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In his tragedy Macbeth, Shakespeare portrays the protagonist
Macbeth as a dynamic character, who changes from a brave,
courageous, well-reputed war hero to an ambitious, evil, guilt-ridden
tyrant. The reader first encounters Macbeth as soldiers report of his
acts of heroism during war: “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that
name), disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked
with blood execution (like valor’s minion), carved out his passage till he
faced the slave” (lines 16-20). These lines depict the bravery Macbeth
demonstrated in war; he fought the enemy with no fear and with much
courage. In fact, the soldiers even report of him as “brave Macbeth,”
adding that “he deserves that name.” However, driven by ambition to
become and stay king of Scotland, Macbeth changes throughout the
play. After his murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family,
Macbeth—as well as those around him—realize his capacity for evil.
This is how he is described by Macduff: “Not in the legions of horrid hell
can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth” (lines 56-58).
These lines portray the horrible level to which Macbeth has sunk; he is
compared to the devil. But not only do those around him consider him
to be an evil tyrant, Macbeth himself ponders his depravity, as
demonstrated by his comments: “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear
wife!” (line 37) and “I am sick at heart” (406). These lines show how his
immoral acts are haunting him, preventing him from peace. In Act 5,
Macbeth doesn’t even flinch at his own wife’s scream in the night,
claiming that “I have supped full with horrors. Direness, familiar to my
slaughterous thoughts, cannot once start me” (lines 13-15). These lines
demonstrate how Macbeth, who was once a war hero, is now a horrible
man, accustomed to the most atrocious acts of evil. Nothing can startle
him, for he is the essence of humanity’s worst. Macbeth’s change
throughout the play—from war hero to tyrant—makes him a dynamic
character, but also encourages the reader to consider the consequences
of evil choices.
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