Macbeth Essay (Rough)

The two characters in Macbeth that may be characterized as villains are Macbeth and Lady

Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth is one of the two true villains in Macbeth. Macbeth Murdered Duncan because

the Three Witches told him he would be king and Lady Macbeth forcefully encourages Macbeth to

murder Duncan, which Macbeth gives in to. Lady Macbeth enters and tells her husband that the

king has dined and that he has been asking for Macbeth. Macbeth declares that he no longer

intends to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, outraged, calls him a coward and questions his manhood.

She says, “then you were a man” (1.7.49). He asks her what will happen if they fail; she

promises that as long as they are bold, they will be successful. Then she tells him her plan:

while Duncan sleeps, she will give his chamberlains wine to make them drunk, and then she and

Macbeth can slip in and murder Duncan. They will smear the blood of Duncan on the sleeping

chamberlains to cast the guilt upon them. Astonished at the brilliance and daring of her plan,

Macbeth tells his wife that her “undaunted mettle” makes him hope that she will only give birth

to male children (1.7.73). He then agrees to proceed with the murder. Lady Macbeth wants

Duncan killed so she can have more of what she wants so she convinces and uses Macbeth so she can

get her way. Lady Macbeth values having power over other human life. Lady Macbeth wanted to kill

King Duncan because with his death, brings her power, wealth and fame. Lady Mcbeth just wants to be

above everybody else in every regard so his death would make that happen. Lady Macbeth is motivated

to kill King Duncan by her ambition and her desire to become the queen of Scotland.
 Macbeth is the second villain in Macbeth. The three witches tell Macbeth that there are

prophecies and he decides he wants to do something to make them come true. In the first act of

"Macbeth," Macbeth encounters a trio of witches, the "weird sisters." The y tell Macbeth he will be

"Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor" and "king hereafter." They further announce they will greet him

again "when the battle's lost and won." They then recite in unison, "fair is foul, and foul is fair." Later in

the play, Macbeth again meets the witches, who summon three ghostly apparitions, each of which

offers a prophecy involving Macbeth's future. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both get the guards drunk

and murder the king with daggers. Macbeth encounters three witches and they tell Macbeth that he will

be "Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor" and "king hereafter." They say they will greet him again "once

the battle's lost and won”. Later in the play, Macbeth again meets the witches, who summon three

ghostly apparitions, each of which offers a prophecy involving Macbeth's future. The first apparition the

witches create is a disembodied head, wearing a helmet made of metal armor. This ghostly entity warns

Macbeth to "beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife." This prophecy says Macduff will eventually

return to Scotland and make an attempt to try to ruin Macbeth in some way. This prophecy

foreshadows Macbeth's death at the hands of Macduff. The second apparition is a bloody child, who

gives Macbeth the following prophecy: "For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth." This prophecy

comes to foreshadow Macbeth's death by Macduff. The final apparition the witches create is another

child, this one holding a branch instead. This apparition tells Macbeth he will not be vanquished until

"Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." This foreshadows the attack on

Elsinore castle when troops use the branches of trees from Birnam Wood as camouflage until they sneak

into range and are close enough to mount their attack. These 3 prophecies lead to Macbeth’s acts in the

future.

This was why Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the two villains in Macbeth. I think that there

could be more villains but these two were the first to come to mind.