William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is one of his phenomenal works that raised his stature to that of England's greatest dramatists. Macbeth, the protagonist of the play is a valiant soldier, Thane of Glamis and also the cousin of Duncan, king of Scotland.
In the beginning of the play, readers are led to the assumption that he is a brave warrior who fought the war against Norway and killed Sweno , the Norwegian king single-handed. But as the play proceeds, we realize that Macbeth is a weak person at heart. He is unable to discern between vice and virtue. He is highly ambitious but aims to to achieve his goals through unfair means. He blindly believes the prophesies of the three witches. This is what led to his fall. When the prophesy that he would be Thane of Cawdor came true, he concluded that sooner or later, he would become King of Scotland as predicted by the witches. But when Duncan proclaimed his son Malcolm as his successor, Macbeth felt furious and decided to get rid of all the obstacles that hindered his rise as Scotland's king.
Macbeth is a character depicted as a person who lacks moral fiber. He pays no heed to his trusted friend, Banquo's warning that he shouldn't believe in the prophesies told by evil beings as it would fill his mind with malicious thoughts. His wife, Lady Macbeth is the one who nurtured his evil designs and plotted to murder Duncan. Her scheming mind and his ambition together contributed to their downfall. He is willing to use all means possible top become King of Scotland. Thus, ambition which is a virtue in every human being turned out to be one of his greatest flaws.
No comments:
Post a Comment