Macbeth is an extremely complex character who begins the play in a similar fashion to how he ends

it, that being on the battlefield. He is seen by some as a brave warrior who shouldn’t have dabbled in
politics and ambition, and he is seen by others as a butcher and a tyrant on par with Shakespeare’s
depiction of Richard III.

Our first introduction to Macbeth is through the Captains description of the battle against the
combined armies of Norway and Macdonald. The Captain recalls about “Brave Macbeth”, the use of
the epithet “brave” gives us the original impression of Macbeth as a brave and capable warrior. This
is further reinforced by the later reference to Macbeth as “Bellona’s Bridegroom”, putting him on
par with the Roman Goddess of war. This initial perception of a brave and loyal warrior is then
complicated by Macbeth’s interaction with the witches where he displays his true ambition,
describing his life as an “imperial theme”, showing that he wishes to become king (by the use of the
word Imperial).

Furthermore, Macbeth is shown as power-hungry by Shakespeare. Shortly after Malcolm is

announced as Prince of Cumberland (heir to the Scottish throne) Macbeth describes it as a step
which he must “o’erleap” showing his true intension being to become King. Macbeth does show
some self-doubt however as he worries that his regicide may come “to plague th’ inventor”.
However, in the next scene he resigns himself to sending Duncan “to heaven or to hell”, sealing his
own fate through the “dagger” which he imagines before himself. Shakespeare also shows that
Macbeth will kill to keep his throne as shortly after he assumed the throne, he ordered murderers to
resolve his “fears in Banquo”.

Towards the end of the play Macbeth is shown to be a tyrant both through the description of him as
a “butcher” and having Scotland “afraid to know itself”, and through the depiction of his arrogance
and impatience. Towards the end of the play Macbeths arrogance is shown when he repeatedly
screams for his servant “Seyton!... Seyton, I say!” (also implying that Macbeth is in command of hell,
reinforcing the image of him as a tyrant through the use of the homophone). During his final duel,
after “Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane”, he taunts that Macduff “losest labour”, implying that he
was already certain of his victory (not knowing of course that Macduff was not “of woman born” and
was instead “from his mothers womb untimely ripped”.) During the final scene of the play Macbeth
is shown to be an illegitimate tyrant not through the words said to him but through those said to
Malcolm, hailed as “King of Scotland”, words never said to Macbeth.

To conclude, throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare presents him in a number of different ways, all of
them leading to the tyrannical reign which saw his deposition. He quickly builds up an image of
“Brave Macbeth”, only to quickly tear it down with murderous ambition and treachery, with
Macbeth beginning the play after a victory and ending it dying in single combat