Macbeth (character)
Encyclopedia
Macbeth is the title character in William Shakespeare
's Macbeth
(c. 1603–1607). The character is based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland
, and is derived largely from the account in Holinshed's Chronicles
(1587), a history of Britain
. Macbeth is a Scottish
noble and a valiant military man. He is portrayed throughout the play as an antagonistic anti-hero. After a supernatural prophecy, and at the urging of his wife, Lady Macbeth
, he commits regicide and becomes King of Scotland. He thereafter lives in anxiety and fear, unable to rest or to trust his nobles. He leads a reign of terror until defeated by Macduff. The throne is then restored to the rightful heir, the murdered King Duncan's son, Malcolm.
, as found in the narratives of the Kings Duff and Duncan
in Holinshed's Chronicles
(1587).
The tragedy
begins amid a bloody civil war
when Macbeth is first introduced by a wounded soldier, who gives a colourful and extensive exaltation of Macbeth’s prowess and valour in battle. When the battle is won, largely due to Macbeth and his lieutenant, Banquo
, King Duncan honours his generals with high praise and rewards Macbeth with the title of a traitor awaiting execution, the Thane of Cawdor.
After the first meeting with the witches in Act 1 Scene III, it soon becomes apparent that Macbeth has already begun to consider murdering Duncan and taking his place. (In medieval times and in the Elizabethan era
, plans to murder royalty were punishable by death). Also, in an aside at the end of Act I Scene III he states “If chance may have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir” and “Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day” this demonstrates that he is considering the possibility that the kingship will fall into his lap by luck alone and that he will not have to take any action in order to fulfill the last prophecy. Macbeth continues thinking about the prophecies; ignoring Banquo’s advice that “oftentimes to win us to our harm these instruments of darkness tell us truths…to betray us in deepest consequence”.
At home with his wife Macbeth displays another dimension to his character. Lady Macbeth
’s plan is to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan. This is apparent when she says “…I may pour my spirits in thine ear; and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round”. Macbeth has concluded not to kill Duncan. The decision however, is short lived. Here Macbeth shows a very different side to his character. The cut-throat, strong, confident general has no retort for his wife’s degrading accusations. Could this mean that Macbeth was manipulated by both the witches and his wife? Or did he act on his own free will intending to kill Duncan all along? The driving forces behind Macbeth’s decision remain an ongoing debate.
He also hears voices that say “Macbeth shall sleep no more. Macbeth does murder sleep”. He acknowledges that only the innocent sleep and that sleep is “the balm of hurt minds”. His innocence is forever lost and his actions hereafter will be eternally tainted. Despite his many murders on the battlefield, Macbeth is too afraid to go back to Duncan’s chamber and frame the guards as per the plan. It is Lady Macbeth who must complete the crime.
In Holinshed, Macbeth reigns ably for ten years before being challenged by Macduff and Malcolm. In Shakespeare, however, Macbeth's reign appears to be immediately one of tyranny and murder. Macbeth trusts no one. As the play progresses, Macbeth sinks further into murder. Despite Lady Macbeth’s practical advice to move on, stop the killing and enjoy his new role, Macbeth is “in blood stepp'd in so far, that, returning were as tedious as go o'er”. He is obsessed with the witches and their prophecies. Macbeth decides to hire two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, with a third murderer sent later to assist. Though Fleance escapes, Banquo still dies. Later on, Macbeth has the innocent Lady Macduff, her young son
and their entire household brutally murdered. This is a fatal mistake, as Macduff will now seek revenge. In Act V, Lady Macbeth is believed to have committed suicide
. By the end of the play Macbeth is duped by the witches' second set of prophecies when “great Birnam Wood move to High Dunsinane” and finally when Macbeth is killed in battle by Macduff.
, Macbeth is a very minor character. In the story, he is in a power struggle with Richard III
, but he does not realize that his wife Lady Macbeth is plotting with Richard behind his back. Lady Macbeth eventually kills Macbeth in order to gain control of his armies to aid Richard in his plot to kill William Shakespeare
.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(c. 1603–1607). The character is based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland
Macbeth of Scotland
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
, and is derived largely from the account in Holinshed's Chronicles
Holinshed's Chronicles
Holinshed's Chronicles, also known as Holinsheds Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions, the first in 1577, and the second in 1587....
(1587), a history of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Macbeth is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
noble and a valiant military man. He is portrayed throughout the play as an antagonistic anti-hero. After a supernatural prophecy, and at the urging of his wife, Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
, he commits regicide and becomes King of Scotland. He thereafter lives in anxiety and fear, unable to rest or to trust his nobles. He leads a reign of terror until defeated by Macduff. The throne is then restored to the rightful heir, the murdered King Duncan's son, Malcolm.
Origin
Shakespeare's version of Macbeth is based upon Macbeth of ScotlandMacbeth of Scotland
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
, as found in the narratives of the Kings Duff and Duncan
King Duncan
King Duncan is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Macbeth. He is the father of two youthful sons , and the victim of a well-plotted regicide in a power grab by his trusted captain Macbeth...
in Holinshed's Chronicles
Holinshed's Chronicles
Holinshed's Chronicles, also known as Holinsheds Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions, the first in 1577, and the second in 1587....
(1587).
Role in the play
Macbeth is Thane of glamis, later Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland. He is the central protagonist of the play.The tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
begins amid a bloody civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
when Macbeth is first introduced by a wounded soldier, who gives a colourful and extensive exaltation of Macbeth’s prowess and valour in battle. When the battle is won, largely due to Macbeth and his lieutenant, Banquo
Banquo
Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally to Macbeth and they are together when they meet the Three Witches. After prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his...
, King Duncan honours his generals with high praise and rewards Macbeth with the title of a traitor awaiting execution, the Thane of Cawdor.
After the first meeting with the witches in Act 1 Scene III, it soon becomes apparent that Macbeth has already begun to consider murdering Duncan and taking his place. (In medieval times and in the Elizabethan era
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
, plans to murder royalty were punishable by death). Also, in an aside at the end of Act I Scene III he states “If chance may have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir” and “Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day” this demonstrates that he is considering the possibility that the kingship will fall into his lap by luck alone and that he will not have to take any action in order to fulfill the last prophecy. Macbeth continues thinking about the prophecies; ignoring Banquo’s advice that “oftentimes to win us to our harm these instruments of darkness tell us truths…to betray us in deepest consequence”.
At home with his wife Macbeth displays another dimension to his character. Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
’s plan is to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan. This is apparent when she says “…I may pour my spirits in thine ear; and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round”. Macbeth has concluded not to kill Duncan. The decision however, is short lived. Here Macbeth shows a very different side to his character. The cut-throat, strong, confident general has no retort for his wife’s degrading accusations. Could this mean that Macbeth was manipulated by both the witches and his wife? Or did he act on his own free will intending to kill Duncan all along? The driving forces behind Macbeth’s decision remain an ongoing debate.
He also hears voices that say “Macbeth shall sleep no more. Macbeth does murder sleep”. He acknowledges that only the innocent sleep and that sleep is “the balm of hurt minds”. His innocence is forever lost and his actions hereafter will be eternally tainted. Despite his many murders on the battlefield, Macbeth is too afraid to go back to Duncan’s chamber and frame the guards as per the plan. It is Lady Macbeth who must complete the crime.
In Holinshed, Macbeth reigns ably for ten years before being challenged by Macduff and Malcolm. In Shakespeare, however, Macbeth's reign appears to be immediately one of tyranny and murder. Macbeth trusts no one. As the play progresses, Macbeth sinks further into murder. Despite Lady Macbeth’s practical advice to move on, stop the killing and enjoy his new role, Macbeth is “in blood stepp'd in so far, that, returning were as tedious as go o'er”. He is obsessed with the witches and their prophecies. Macbeth decides to hire two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, with a third murderer sent later to assist. Though Fleance escapes, Banquo still dies. Later on, Macbeth has the innocent Lady Macduff, her young son
Macduff's Son
Macduff's son is a character in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth . His name and age are not established in the text, and, typical of Shakespeare's child characters, the boy is cute and clever...
and their entire household brutally murdered. This is a fatal mistake, as Macduff will now seek revenge. In Act V, Lady Macbeth is believed to have committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. By the end of the play Macbeth is duped by the witches' second set of prophecies when “great Birnam Wood move to High Dunsinane” and finally when Macbeth is killed in battle by Macduff.
Other Versions
In the comic book series Kill ShakespeareKill Shakespeare
Kill Shakespeare is a twelve-issue comic book limited series released by IDW Publishing. It is being produced by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, who also act as co-writers, alongside Andy Belanger as head-artist, Ian Herring as colourist and Kagan McLeod as cover artist...
, Macbeth is a very minor character. In the story, he is in a power struggle with Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, but he does not realize that his wife Lady Macbeth is plotting with Richard behind his back. Lady Macbeth eventually kills Macbeth in order to gain control of his armies to aid Richard in his plot to kill William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
.