Macbeth: A Dark View of Humanity Georgie Tarr 12th Grade

As a story of appalling crime and retribution, Shakespeare's Macbeth is unique in ascribing greater attention to unscrupulous criminals than to their victims. As such, the overall mood of the play must be taken with respect to the context; the focus is deliberately placed on the darker side of humanity, and the play continually alludes to the presence of better men, despite assigning them fewer lines. This said, the question remains as to whether the dark side presented to the audience is simply too dark for interpretation as realistic thinking. Macbeth maps the progression of man from good to corrupt under supernatural temptation, yet does so parallel to the progression of a woman from cruel to repentant. In addition, though Macbeth is dark in emphasising the susceptibility of man to corruption, it does so while highlighting that this is not inevitable; good has the power to prevail. I will assess the overall viewpoint of Macbeth chronologically, on the basis of character, plot and theme development.

Macbeth is first presented as something of a hero, indelibly faithful to his King and valiant in his battles to protect his country. He is described by Ross as 'Bellona's bridegroom,' and praised by his virtuous ruler as a...