Macbeth is a man; therefore he is the character most capable of violence. Is this what Shakespeare says?
Shakespeare illustrates how not just Macbeth, but other male and female characters, can be violent. Violence is a subjective term. Perhaps physical violence is what Macbeth is capable of due to his impulsive need towards “finishing the job”. However, the Witches and Lady Macbeth contributed to his demise as well. This could be seen as another form of “violence”; one defined as psychological violence. Macbeth is not the most aggressive in the play because there are also other male protagonists who are truly competent with violence.
At first glance, Macbeth is a man looking for a fight. Despite showing concern over the murders he commits, Macbeth always ends up going through with even more murders. He continues with his stance on killing people for his own advantage, his never-ending list of victims dominating the plot of the play: “I am settled; and bend up/Each corporal agent to this terrible feat”. Macbeth here reveals how he is determined to use all his body strength to murder King Duncan. He does so successfully, and the fact he completed his first risky murder as an individual, shows how daring Macbeth is in unsatisfied situations. As the play reaches a standstill, Macbeth is the most aggressive we have ever seen him be: “I have almost forgot the taste of fears”. Macbeth chooses to remain and fight with Macduff even after discovering that Macduff had indeed not been of woman born: “Why should I play the Roman fool and die”. Macbeth’s bold actions validate that he is indeed a worthy component of violence.
The play suggests that female characters such as Lady Macbeth and the Witches are also violent, but it is their thoughts and behaviours which demonstrate this. The Witches show hostility through their evil objectives of telling Macbeth promising prophecies. They conspired to harm Scotland, thus casting violence to the country in a secretive manner:...