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Character Study of Macbeth: From "Brave Macbeth" to "Dead Butcher"
There can be no play without characters to tell the story. In Shakespeare's plays,
though he borrowed many of his stories, the characters are his own inventions
based on various sources. Although there is no mention anywhere in the text of the
play of any of Macbeth's physical characteristics, such as height or hair and eye
colour, we do see a psychological progression from 'brave Macbeth' (1.1.16) to 'dead
butcher' (5.9.36). The playwright, through the actor playing the role, gives us an
almost diagrammatic study in the destruction of a man and his reputation, as well as
the rebirth of Scotland.
Unlike many other Shakespeare plays, the eponymous hero does not make his
entrance until the third scene of Act I. When the play opens, we are given only a
brief sketch to whet our expectations. The witches are the first characters we see,
and if Shakespeare intended to grab our attention, this opening surely does it. They
are 'real' in the sense that we can actually see them, but they are also supernatural
in that we believe witches belong to the world of evil spirits and sing-song spells. In
lines 7-8, they inform us that they are to meet Macbeth upon the heath - nothing
else. But we must wonder: why Macbeth? Why on the heath? What do they want?
The following scene takes us to a battlefield. King Duncan receives details of a fight
between his forces and the rebels forces led by Macdonald and troops from Norway.
The Captain tells the King that 'brave Macbeth' (1.2.16) met the traitor Macdonald
with his sword drawn and killed him in a very horrible and gory manner. Thus our
first description of Macbeth is that of a brave, loyal soldier defending his King and
country from those who would take the throne and enslave the people. The King is
so pleased with Macbeth's performance that he gives Macbeth the traitor's title,
Thane of Cawdor, calling him 'noble Macbeth' (1.2.67). Thus we are led to believe
that Macbeth is a good man, loyal, courageous, and determined. He has proven his
valour and is duly rewarded by the King.
Immediately following, however, we are shown the witches for the second time in
three scenes, effectively framing Macbeth the soldier with witches, which could
imply that Macbeth is no ordinary warrior. When Macbeth enters, his opening lines
echo those of the witches in the first scene:
Witches. Fair is foul and foul is fair … (1.1.12)
Macbeth. So foul and fair a day I have not seen (1.3.36)
Obviously, then, there is some link between Macbeth and the witches. At this point,
however, we do not know the nature of the relationship, only that the witches
intend to meet Macbeth, but the implication is that this is an unholy alliance.
It is not long before we witness the meeting. While Macbeth's friend, Banquo, stands
near him, the witches greet Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and 'king
hereafter' (1.3.43). Macbeth is startled by what he hears. He knows he is already
Thane of Glamis, but does not know, as we do, that Duncan has promoted him to
Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth, and we as well, are surprised by the promise of kingship.
Banquo's prophecy is even more fantastic: he will be the father of kings but not king,
and will be greater and happier than Macbeth! Yet, just like us, Macbeth wants to
know more. Why did the Weird Sisters address him as Cawdor and king? Where did
they get their information? Why deliver the prophecies on the heath? We know
about the heath and Cawdor, but we do not know the source of the other
prophecies. Is it possible that the witches are able to tell the future?
When Ross and Angus enter to proclaim Macbeth's promotion, the announcement
comes as a surprise to him, and temporarily our attention is diverted since the two
men merely state what we have already seen. More subtly, however, as Macbeth
believes the event to be a fulfilment of a prophecy, we note somewhere in the back
of our minds that we do not have any information about Macbeth that would allow
us to understand how he could become king, especially since we are unaware of any
problems with the present King. What Shakespeare is doing here with Macbeth is
comparable to peeling an onion: this character will be revealed layer by layer.
In the next few lines it becomes apparent that Macbeth not only has thought about
being king, but he also believes what the witches tell him is true:
Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor:
The greatest is behind …
Two truths are told,
As happy prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme. (1.3.115-116, 126-128)
Macbeth knows that in order to become king, Duncan must die, by natural or
unnatural means, and this last thought strikes him with panic and fear while he
debates the good or bad of the prophecies. That he did not dismiss them right away
as ridiculous indicates that in spite of his bravery as a soldier, Macbeth is not totally
committed to Duncan. He has ambitions for himself, and if anything stands in his
way, he will probably eliminate it. Macbeth's change has begun.
When Macbeth presents himself before Duncan, however, he pledges his 'service
and loyalty' (1.4.22) to Duncan without reservation. Once Duncan announces he has
made his eldest son, Malcolm, his heir and Prince of Cumberland, Macbeth's
response is immediate:
… that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. (1.4.48-50)
As rapidly as we are thrown into the events of the play, we are shown that Macbeth
not only loves his King and country, but also himself. It still remains to be seen what
action he will take.
We do not have to wait long, because the next scene takes us to Macbeth's home
where we meet his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has just received a letter from
her husband in which we learn more about him. Apparently in an effort to find out
more about the prophecies, Macbeth has had the witches investigated and has
… learned by the perfectest report that they have more in them than mortal
knowledge. (1.5.2-3)
It is clear that after calling the witches 'imperfect speakers' (1.3.68), Macbeth has
now changed his mind. Macbeth also mediates and interprets the prophecies and
conveys his version to his wife which differs to the one we know.
Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth 'my dearest partner of greatness' (1.5.9-10) and here it
seems he is sincere. Lady Macbeth, however, is determined that her husband
becomes king and in her speech, implies he lacks the qualities necessary to
assassinate Duncan without remorse or regret. She waits anxiously for Macbeth so
that she can spur him on to regicide. She is so bent on the 'golden round' (1.5.26)
that she prays for supernatural help to devoid her of any feminine traits and
reinforce her 'fell purpose' (1.5.44). When her husband arrives, she begins her
campaign by greeting him with the two titles he has and implies the third - king.
The rest of scene involves Lady Macbeth telling her husband to 'Leave all the rest to
me' (1.5.71). These six words not only implicate Lady Macbeth in the murder of
Duncan, but they also cause us to wonder if the pair will succeed in their act of
assassination. Given that Macbeth has shown some doubt, perhaps the plan will fail.
Duncan arrives at the castle and while the King eats dinner and prepares to sleep
peacefully, Macbeth is still debating how he can achieve the crown without getting
caught or punished. His wife joins him in this reverie, and severely rebukes him for
his confusion. She tells him that he is less than a man if he does not carry out the
murder, and that she, a mere woman, has more strength of purpose than he. As
Lady Macbeth unfolds the details to her husband, she is also telling us the plan and
implicating us as we sit helpless in the audience. The two are in agreement as we
move closer and closer to the murder of the King.
In the opening scene of Act II, the murder is committed. In the short space of eight
scenes, Shakespeare gives us all the information (and a bit more) that we need to
understand the character of Macbeth. We have seen him at his best and at his
worst. We have witnessed his succumbing to the entreaties of his wife, and we have
seen him go off to kill not only the King, but also any witnesses to the act. Everything
that happens from this point forward will be based on our observations: Macbeth
seizing the crown; the dissolution of his marriage and the death of his Queen; the
murders of Banquo, Lady Macduff and the children; the death of Lady Macbeth;
Macbeth's defeat and death.
Macbeth will consult the witches once more and since he believed their prophecies
at the beginning of the play, we know that he will believe the Apparitions that he
forces them to conjure. However, we also know that because of his inability to think
clearly, he will not understand their true meaning and arrive at his own erroneous
conclusions. But this character in the person of the actor tells more than one story.
According to Machiavelli in The Prince, the ends of political power justify any means
taken to achieve them. Macbeth clearly shows not only the action of unbridled
ambition, but also its results. Perhaps one of the reasons for the play's continued
popularity is its portrayal of a politician that we can all recognise in our present day
systems.
The character of Macbeth also serves as a metaphor for birth and death on several
levels. On the one hand, Macbeth marks the birth of a new political ideology and the
death of a tradition. On another, Malcolm's creation of the first Scottish earls from
the thanes marks the birth of a new society, while Macbeth's death signals the end
of the old. Still further, the childlessness of the Macbeths compared to the families
of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff reflects these societal changes. Perhaps most
uniquely, Macbeth lacks any sub-plot and therefore, there is no comedy (except the
Porter, 2.3) to offset the intensity of the tragedy nor is there any thread of
bawdiness (except the Porter, 2.3 and the witches, 1.3 and 1.4).
Although Macbeth is the shortest of all of Shakespeare's plays (2,108 lines), the
playwright does not take any shortcuts in developing Macbeth as a human being
who, when given a choice, chooses his own gain instead of his people's welfare. He
also puts himself before any consideration of family or the community that is
comprised of those families. We are presented not only with a soldier who killed his
way to the throne of Scotland, but also a man who could be our next-door
neighbour. And that, with the warning of the witches, is really scary.