In the play 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare, Cruelty is presented in all of its various different forms - tying in with the context of the Jacobean times and their standards. Cruelty is seen both mentally and physically - and the effects it can lead to. Firstly, near the start of the play, Macbeth's cruelty is desribed as a heroic trait, by using grotesque imagery; in that he 'unseam'd' someone from the 'nave to th'chaps and fix'd his head upon our battlements'. The unusual thing here, is that Macbeth is praised by the king in calling him his 'valiant cousin, worthy gentleman', despite him being so violent. This is due to him fighting for the right side, on his king's side. To be praised by the king himself, according to the chain of being, is to be praised by the closest human to God, further expressing the positive impression Macbeth's cruelty leaves on the king. This could also have been done by Shakespeare to suggest that cruelty is a trait that is rooted into who you are - and the difference is in how you use it - highlighting that Macbeth has been cruel since the begining. The king's praise over Macbeth is further seen when the 'king doth happily recieve Macbeth' - the adjective happily emphasising the king's affection towards him. However, towards the middle of the play, psycological cruelty is seen in the way Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth, so much that it leads to him comitting physical cruelty. This is seen though her intense manipulation of Macbeth, underestimating his manlihood - that only when he 'durst do it, than [he] were a man'. The affirmative tone in the second clause of the sentence, highlights her full and firm belief that she is correct in this scenario - that Macbeth is not a 'man'. Furthermore, the repeated use of grotesque and sickening imagery of 'dash[ing] the brains out' of her own child, 'had [she] had sworn' to Macbeth that she would, illustrates her manipulative technique, and the calculation in her words with Macbeth in order to sway him into carring out her ambitions for them. Additionally, her psycological cruelty is further seen in her dismissal of Macbeth's guilty conscience - in telling him not to 'consider' it so 'deeply'. The use of a short sentence here implies her condescending tone, really emphasising her indifference to his anxiety, and may have been acted out in such a way where she is calm and collected, despite her husband have just committing regicide. Lady Macbeth's cruelty is also shown in such a way where it causes Macbeth to really begin his chain of cruelty - and not just any murder but one of a king, may have been done to show that cruelty and violence only leads to more cruelty and violence. Finally, Shakespeare uses Macbeth's ambition as a warning - showing his downfall and eventually, his decsent into tyrannical cruelty, violence, and madness, of his own accord. This is evident in Macbeth's slow transition from the use of Prose into the use of blank verse throughout the play, highlighting the effect of his acts of violence on his subconscious. Directly after his murder of the king, Macbeth maintains a form of elegant and respectful speech - saying things such as 'O, yet I do repent me of my fury', and 'That had a heart to love and in that hear Courage to make's love known?'. His ability to be composed directly contrasts with his attitudes later in the play - for example his maniacal rambling, such as the repeated exclaiming of 'Seyton!'. This shows his eventual fall into insanity and instability following his first act of cruelty in the play. It's also seen that he becomes desensitised to committing these acts, as he orders the murder of the Macduffs, with no justification for the deed, unlike his justification for the preceeding murder of Banquo. This shows us his uncontrolled cruelty in action - his willingness to do anything to 'be safely thus'. The repetition of 'thus' and addition of 'safely' highlights his greed and power-hunger tryranicality - that just being king isnt enough. Furthermore, Macbeth had ordered the murder of the Macduffs under no guise or manipulation whatsoever, showing to the audience what cruelty can lead to. One act of cruelty triggers another, and another, all for the sake of his own ambitions. To conclude, Shakespeare uses cruelty throughout the tragedy of 'Macbeth' as a device of warning, to illustrate to a Jacobean audience the concequences of unchecked ambition, and the end result. It also was to appease King James, his sponsor, as he was promoting the prevention of any attempted acts of cruelty and/or violence towards himself -- such as the recent regicide: The Gunpowder plot.