only later
to be killed. Because of his own pride and ambition, he dies in battle.
Before Macbeth becomes the thane of Cawdor, Macbeth is a warrior in the
king’s army. He is ruthless and merciless. While fighting his opponent in battle,
Macbeth “unseamed him from nave to th’ chops,/ And fixed his head upon our
battlements” ( I. ii. 24-25). That is one of the most gruesome ways to die that I could
ever think of. After Macbeth kills Duncan, the rest of Duncan’s subjects try to
discover who killed Duncan. To conceal his own actions, Macbeth grabs his sword
and kills Duncan’s guards, whom he claims are the murderers. Macbeth
accomplishes his objectives, and now sits on the throne as king. Does he stop his
ruthless behavior? No, in fact, it becomes worse. Macbeth starts to kill people who
aren’t even involved with anything. When Macbeth discovers that Macduff has fled
to England in a hurry, he tells his plans to his servant:
Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool;
This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool.
( IV. i. 171-175)
The last of the three main characteristics of Macbeth is his deceitfulness. He
lies to protect himself in situations that could warrant his execution. After the king’s
murder, Macbeth slaughters the two guards in order to keep his secret. When
Macduff asks why the guards were killed, Macbeth says “Who could refrain/ That
gad a heart to love, and in that heart/ Courage to make’s love known” ( II. iii. 136-
137). He says that he loves Duncan so much that he is compelled to murder the
guards. This is a poor excuse, but he gets away with it. Once he is crowned king,
Macbeth begins to plan the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance. He hires a few
cutthroats and tells them “Both of you/ Know Banquo was your enemy”
( III. i. 129-130). He lies in order to trick the murders into thinking that Banquo is
their enemy. Therefore, the murderers kill Banquo while the Macbeth does nothing.
Later at the banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the table. Macbeth yells and
screams until the ghost disappears. When the guest wonder why he is yelling,
Macbeth says that he suffers from a “strange infirmity” ( III. iv. 104). If he tells the
guests what he really saw, they would know that Banquo has been murdered, and
Macbeth must be involved. Deceitfulness plays a very big part in Macbeth’s life.
By the end of the play, the reader sees how Macbeth’s ruthlessness, ambition,
and deceitfulness intertwine together. Macbeth’s traits lead him on a downward
spiral that eventually kills him. Macbeth is a classic example of how things are in
life, and where people get their motivations from. Everyone needs to be a little
ambitious, but not too much. Without ambition, life will never go anywhere new.
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