Explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a male character who changes during the play. [30 marks] AO4 [4 marks] In Shakespeare’s thought-provoking play ‘Macbeth’, the protagonist Macbeth was presented as subservient and loyal at the beginning of the play, but changes into a cruel and forceful tyrant through his unchecked ambition and interaction with the supernatural force, transgressing the natural order. Arguably, Macbeth serves as Shakespeare’s instrument to warn the audience that following the same paths Macbeth will lead to an individual’s ultimate downfall. Firstly, in the extract Macbeth is presented as cruel and savage as he stated, “I’ll fight until my bones my flesh be hacked’, depicting his realization for a fatal battle. The words ‘bones’, ‘flesh’ and ‘hacked evokes a sense of violence and gore, illustrating Macbeth’s true nature. Moreover, he commanded ‘Hang those that talk of fear’, presenting his savage attitude in war that he will not allow any feelings of fear on his side, and is crucial to eliminate his own soldiers that have fearful thoughts that may weaken him. This depicted Macbeth’s tyranny and dictatorship over his army while the use of ‘those’ to address his merely remaining soldiers suggests that they are insignificant to him and they serves as Macbeth’s instrument, while he completely believes that he will not be defeated by ‘anyone born from women’, as stated by the witches’ prophecies. This allowed his hubris and overconfidence to blind himself up, ignoring the chances of being defeated in war. Furthermore, Macbeth’s attitude remains cruel and domineering towards the doctor who is trying to cure his wife, Lady Macbeth. During the conversation her questioned, ‘Cans’t thou not minister to a mind diseased, Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow’. This translates to ‘Can’t you heal a diseased mind?” Remove from her mind the memory of sorrow?’, and states Macbeth’s unr3easonable requirement to cure Lady Macbeth. The use of ‘Cans’t’ and ‘Pluck’ reveals his interrogative nature and his commanding demeanor, but on the contrary his care and worries for his wife remains unchanged. Macbeth’s cruel nature at the end of the play is a result of his hamartia that is rooted in his unchecked ambition, as this contrasts with his subservient and loyal attitude at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 7 Macbeth responded to Lady Macbeth’s suggestion to commit regicide ‘I dare do all that may become a man. /Who dares do more in none.’ In this line Macbeth reveals his willingness to do anything to meet the social expectations and stereotypes of a man, but anything beyond that shall not be done. Shakespeare implied this quote to show Macbeth’s remaining sense of justice and sensibility constrains his ambition to commit a sinful act of regicide. Yet after the manipulation of Lady Macbeth, he murdered the King, which his guilt made him to state ‘Will all great Neptune’s Oceans wash this blood clean from my hand’ The use of ‘all Great Neptune’s Oceans’ depicts the sacred, huge amount of water cannot remove the ‘blood’ that symbolizes guilt in the context, from his hand. The rhetorical question suggested his vulnerable state and his overwhelmed guilt that made him remorse for his own actions. However, this sense of guilt wears away shortly after Macbeth’s continuous murder out of his fear of being overthrown, as the witches’ prophecy on Banquo had a significant impact on Macbeth, forced him into his growing hubris, which ultimately causes his downfall. Overall, Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s change from a subservient and sensible, loyal man into a cruel, domineering tyrant through his hubris and unchecked ambition thrived from the interaction with supernatural forces, attempting to transgress the natural order that caused his demise. Shakespeare uses this political play to warn the Jacobean audience, those who watched the play shortly after the gunpowder plot which Guy Fawkes attempted to commit regicide, any thoughts to transgress the natural order will face their very own downfall.