Macbeth's Character Analysis

In the world of Shakespeare Macbeth plays the role of both the villain to society and hero to the reader or watcher. Macbeth continuously lives his life easily influenced and manipulated to commit actions which are inhumane. His slow ascension to becoming evil is because of his own vice and ambitions. His journey through the play really starts when he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth to murder Duncan. From there he facilitates that decision with his own decision making and actions such as murdering Banquo and executing Macduff’s family. Although Macbeth faces the consequences for his actions by suffering from external retribution. Those issues which created the retribution were made because of Macbeth's personal vice. 

Macbeth’s fatal flaw throughout Shakespeare’s tragedy is his ambition to become King and blindness towards the actions which surround it. Starting the downfall of Macbeth was the murder of Duncan. Feeling distraught about going through with it, Lady Macbeth preys on the ego of Macbeth and convinces him to do so, “Art thou afeard / To be in the same in thine own act and valor / As thou art in desire?” (1.7.39–41). Deeper into the scene Lady Macbeth questions his manhood to further drive her manipulation, “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.49). These tactics which Lady Macbeth uses to set Macbeth back on track are effective and lays the groundwork for his peril. Without this scene and the actions of Lady Macbeth there would be no issues and no lives lost to the reciprocations of the murder. This one scene changed Macbeth because from this point on his life was at a steady decline. Feeling anguished after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth of the voices in his head that are telling him that “[he] murders sleep,” as if his guilty conscience will prevent him from peace and rest for a long time. This quote demonstrates that even Macbeth himself feels the consequences of his own vice. Not only does he face the results of his wrong doings physically but it pays a toll on his mental wellbeing. His emotions in this quote highlight that the suffering he faces from his vice are not only physical but mental.

Macbeth suffers from bad influences which shape his morality and actions. In act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth reacts to the letter which Macbeth sent to her after meeting with the Witches, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be / What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness /… Art not without ambition, but without / The illness should attend it”(1.5.15-20). Lady Macbeth's soliloquy describes Macbeth pre-tragedy, a kind and good man who doesn’t cheat his way to the top. Although she describes him in such a good manner she wants his ambitions to take control of his life not his morals. Lady Macbeth later in that scene says, “Hiee thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear / And chastise with the valor of my tongue”(1.5.28-30). Lady Macbeth knows the only way to make Macbeth act upon his own ambitions is for her to influence him to do so as she later does. 

To conclude, Macbeth's personal vice and ambitions makes him become his own enemy. The suffering which he inflicts to others not only causes pain to himself mentally but physically as well. The physical suffering which is imposed on him is the direct effect of the actions influenced by his vice. Without the murder and suffering caused there would be no external retribution seeking to end his brutality and treachary. Therefore Macbeth suffered more from his own wickedness rather than the pain brought to him by Macduff and Malcolm.