Character Analysis - Macbeth

The first character who caught my eye was our protagonist, Macbeth. He stands victorious after defeating the traitor thane of Cawdor. My first impression of him is of a courageous leader. This was solely due to the way the injured soldier portrayed Macbeth and his comrade Banquo. However, when Macbeth meets with the witches in Scene 3, his darker side is revealed and expressed. Within his thoughts, out comes a man with ambitions to seize power and control. He wonders if he will murder for the sake of the throne when the time presents itself.

Macbeth’s role in the play will follow the witches’ prophecies. How far Macbeth will go for the throne is still unknown with my present knowledge. The fact that Macbeth is considering to commit treason in order to seize the throne, gives me with an uneasy feeling. Knowing that the play “Macbeth” is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, I do not expect Macbeth to proceed with the valiant act.

From my personal viewpoint, I like Macbeth very much as a character. Brilliantly engineered by Shakespeare himself, he highlights the fact that not everyone may seem like whom they may be. Macbeth is a heroic leader to his fellow comrades. Unfortunately to their dismay, he contains a power hungry nature within. Macbeth’s ally, Banquo, continues to inform him of the devilish ruse that the witches may be trying pull them into. Banquo’s cries are ignored as Macbeth is lost in within his thoughts.

Macbeth is a very interesting character and I look forward to seeing how he turns out as a character. Will his prophecy come true? What will Macbeth do as he is given the opportunity to seize the throne? Will he lose his ability to distinguish right from wrong through his power hungry ambitions? There are many questions left to be answered as I am eager to read on.

Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Macbeth_of_Scotland.jpg