Analysis of how Macbeth changes

Macbeth by William Shakespeare is the story of how one mans hubris destroys him. From it, we can extrapolate and comment on how in society people have a choice. We can live a life of altruism, valour and nobility or one fuelled by ambition, greed and violence. Macbeths journey from the former to the later showcases to the audience the dangers of selfishness. It prompts us to question our view of life – do we succumb to the false promises of evil, as tempting as they are, or do we remain defiant and true to ourselves. Shakespeare’s play is a very clear warning against listening to the dark forces that are constantly around us.

In the initial scenes of the play, Shakespeare creates a very deliberate first impression of Macbeth and the witches. Before we meet Macbeth, we gain a favourable impression of him as the dialogue of others contains numerous approbatory adjectives. He is praised as being “brave Macbeth” and “well deserves that name”. In battle, he is like both “valour’s minion” and “Bellona’s bridegroom”. King Duncan rewards him for his bravery with the tile of Thane of Cawdor. Shakespeare takes care to create a first impression of Macbeth that is noble and brave so that the audience may fully appreciate how his character changes throughout that course of the play. The first impression that audience gets of the witches is that of danger and malice. They have already decided to meet Macbeth after the “hurlyburly’s done”, implying that they can foretell the future, Shakespeare also shows the witches to be malevolent and vengeful as they unduly punish a sailors wife over a chestnut. The audience learns from their first impression of the witches that creatures with such power and ill will should be feared, ignored and avoided. Their appearance warns us of the evil that they possess - an important cause of the change in Macbeth’s character. This is the first glance the audience gets of the idea that evil is ever present and that we need to be alert and awake