Introduction
Macbeth and the character Lago in Othello, together with the portrayals of Richard III, are Shakespeare's most creative analysis and explorations of evil. Although other characters turned to be murderers in some of his other pays like Claudius in Hamlet and Brutus in Julius Caesar; the play Macbeth is a presentation that is more complex and closer in how brave with everything working out for them can end up being corrupted because of desire and ambition and thus conspiring to commit acts of murder (Crane, 2018). It is relevant to analyze how Shakespeare can be creative in depicting a man who was persuaded to act with evil intentions and thereby gets wracked by the conscience of such actions. The essay will thus present an understanding of the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a play that remains one of the most creative works of William Shakespeare.
Macbeth’s Character as a Presentation of a Real King
The play's source is that Macbeth's character was a presentation of a real King of Scotland, though he appeared different from that murderous and ambitious creation by Shakespeare. Macbeth's wife is a realistic representation of the Scottish wife to the King in real-time. The actual Macbeth went on and killed Duncan in 1040 in a battle, and he went on to be the ruler for 17 years, until his death, after which Lulach, the idiot his stepson, took over and became the King. The stepson only lasted for a year as King, after which Malcolm III replaced him.
The plot is an integration of two stories; the first is the story related to Macbeth, and the other involves the murder of Duffe by his wife. Although as fairies, the witches appear in Holinshed, suggested only pretty and young women and not old or ugly hags. King Duncan of Holinshed is a feeble and weal ruler who unfairly pronounces his son on as the Prince of Cumberland, which therefore means he becomes the rightful heir to the throne; by doing so, he thwarted Macbeth's rightful claim to that throne, by the wife's previous marriage and the son by her initial husband (Gélinas et al., 2018). Right in Holinshed, Macbeth is very right to hold a grudge against Duncan instead of being motivated solely by his ambition. When Duncan pronounces his son the heir to the throne, Macbeth never took it to be his slight but instead appears to have no genuine claim. Macbeth sees it as a turning point, for he knows that for him to become King, he ought to have the crown using force for him to become King. Banquo helps Macbeth in killing Duncan.
Downfall of Macbeth
The play is a portrayal of the downfall of Macbeth, a brave warrior. Right after Ireland and Norway's victory, Macbeth receives a prophecy from here witches who promise Kingship in Scotland. The witches also prophesy that the sons of Banquo will also take the kingship right after him. At this time, Macbeth is named the Cowder in Thane. Macbeth is ambitious and happy upon receiving the prophecy from the three witches. King Duncan later declares to spend the night in Macbeth's castle in celebration of the victory in Ireland and Norway. Macbeth informs the wife of the King's arrival and the prophecies made to him by the trio of witches. The wife appears evil. She conspires to have the King killed and then convinces Macbeth to take up the challenge and fight for his rights as a man.
She plans to have the Chamberlain's drink to presents them as culprits af6e committing the murder. Right after everyone's asleep, they begin to act on their evil plan, and then Macbeth ends up stabbing King Duncan, thus murdering him. The morning afterward comes Macduff to the castle of Macbeth for the King only to have him murdered. After that, the Chamberlains are murdered by Macbeth in a demonstration of anger following the King's death and to portray his innocent at the end of the King (Putra, 2019). Banquo chats with Macbeth for a moment and then departs. Macbeth, later on, declares himself to be the King. He is afraid of Banquo, for the second prophecy involved his sons being kings of Scotland after him; therefore, he arranges t have Banquo and the sons murdered. However, the son manages to escape through the dark into the woods.
In all this chaos and betrayal, Banquo remains a good friend and loyal to Duncan and never plots any murder against the other as Macbeth and lady Macbeth does. However, later on, we realize that the ghost begins to haunt Macbeth, and he begins to be abnormal. It is a demonstration of the difference in the personalities of these two. Both Banquo and Macbeth are brave and ambitious people, but Macbeth appears to be evil. Banquo appears virtuous since he never takes the approach towards acquiring power anyway. Duncan, the Scottish King, is righteous and an honored king who gets murdered by Macbeth since he is ambitious and lustful of the kingship (Javed, 2020). Duncan is referenced as the King in the entire play, unlike Macbeth, who is referenced as the Tyrant after declaring himself to be the King. This is another contrast between being a good king and a tyrant. Macbeth regularly engages in killing every person who appears to be a barrier towards his kingship. He is an immoral and wicked individual who does evil, while Duncan seems to be virtuous and moral as his leadership is all peaceful and just.
The play is also a reflection of the effects and consequences that come along as the rest of lust for power in an individual who is morally weak and does not know how to make sound decisions in his ruling. Macbeth understands the results of evil deeds but commits them anyway since he does not have the ultimate power in the land. He is a weak leader who gets persuaded by his wife to murder those who appear to be a threat to his throne. This translates to his tragic downfall that Shakespeare creatively presents at the end of the play.
Conclusion
The play uses the themes of passion and reason as represented with Lady Macbeth and Macbeth through their decision-making strategies. Macbeth appears to be a clear-sighted and logical thinker; he understands the consequences of his evil doing. He is guilty of breaking his trust with Duncan but still gets persuaded by his wife to commit murder. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth examines the cons and pros of her evil plans passionately as presented when he planned the murder of King Duncan. She is a vicious and emotional individual who applies emotional arguments in convincing her husband to kill the King. Shakespeare used the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate the consequence of evil dongs and how the lust for power can be misleading. Taking the lust for power for leadership, Shakespeare showed how malicious ambition and lack of moral skills could trigger wrongdoing. The play also reflects how such evil acts can be detrimental to the effects they have on those who commit them.
The play has used violence not only as a male attribute but also as an attribute that can also be adopted by the women. This is well explored with Lady Macbeth and the trio of witches in the play. Macbeth is clearly presented as an aggressive, violent, and cruel woman. She is the lead conspirator in the murder of Duncan and has Macbeth commit to her evil plans of killing everyone who posed as a threat to their throne. We can also see how the witches appear to be evil and cruel though their conservations in the entire play. Throughout the play, Shakespeare presents the understanding that violence is no longer a matter of masculinity but an attribute that can also be adapted by the women.
