Describe those who play important roles in changing Macbeth to become a ruthless individual.

In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth has many motivators and influences causing him to do evil deeds. Lady Macbeth is the main one. She pressures Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Also, there are the three witches, who give Macbeth prophecies that manipulate him in which disaster strikes at the end of the play. Macbeth’s character changes through the course of the play. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a kind, loyal, hero, and at the end he becomes an evil tyrant.

One day Macbeth comes home to his wife (Lady Macbeth) and tells her all about the prophecies, and how he was crowned Thane of Cawdor by the king of Scotland, King Duncan. To the reader this was a big mistake; him telling his wife. With sudden amusement Lady Macbeth sets up a plan for her husband to execute the king, but thinks that her husband is too kind to pull it off. "It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness."

Lady Macbeth creates a plan :

"And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep

…When in swinish sleep

…/Their drenched natures lies as in a death,

What cannot you and I perform upon

Th’ unguarded Duncan"

Macbeth was shocked and surprised of Lady Macbeth’s proposal, and had refused to follow her orders. Then Lady Macbeth made a comeback by saying :

" What beast was’t, then,

When you durst do it, then you were a man;

And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man…"

What Lady Macbeth said, made Macbeth snap and therefore he used her plan to attack Duncan.

The prophecy that Macbeth found rather alluring was that he would be future king. "All hail, Macbeth!, that shalt be king hereafter!"

At first Macbeth doesn't believe the words of the witches thinking they are lying, but slowly starts to come to his senses, when things the witches say become true. Macbeth then believes that he should let fate take its course by waiting and letting what was told happen, and if it doesn't then shall be it. "If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me Without my stir."

When Macbeth was pronounced Thane of Cawdor he was a brave and loyal man. "For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name."

When Macbeth returned after completing his brutal murder his character had changed. He became obsessive over his ambition; becoming future king. Macbeth then decided that he would kill Banquo because he was with him when he was getting his prophecies from the witches, and therefore he knew that Macbeth had a reason to kill Duncan. Macbeth hired three murderers to finish Banquo (Act 3:1 lines/117-127).

Respond to this in our own words. Try changing the lines from the play text to everyday English as you need not have to justify using lines from the real text.

Asmadi