A review by isabel_is_reading
Macbeth by William Shakespeare

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a searing exploration of ambition, power, guilt, and fate, framed by the tragic downfall of its title character. One of the most poignant aspects of the play is Shakespeare’s ability to reveal the complex psychological turmoil of Macbeth, a man whose initial valor on the battlefield gives way to uncontrollable ambition and overwhelming guilt. The play begins with Macbeth hailed as a hero, and we first learn of his courage through the wounded captain’s account. His bravery seems unimpeachable, but Shakespeare quickly complicates our understanding of him once he encounters the three witches. Macbeth’s ambition, which is kindled by their prophecy, runs parallel to his self-doubt. These two forces constantly clash throughout the play, culminating in his descent into paranoia and violence.

What makes Macbeth’s tragedy so compelling is his internal conflict, which Shakespeare uses to illustrate the destructive nature of unchecked ambition. Unlike Shakespeare’s other villains—such as Iago in Othello, Richard III, or Edmund in King Lear—Macbeth is a character tormented by his conscience. This inner turmoil prevents him from fully embracing his evil. He is not a character who acts with the cold, ruthless cunning of Richard III or Iago, who can suppress their guilt and act with confidence. Instead, Macbeth’s regret over the murder of King Duncan—and later, Banquo—undermines his ability to enjoy his newfound power. His fluctuating states of action and guilt are strikingly human. Shakespeare presents him as a man who is too morally aware to comfortably commit murder, but too driven by ambition to stop himself.

Lady Macbeth, another central figure in the play, is perhaps Shakespeare’s most compelling and complex female character. Her ambition is just as fierce as Macbeth’s, yet she has to navigate a world in which her gender severely restricts her options. She rejects traditional femininity—symbolized by her famous plea to the spirits to “unsex” her—in order to pursue power through manipulation and control. Her rejection of her own vulnerability leads to a crushing downfall, as her inability to reconcile her ambition with her own femininity spirals into madness. In many ways, Lady Macbeth’s tragic demise is rooted in her inability to accept the emotional side of her nature. Unlike Macbeth, she tries to suppress her guilt, believing that power can only be achieved through cruelty and ruthlessness. As her grip on reality weakens, her vulnerability surfaces, eventually driving her to madness and death.

The character of Banquo provides an intriguing contrast to Macbeth. While both men receive prophecies from the witches, Banquo’s reaction is markedly different. His ambition is tempered by caution, and unlike Macbeth, he does not act on the witches’ predictions. Banquo’s role in the play is primarily symbolic; his ghost, appearing at Macbeth’s banquet, serves as a manifestation of Macbeth’s guilt. Banquo’s death represents the moral cost of Macbeth’s ambition, and in the end, it is Banquo’s lineage—his son, Fleance—that ultimately threatens Macbeth’s hold on power. In a way, Banquo is a tragic hero who suffers because of Macbeth’s actions, and the fulfillment of the witches’ prophecy through Fleance’s survival suggests that Macbeth’s ambition has set into motion a chain of events that he cannot control.

Macduff’s role in the play is also significant, particularly in relation to his familial loss. After Macbeth arranges the brutal murder of Macduff’s wife and children, Macduff’s desire for revenge becomes a central motivation in the play’s resolution. His quest for vengeance is deeply personal, yet it also symbolizes the larger conflict between the rightful king (Malcolm) and the tyrant (Macbeth). Macduff’s actions, especially when he confronts Macbeth on the battlefield, offer a sense of justice and retribution that Macbeth’s reign never allows for. However, Macduff’s abandonment of his family, though difficult to justify, highlights the complex motivations that drive his character.

The tragic arc of Macbeth is underscored by Shakespeare’s exploration of fate versus free will. The witches’ prophecy seems to suggest that Macbeth is doomed to a certain fate, yet his actions lead to his downfall, indicating that he is not entirely controlled by fate. This tension is central to the play’s themes: while fate may guide Macbeth toward power, it is his own choices—spurred by ambition and guilt—that bring about his destruction. The witches serve as a catalyst for Macbeth’s downfall, but ultimately, it is his inability to reconcile his ambition with his conscience that leads to his end.

Shakespeare’s use of language in Macbeth is as masterful as ever. The play is filled with memorable lines and vivid imagery, from Lady Macbeth’s invocation of dark spirits to the blood-soaked visions that haunt the characters. The frequent use of darkness and light, as well as the recurring motifs of blood and sleep, reinforces the play’s thematic concerns of guilt, power, and the consequences of unchecked ambition.

One critique of Macbeth is that while the psychological depth of the characters is compelling, some of the secondary characters—like Malcolm and Duncan—remain somewhat underdeveloped. Malcolm, for instance, is portrayed as a morally upright figure who returns to Scotland to reclaim the throne, but his character feels somewhat one-dimensional compared to the richly layered Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. Duncan, too, serves primarily as a plot device rather than a fully realized character. 

My essay 10th grade essay:

Macbeth Final

You are in a room, reaching for what you desire. You are hungry for it, you wish to have it, and you will do everything for it to be yours. You have also been promised that one day that which you desire will be yours. You will crawl your way to it, you will step on anyone to get it. This is a story of a desire for power, of uninhibited ambition that leads to the destruction of those touched by it. This same story is described in Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, which contains one of the most complex female character: Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth's eventual demise is due to her own actions, as her ambition, which she pursues through manipulation, her only avenue as a woman, drives her to suppress her emotions, causing her madness and death.

Lady Macbeth's tragic death is a consequence of her ambition, which she acts upon through manipulation, the only tool available to her as a woman in 11th century Scotland. For example, in Lady Macbeth's soliloquy, she expresses how the pursuit toward power requires cruelty, so she calls for her femininity to be removed: "Come, you spirits that tend of mortal thoughts, unsex me here; And fill me from the crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty!" (Shakespeare, 1.5.47-50). Lady Macbeth is a woman in 11th century Scotland, where women are expected to be caregivers, full of compassion, empathy, and subservient. This causes Lady Macbeth to associate being feminine with being kind, and since women could not reach powerful positions, her desire for power is viewed as masculine. This causes Lady Macbeth to view her womanhood as a barrier to power. However, what makes Lady Macbeth unique is that she rejects her womanhood in pursuit of her ambition. She calls to be 'unsexed', challenging the role that has been prescribed to her. Lady Macbeth also believes cruelty is the only way to reach her goal; this belief causes her to participate in horrific actions, which leads to both her and Macbeth's demise. However, Lady Macbeth still understands how her status as a woman restricts her means to reach power, so she resorts to manipulation, one of the only tactics that she can employ: "Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, which faith and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crown'd withal"(Shakespeare, 1.5.29-33). Unlike Macbeth, who can pursue his ambitions through both violence and manipulation, Lady Macbeth does not have that power. As a woman, she has to pursue power through indirect means. Thus, Lady Macbeth is a skilled manipulator. She uses rhetoric to push her husband to seize the throne, which both of them wish to possess. Language is her weapon, and she exploits Macbeth's weaknesses. Whether this is purely for her benefit, or she believes this is best for both of them, Lady Macbeth's encouragement pushes Macbeth to kill Duncan. This act marks the beginning of Macbeth's moral decline, which would lead him to create enemies that eventually kill him. As Macbeth becomes increasingly violent, Lady Macbeth falls into a guilt-driven madness.

Lady Macbeth's vulnerability, which she suppresses throughout the play, leads to her madness and tragic death as her and her husband's actions catch up to her. For example, In the play, Shakespeare drops hints on Lady Macbeth being more vulnerable than presents herself to be: “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t” (Shakespeare, 2.2.16-17). Despite Lady Macbeth’s ruthless ambition, cruelty, and lust for power, she still retains her love for her family. Yet, this internal vulnerability is subdued by Lady Macbeth, since she views this vulnerability, and any traits that are viewed as feminine, as barriers to her goals. She is unable to take away this part of herself, which as the play progresses becomes impossible to ignore. If Lady Macbeth embraced her vulnerability with her ambition, she might not have resorted to such violent means, saving her from the guilt that would destroy her. This guilt began with the killing of Macduff’s family, who are innocent to the conflict in the play: “The Thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now?-What, will these hands ne'er be clean? No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that: you mar all with this starting.” (Shakespeare, 5.1.44-47). Lady Macbeth has a soft spot for family, especially women and children. Lady Macbeth can empathize with Lady Macduff, as both are women of similar social standing. She also empathizes with the death of her children, as the Macbeth had a child before. The death of Macduff’s family is the unforgivable sin, the one action she can’t justify. Lady Macbeth not only blames her husband, but herself for beginning the violence and she is unable to live with this guilt. Lady Macbeth cannot ignore the consequences of their lust for power. Lady Macbeth cannot sleep, she’s forever reliving all she and her husband have done and she’s haunted by blood that she cannot wash from her hands. This causes her death, as the final blood that soaks her hands are her own. If Lady Macbeth had not fallen into her ambition and repressed her empathy and vulnerability, she might not have had a reason to feel guilty.

Some people might argue that Lady Macbeth's actions are governed by fate, as the prophecy has already been set for her downfall. This point of view is flawed, as Lady Macbeth herself views the prophecy as something that needs to be fulfilled through action: " and shalt be what thou art promised. Yet I do fear thy nature; it is too full o' th' milk of human kindness (...) Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it," (Shakespeare, 1.5.16-20). Lady Macbeth fully believes in free will, that one has to be cruel and strong to be given what they deserve. To Lady Macbeth the prophecy doesn't inhibit one's ability to act freely, instead the prophecy facilitates Macbeth by giving him a stamp of approval for his cruelty. Lady Macbeth is fully in control of her actions, she is ambitious, she is cruel, yet still vulnerable. Her downfall is because of the way she views the world. A prophecy didn't force her to be this way, and suggesting so takes away Lady Macbeth's agency.

Lady Macbeth’s tragic death is due to her own actions, which are ruled by ambition pursued through manipulation, that causes her to ignore her vulnerability, leading to her madness. This story isn't just a great narrative, it also teaches us about ourselves. We often wish for greatness; however, we cannot ignore our inner kindness and need to care for others, if Macbeth stayed in touch with that part of her, she might not have died in the way she did.