Shakespeare explores the overall character and vividly portrays Macbeth’s inconsistent attitude and behaviour by portraying him as a complex paradox that alters and warps as the play proceeds and inevitably, is reduced to mere futileness. His once ‘valiant and ‘brave’ nature begins to deteriorate and dishevels as his internal struggle and moral repugnance begins to take control of his life, resulting in him viewing a nihilistic and pointless view of the universe as he no longer has any followers or his wife left, contrasting to the start of the play where he did have many people who once praised his demeanour. Shakespeare’s intentions for this could possibly be because he wishes to warn society of the devastating consequences of ambition and how it as the ability to turn a hero into a ‘butcher’. This cautionary tale is designed to warn the nobles and to remind them of the gunpowder plot which failed terribly and resulted in the punishment of those who were behind it. He urges the nobles to think carefully and to not disrupt the hierarchy, to keep James in his position and to not commit regicide as they too, will be punished and reduced to a state that is so pathetic that it causes them to question the planet they are on. In act one, Macbeth is stated to have eliminated MacDonald because he ‘unseamed him from the nave to the chaps.’ This provides an initial portrayal of Masculinity and heroism as it introduces Macbeth as a formidable and ruthless warrior who is celebrated for his immense strength and vicious nature. This establishes a masculine image which, during the Jacobean era, would have been valued highly by those who praised military might and defending the king, God’s appointed ruler. However, alternative interpretations could state otherwise, the nature of this killing is extremely over the top. Macbeth simply could have just killed him in a regular way, yet he chooses to ‘unseam him’. This could be Shakespeare’s way of hinting Macbeth’s true hamartia: his bloodlust. This could have played a greater role in his overall character rather than his ambition. This would be fitting because the play focuses on the role of a tragic hero (Macbeth) who is unable to change his fate no matter how he acts, therefore this could be Shakespeare subtly suggesting the idea that Macbeth’s character, has always been the same and he has always has a lust for murder and for killing since it is his main hamartia resulting in his tragic fate. It only simply began to worsen due to his desire for bloodshed increasing, resulting in him becoming even more tyrannical as the play proceeds. Macbeth begins to contemplate the decision to commit the act of regicide. He wonders why he ‘yields to that suggestion… who’s horrid image doth unfix my hair’. Although his conscious makes him terrified of the ‘horrid image’ of killing king Duncan, he is fighting a battle with his desires, which will cause him to ‘yield’ and give in to such temptations in the end. Shakespeare’s intentions in this moment are to not only present the effects of going against God’s order and contemplating the assassination of his appointed king, but also to avoid letting the desires overwhelm him as cowardice. This contributes to the complexity of his character, as his once strong and warrior like demeanour has now been replaced suddenly with a weaker and more indecisive one, juxtaposing to the Macbeth presented during the battle against MacDonald. Perhaps Shakespeare introduces this initial struggle to make his subsequent descent into tyranny more psychologically compelling and tragic, aligning with Shakespear’s intentions ton explore the destructive nature of unchecked ambition, potentially posing as a warning to the Jacobean audience about the dangers of disrupting the established social and political order. Macbeth’s psychological turmoil further amplifies as the play proceeds. Before assassinating Duncan, Macbeth asks ‘is this a dagger which I see before me?” which vividly portrays Macbeth descending into insanity as he grapples with the act of regicide. The use of the rhetorical question establishes uncertainty, indicating a hallucination rather than an object which is tangible. Macbeth eagerly wants to ‘clutch thee’ implying his yearning for the instrument of death. This foreshadows his later immersion is violence and despotism. In addition, this also links to his hamartia of bloodlust once more, of all object’s he imagines a dagger: a weapon. Perhaps deep down, he enjoys the thrill of being able to cause brutality and havoc once again and may wish to kill the king to satisfy his fatal flaw. Further on into the play, Macbeth begins speaking about his mental clarity, referring it as ‘full o scorpions’. By using distasteful insects such as scorpions, who also cause pain and suffering when they sting people, Shakespeare could be undermining the idea of Macbeth being reduced to a state that is regarded as villainous and pure evil due to him allowing both, his ambition for the crown, but also his fatal flaw as it ended up taking over him, causing him to push the limits. God has disregarded him severely, by allowing his mind to be ridden with guilt and to be described as nothing but ‘scorpions’. Perhaps Shakespeare could be pointing out how God shows no mercy to those who oppose them and uses the Jacobean audience’s religion to deter them and strive them away from committing any form of mortal sin. We view a desperate side to Macbeth through the imperative of ‘give me my armour’. This impulsive nature begins to introduce Macbeth’s hopelessness for the world he is in, which causes him to hold onto one of the only things he has left. His bloodlust and desire for killing, which causes him to make rash decisions in order to clear his mind of the immense guilt and the consequences of his actions. When being told by Seyton that ‘tis not needed yet’ Macbeth completely disregards his statement and once again repeats the imperative of ‘give me mine armour’ which could link to his nihilism as appears to be unbothered or lacks any sort of care for the consequences of what could occur. He simply wishes to satisfy his insatiable bloodlust, even if it is for the last time. Macbeth’s nihilistic viewpoint is made even clearer when he refers to life as a ‘tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury’. By using the fricatives of ‘full’ and ‘fury’ we are vividly made aware of Macbeth’s intense dislike towards God. Referring to him as an ‘idiot’ who seems to only be angry at the world and judgemental of its people provides the interpretation that he no longer holds any value for God and believes that he is nothing more than a futile being who holds power over people’s decisions and choices. Shakespeare could have deliberately chosen to reveal Macbeth in this way towards the end in order to introduce the final punishment of defying God’s law: being unable to view a purpose in life. The Jacobean audience would have been appalled by this rejection to God and religion and would have felt extreme disgust towards Macbeth for having this point of view. In conclusion, Shakespeare conveys Macbeth’s complex character in order to reach out to the Jacobean audience and allow them to think very carefully of whether their actions or ultimate ambition would go against God’s order or his hierarchy, but in addition, may be subtly hinting towards the fact that our fatal flaws may play a greater role to our personalities than we think. Demonstrated in Macbeth where his ultimate hamartia of bloodlust ended up taking control of his fate and destiny, it was too late for him and by fuelling his hamartia, he allowed himself to fall victim to the punishment of God becoming a ‘butcher’ in the end rather than a respectable warrior.