Macbeth is above all else a flawed man. Discuss.
The play Macbeth is littered with minor characters and as a result the central characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are impeccably detailed. Shakespeare presents in the character of Macbeth a man who is human, he has his strengths and his weaknesses. Macbeth is a man that is ultimately flawed. He is a man with several admirable qualities but he has one major flaw, his vaulting ambition which ultimately is the sole reason that Macbeth has to commit the evil acts beginning with the murder of the lawful king, Duncan, in the first act of the play.
We hear about Macbeth before we ever see him on stage. The opening short scene in the play is a dark and eerie scene in which three witches speak about meeting Macbeth upon the heath. This initially alerts the reader that the protagonist is in some way linked with these evil demonic creatures. When Duncan is being told of their victory in battle all present speak of the valour and strength of Macbeth. It seems he is a loyal soldier, a valiant warrior and a man who is regarded highly among his peers. Duncan is so impressed with him that he confers the title of Thane of Cawdor on him.
Our first meeting with Macbeth sees him on stage with his companion Banquo where they encounter the afore mentioned witches. They hail him Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King thereafter. We see immediately that he is intrigued by their words. While Banquo dismisses them as not to be trusted Macbeth is insistent that they speak about the prophesies further when they are alone. Macbeth soon learns that in fact he has been made Thane of Cawdor by Duncan in return for his valour in war Macbeth’s mind goes into overdrive and we see that he has a very definite ambition to be king.
He writes to his wife immediately to tell her of the prophesies of the witches. She, like her husband, sees immediate possibility in their words. She speaks at length and alerts us to what she considers to be...