Macbeth A War Hero - 2055 Words

Macbeth opens on a war hero who is crowned for his achievements in the battlefield. At that point, he reaches higher than Meursault and Winston ever did, only to fall to what our society views as the lowest crime of all three characters: Macbeth kills king Duncan, whom he loved. Unfortunately, the murder he intended as the end-all was only the spark that lit a wildfire. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth attribute Duncan’s murder to their desire to gain the crown but is that really so? The witches claim that Macbeth â€Å"shalt be king hereafter† (Shakespeare I. iii. P. 6) before he even has the idea to kill Duncan, so why didn’t he just let the supposed forces of nature take their course without his own violent interference? Soonafter, Macbeth hires†¦show more content†¦He indirectly confesses that he’s been living a lie. He killed king Duncan out of an irrational thought, and the same goes for Banquo. As the hunt for nonexistent rationality drives Macbeth further into insanity, he gives fully into his instability and allows his actions leeway without considering whether they are reasoned at all. He even promises â€Å"The very firstlings of my heart shall be/ The firstlings of my hand. And even now,/ To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done† (Shakespeare IV. ii. P. 56). He kills Macduff’s entire family and hardly bats an eye. Unfortunately, even avoiding general conscious thought about his actions can’t help him. He may stop trying to find rational reasons for his actions, but without accepting their inherent irrationality, he is still philosophically doomed. Macbeth was right about the witches-- he certainly has damned himself. It isn’t until he reaches rock bottom that his true existential colors show. When his wife dies, he comes to terms with the futility of all his pain and suffering. All his risk-taking and mental turmoil turns to dust in the wind when his wife dies in vain and his own impending death is on the horizon. He realizes how short life truly is: â€Å"Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more: it is a tale/†¦ Signifying nothing† (Shakespeare V. v. p. 77). Finally, Macbeth accepts his actions:Show MoreRelatedHow and Why Does Macbeth Turn from War Hero Into Evil Murderer?1675 Words   |  7 PagesIn particular reference to Act One, How and why does Macbeth turn from war hero into evil murderer? ‘Macbeth,’ a Shakespeare play, written in 1606, portrays a tragic hero. The definition of which is... ‘That a character shows the qualities of a hero, however has a fatal flaw, (a term used in many of Shakespeare’s plays), which leads to his/her downfall. Shakespeare wrote the play ‘Macbeth’ for King James I, who, at the time, was a great supporter of the theatre. 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