ENGL100A Lecture Notes - Fleance, Lady Macduff, Three Witches
16 Apr 2013
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Macbeth - macbeth is a scottish general and the thane of glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned king of scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, macbeth proves himself better suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant. His response to every problem is violence and murder. Unlike shakespeare"s great villains, such as iago in othello and richard iii in richard iii, macbeth is never comfortable in his role as a criminal. He is unable to bear the psychological consequences of his atrocities.
