macbeth
...and the king favors him (Act 1, Scene 2) -He is a corageous warrior, and the Captain praises him highly (Act 1, Scene 2) -Macbeth initially decides against killing Duncan, although Lady Macbeth later convinces him. This shows Macbeth's morals and heroic qualities becuase he does not want to betray his king. It shows that he must be coerced into wrongdoing (at the beginning anyways) -Macbeth's vision of a bloody daggar before he murders Duncan indicates his morals and conscience. He feels guily for even thinking of killing the king, and this is the reason for the apparition. 3. His Evil Side -Macbeth's morals eventually diminish as he becomes more and more steeped in trechery and lies. Check out this quote "For mine own good all causes shall give way... " I don't remember what Act or Scene, but it's line 170 if that helps. -Macbeth has many bloody and evil thoughts and feels that he can abuse his power to do what he wants. He begins to have people killed for neither personal nor political gain, but only out of the desire to do harm. (AKA Macduff's family) -He tries to change fate by ordering Banquo & Fleance killed. He already knows that Banquo will father kings becuase it was foretold to him by the witches. -He abuses his knowledge that he will not be slain by a man borne of a woman to mercilessly slaughter men on teh battlefield in Act 5. (AKA Young Siward) 4. His Tragic Flaw -The cause of Macbeth's corruption and eventual downfall is his ambitious drive to gain more power. - Once spurred by the witched and his wife to murder Duncan for personal gain, Macbeth finds it difficult to stop his quest for absolute power. -He spots threats to his throneship (Banquo, Fleance, Macduff) and uses violence to attempt to dispose of these threats. -Throughout the play, unquelled ambition along with a thirst for power drive him to commit numerous atrocities, which lead to his downfall in Act 5. 5. His Downfall -Although Macbeth does not nesessarily notice his downfall, the reader can discern his crumbling ethics and increasingly fragile state of mind. -Macbeth's true downfall comes not at the hands of Macduff, but from within. His character and morality, basically the heroic qualities he had at the outset of t...