Macbeth: Character Profile, AQA English Literature GCSE

• The text is about Macbeth: Character Profile from AQA English Literature GCSE

Introduction

• Macbeth is the main character in Shakespeare's tragedy and a tragic hero.
• He begins in a position of glory, but falls due to a judgement error linked to his unchecked ambition.
• A tragic hero has a fatal flaw, or hamartia, which in Macbeth’s is his unchecked ambition and inability to restrain himself.
• Initially presented as the stereotypical hero, the ideal warrior, Shakespeare uses Macbeth's noble status to establish him before his eventual fall.
• Macbeth's transformation allows for dissecting gender constructs, power dynamics, and morality.
• The relationship with his wife explores gender roles, marital relations, and power within society.
• His character is defined by both ambition and guilt
• Macbeth's story explores predestination and the question of fate versus personal choice

Character in Context

• Gender performance is ambiguous; Shakespeare uses Macbeth to symbolize toxic and repressive masculinity, linking manhood with violence.
• Macbeth's fear of emasculation and adoption of feminine traits allow Shakespeare to explore femininity.
• Initially portrayed as successful in battle, with a loyal wife, and destined for advancement, this isn't enough for Macbeth.
• Valour, power, and violence become synonymous with masculinity, leading him to see pursuing kingship as necessary to avoid being seen as effeminate.
• Power dynamics between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth show her influence and ability to strip him of his masculinity, manipulating his decisions.
• Ambition is his fatal flaw, manhood is a weakness; a challenge to his manhood is enough to push Macbeth to crime.

Religion

• As Jacobean England was deeply religious, faith is mentioned throughout the play which is full of sinners and treachery.
• Macbeth rarely mentions God by name, but considers Heaven and Hell, worrying about his immortal soul.
• Sacrificing an eternal life in Heaven suggests a focus on earthly power and status.
• Turning his back on God is a significant part of Macbeth's character arc.
• Contemplating Duncan's murder, Macbeth recognizes Heaven's objection and worries of reactions from Heaven, Earth, and his subjects

Moral Crisis

• Killing Duncan is a landmark decision, marking the end of his good ways and embracing corrupt temptation as well as a moral and identity crisis.
• Inability to cope is shown through "sleep no more" and being unable to "say Amen”.
• These affect Macbeth deeply, showing the end of life as he knew it, straying from God's oath, and loss of God's protection.
• Post-murder, Scotland is constructed as a godless, hellish land mirroring Macbeth's mental state, suggesting living without God is the worst fate.

Homosociality & Male Friendship

• Male friendships were huge in Jacobean culture, reflecting a patriarchal society with a male-dominated public domain.
• Emotional and psychological connections were common between men, stemming from close relationships as colleagues and business partners.
• Influence of military standards emphasized male solidarity and loyalty, reflecting the importance of relying on each other in battle and in life.
• Moral crisis stems from betraying a friend, relative, and king, violating fundamental values.
• Killing Banquo shocks the Jacobean audience, as he is supposed to be Macbeth's closest friend, and betrayal was preposterous.

Tragic Hero

• Tragic hero’s are a popular concept in Shakespeare's plays and Renaissance theatre, the stages follow the hero’s journey:
• Hamartia: a flaw that causes their downfall.
• Hubris: or excessive pride and disrespect for the natural order.
• Peripeteia: or reversal of fate.
• Anagnorisis: or discovery
• Nemesis: or unavoidable punishment.
• Catharsis: the audience feels pity and fear for the protagonist in their undoing.
• For Macbeth, unchecked ambition is his hamartia.
• Shakespeare uses the tragic hero concept to teach morality and respect for God's will.
• The audience feels empathy for Macbeth despite his failings, creating a moral crisis and engagement with the topic and debate.
• Macbeth's descent into villainy is more impactful due to audience investment, forcing acknowledgement that his tragic death is deserved and just.

Key Characteristics

• Unchecked ambition leads to Macbeth's downfall, losing grace, favour, and respect.
• Shakespeare argues against the way Macbeth lets ambition control him, in contrast to other characters.
• It is oblivious to morality and natural order, shown by Banquo and Malcolm, who restrain their ambition for the greater good.

Guilt

• Immediately after the murder, Macbeth becomes guilt-ridden and remorseful, tormented by his conscience.
• Macbeth becomes a nihilistic figure surrounded by blood, darkness, and death.
• Guilt makes his situation unbearable leading to his ultimate downfall.
• The righteous uprising against a tyrannical king turns into a psychological tragedy because of the focus on Macbeth's mental state.
• His inevitable regret suggests that the real punishment for regicide isn't execution, but guilt.
• Shakespeare suggests that conscience ensures that no sin can go unpunished and that no one can cope with the guilt our conscience creates.

Violence

• The play is filled with both violence and conflict, both internal and external, affecting Macbeth most profoundly.
• Ranging from his internal conflict to the universal conflict between free will and fate, and similarly good and evil, ultimately raging across Scotland.
• Violence is associated with manhood and masculinity, causing Macbeth to respond to challenges with violence.
• He suppresses feelings of fear and doubt, associating them with weakness and femininity.
• Cruelty and violence are linked with ideals of honour and bravery, disguising injustice.
• Violence and bloodshed are tools used to maintain tyranny and corruption, unlike Duncan's nurturing reign.
• Macbeth's power is obtained through violence, resulting in a corrupted reign, requiring more violence to protect it.
• He declares that “blood will have blood showing violence breeds more violence.
• Macbeth is at the centre of power plays, the fight for power is more important than the power itself.

Key Moments

• Character change by influenced by the Witches' prophecies.
• From hearing of him, Macbeth seems like an impressive man.
• At the start Macbeth's character is plagued with inconsistencies and contradictions as if fighting different personalities in front of us each is destined to different things.
• He idea of murdering Duncan surprises and shocks him, as if the suggestion came from a different person altogether.
• With each scene, he makes opposite choices displaying debate, deliberation, and anxiety as well as glimpses of guilt from the murder about to take place.
• There moral compass and conscience have a voice, but also moments where he seems heartless and dead set on being king regardless of consequence as if able for him to back out.
• Another key trait that defines Macbeth's character is weak will as takes opinions to heart and by especially Lady Macbeth.
• Macbeth can do whatever it takes to provide himself with as much manliness by intertwining his ambition as a fatal flaw, as it ties in with his deflated ego.
• The power he ever wanted was the kings title and recognition as is to be respected by peers and his wife as proof of manly strength.
• In the middle acts Macbeth's character is in a crisis where as previously now he is cowardly, indecisive, paranoid, and consumed by guilt in great significance.
• The conflict between ambition and conscience has evolved into one of ambition and guilt, deeply regretting his actions with satisfied ambition for bloodshed and betrayal.
• His descent into violence also could be attributed to paranoia due to public image causing him to kill out of protection for himself.
• Due guilt from murdering Duncan has taken a great toll on him while being frustrated that he put himself through all measures for nothing but instead to embrace his new life of violence needing to persevere to the end.

Ending (3.5 - 5.9)

• In the final acts are two different Macbeths is on stage.
• One who is violent and ruthless will one who is dejected, dispirited, and nihilistic is haunted by his own mortality.
• Macbeth is friendless, loveless, hopeless show going against God will bring nothing but misery showing he has become a tyrant.
• By embrace over violence and greed of wanting to be invincible from his subjects, Malcolm, and Macduff saying Scotland is in ruins due to Macbeth's brutal ruling style.
• He cant' inspire any authentic feelings of loyalty or love displaying to not care what anyone thinks his side is the king and fortune

Relationships

• Lady Macbeth is ambitious and power-hungry is is plotting and conspiring.
• Weakened after guilt and paranoia has lead them to be isolated from each other but the main different their confidence is their confidence.
• Lady Macbeth is determined, ruthless, strong-willed, and self-assured, whereas Macbeth is uncertain, weak-willed, and hesitant.
• At first the power dynamic is between themselves where Lady Macbeth now a puppet controls Macbeth.
• Duncan and Macbeth is a detested tyrant Duncan against that is associated with Hell and the Devil.
• At first Duncan and Macbeth appears on the same side being loyal and on protection.
• Malcolm wants to be king being chased away from Macbeth actions which is associated with disorder, chaos, and sin, while Malcolm is a symbol for peace, purity, and order.
• Macduff that highlights the flaws of Macbeth which both are Duncan's Thanes but upon Macbeth's reign Macduff suspects him.
• Macduff is a symbol of honour, nobility, and selflessness.
• Banquo is also a best friend and respected soldier resisting Macbeth temptations by being a physical proof of Macbeth corruption.
• By hearing the Witches’ prophecies but resisting it shows it's about to expose him.
• Macbeth's decision to murder Banquo, someone who meant a great deal to him, shows how overwhelmed he is by ambition and paranoia.

Quotes: Analysis

• Macbeth knows that the only argument for killing Duncan is to satisfy his ambition.

• He also knows that blindly obeying ambition will end in disaster.
• The phrase "o'erleaps itself / And falls on th’other” suggests ambition makes people think illogically, so that they overestimate their own abilities and get ahead of themselves.
• Additionally, it portrays ambition as self-destructive. It "o'erleaps itself" rather than having someone or something else make it "o'erleap".
• The metaphor of horse-racing continues throughout this whole line of thought,mimicking the way people treat life as a race or competition. The motif evokes the sense of a rush to the finish, with everyone panicked as they chase down power and success.
• In the metaphor, Macbeth sees himself as both jockey and horse. Shakespeare could be implying that Macbeth is trying to control his ambition, but feels like his ambition will end up controlling him. As he is reduced from the jockey to the horse, he becomes more animalistic.
• The Captain shows the recount of the battle against Norway and the rebels portraying Macbeth as the hero Scotland needs.
• He is “brave” and highly skilled with his sword - both traits typically associated with heroism. - Shakespeare shows how violence and bloodshed are romanticised in the context of war, with impressive imagery such as "disdaining Fortune” and “smoked with bloody execution”.
• Another aspect of this quote is how it perfectly summarises the events of theplay. Describing how Macbeth is “disdaining Fortune” alludes to his later hubris and defiance as he tries to dodge destiny.
• “Stars, hide your fires” could refer to several things but specifically, the "stars” might represent the gods or the heavens. In this case, Macbeth doesn't want them to see his sins, in the hopes that he will still be blessed by them and have salvation.
• Macbeth knows his end is near. Also from the death of his wife leads him to believe his kingdom is falling apart, and he is truly alone. All his ambition and sacrifice has been for nothing.
• Macbeth missed really matters - or he never realised that nothing really matters from what to call. His ambition can't live on past his death, and nor can his power.
• The extended metaphor of theatre is a meta (self-aware) technique by Shakespeare, almost breaking the fourth wall.