Analysis of Macbeth

Analysis of Macbeth

"Macbeth" is a play written by the world-famous British author, William Shakespeare somewhere in the years between 1606 and 1607. The play is framed in an English kingdom, where greed and violation of the order of nature come to have fatal consequences for the main characters of the tragedy. It tells the story about how the main character Macbeth, from whom the play also has its name, seals his own tragic fate by letting his own greed devour him entirely.

The Shakespearean Tragedy

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves..."

Julius Caesar, W. Shakespeare

The tragedy as genre origins as far back as the old, Greek art. The first plays of this kind dates back to the 5th century BC, where they were used to describe and moralize about the role of man in the universe.

Shakespeare has, along with many other writers in more modern times, embraced this genre throughout his body of work to clarify and communicate his points about fate. This is also seen in Macbeth, where the witches play the role as the anticipatory element that tells Macbeth that he "shalt be king hereafter."

Shakespeare's tragedies have different approaches to who is to blame for the genre-essential breakdown, but as it is seen in Julius Caesar, the degradation of man is not something fatal, decided by the stars; it is in man and his interpretations and abuse of their messages.

The rise and fall of Macbeth

In the beginning of the story, we hear about Macbeth as a fortuned and brave man "For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name - Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel (...)" as seen in this quote, where he is described as an unselfish character with great powers. He is a skilled warrior, and his ambitions for his life does not reach further than the thane-title, he is already in possession of.

But this all changes shortly after his first encounter with the witches in the forest. At first Macbeth is filled up with confusion, and a slight bit of desperation is to be found in the somewhat febrile speech he gives the witches after their prophecy about his future; "The thane of Cawdor lives, A prosperous gentleman, and to be king Stands not within the prospect of belief, No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence you owe this strange intelligence, or why upon this blasted health stop our way with such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you."

He tries to force the mystical creatures into speaking, but as they vanish he is left behind with nothing but a prophecy that does not seem to have any interest in evaporating from his mind. Initially Macbeth tries to gather his thoughts, but before he is able to do so, he is appointed