Macbeth Character Analysis (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)

Macbeth Character Analysis

Macbeth is motivated by ambition, the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth, all of which lead to his moral corruption and tragic downfall.

Macbeth character summary

Why is Macbeth important?

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is depicted as:

• Brave and noble: before Macbeth appears on stage, the audience are given a positive impression of him as a fearless and noble soldier through the Captain’s report. For example, he is described as “brave” and “like Valour’s minion”. He is also praised for his brutality on the battlefield and this violence prepares the audience for similar violence later in the play. 

• Ambitious: in contrast to his comrade Banquo, Macbeth is immediately enticed by the witches’ dangerous prophecies. Although Macbeth’s hamartia is ambition, in a classical virtue system ambition is not a flaw unless it is misdirected or taken to extreme measures. It could then be said that Macbeth’s ambition is both misdirected and taken to extremes, and that Lady Macbeth plays a crucial role in shaping and misdirecting his ambition.

As the play unfolds, Macbeth becomes increasingly unsympathetic as a character and is portrayed as:

• Ruthless: Macbeth’s power comes from his capacity for violence and the ability to kill his enemy. In battle he is described as killing the traitor Macdonwald, unseaming “him from the nave to the chops”.  As king, Macbeth’s ambition drives him to control and manipulate others much more ruthlessly in order to consolidate his position. For example, he hires murderers to kill Banquo, persuading them that “Banquo was [their] enemy” and orders the murder of Macduff’s family. 

• Paranoid and guilt-ridden: despite Macbeth’s ruthlessness, his guilt is demonstrated when he sees Banquo’s ghost: “For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind”. This could be interpreted by the audience as a product of Macbeth’s paranoia and guilt-ridden imagination rather than the direct influence of supernatural forces. 

• Nihilistic: Macbeth increasingly contemplates the futility and meaninglessness of life, particularly in his final soliloquy in Act 5. His recognition of his own errors and his inevitable downfall give him a self-awareness which ultimately makes him a tragic hero.

For more on how Shakespeare presents the character of Macbeth, see our video below:

Macbeth’s use of language

The language Shakespeare uses for Macbeth, from elevated iambic pentameter to fragmented prose and introspective soliloquies, reflects his complex and changing character:

• Iambic pentameter: Macbeth often speaks in iambic pentameter which gives his dialogue a formal and elevated tone. This is typical of a noble or important character and conveys his high status. However, as his moral decline progresses, his speech becomes more fragmented.
  

• Prose and rhyming couplets: Macbeth occasionally shifts into prose which Shakespeare uses to distance Macbeth from his noble status and to signify his moral degradation. For example, when he speaks to Banquo’s assassins Shakespeare chooses prose to illustrate his deceptive nature. Similarly, he occasionally speaks in rhyming couplets which mirrors the language patterns of the witches, linking him to their malevolence and demonstrating his corrupted state.
  

• Soliloquies and asides: These dramatic techniques reveal Macbeth’s ambition, guilt, paranoia and growing nihilism as the audience witnesses his descent from a loyal warrior to a tyrannical ruler. Dramatically, Shakespeare’s soliloquies enable the audience to connect with Macbeth’s inner thoughts and emotions, offering insight into the truth as he sees it. While Macbeth lies to those around him, he does not deceive the audience, nor does he deceive himself.

Macbeth key quotes

Macbeth character development

Structurally, Macbeth’s soliloquies trace his rise and fall, revealing his awareness of the inevitable fate that controls his destiny.

For more on the development of Macbeth’s character, see our video below:

Macbeth character interpretation

Macbeth’s violence

A contemporary or modern audience may accept that violence is acceptable (even sometimes admirable) in war or when defending one’s country. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth’s violence could then be viewed as noble: he is described as killing a traitor and defending Scotland and its king. However, the play was written at a time when the king was widely believed to be God’s representative on Earth. Therefore, Macbeth’s later act of regicide (the killing of a rightful king) would have been seen as the ultimate crime, so his murder of Duncan marks his moral downfall. Indeed, the murder of Duncan is performed off-stage since a contemporary audience would have viewed the killing of a king as a horrific crime. 

The Divine Right of Kings

James I was thought to be descended from Banquo so the prophecies Banquo receives from the witches support his Divine Right to the throne, reinforcing the idea that Macbeth’s rule is illegitimate. 

Jacobean societal expectations

The play reflects the volatile nature of society during both the medieval and Shakespearean era and the social expectations that unlawfully killing another would be rightfully punished. Macbeth’s defiance of the law, natural justice and royal succession mean that those who rebel against him can be seen as true loyalists, with Macbeth depicted as a tyrant and usurper. Ultimately, Macbeth must be defeated to atone for his crimes and restore the moral order. 

Religion and the supernatural

The belief in witches during Shakespeare’s era (King James I even wrote a book on the subject called Daemonologie) meant that engaging with fate and fortune posed a challenge to traditional religious beliefs.

Macbeth could therefore be viewed as a puppet manipulated by forces beyond his control (since some of the audience would have believed in supernatural forces) or a character who is so desperate that he resorts to achieving his goals through the darkest means possible.