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Macbeth


            
             Throughout Shakespeare's "Macbeth," the main character, Macbeth, is conveyed both as a tragic hero and as an evil tyrant. He is a tragic hero, as he falls from grace after being at the top, and suffers with dignity when all have deserted him, especially when the English armies are on the brink of attacking him and he refuses to submit, as he dies fighting or his beliefs. .
             Initially, in the first few scenes, Macbeth is seen as a hero, fighting for king and country, but soon he meets the evil witches who change him for the worse. The captain tells us of his bravery when he says, "NEED THE MACBETH BOOK.
             When Shakespeare came to write Macbeth, James I had just been crowned King James I of England and was already James VI of Scotland. The King had an interest in theatre and overlooked the contents of the play. He was also fascinated by witchcraft but hi hatred for witches was also well known. In 1590, it was alleged that a group of witches tried to kill and it is believed he got his loathing of witches from this. This is the reason why the witches are portrayed as evil and ugly. At the time, the audience would have been a very superstitious one compared to the present day audience. As most believed that witches existed, they would not have reacted well to them, and probably looked at them as disgusting creatures.
             The theme of regicide was suited to James I's liking. During the King's reign, the Gunpowder plot by Guy Fawkes had come to light. The King's escape may have influenced Shakespeare to contain this theme and show that anyone who tried to murder the King and take his divine right away would be killed.
             Near the beginning of the play, the Thane of Cawdor is hung for deceiving King Duncan, by working with the invading Norwegians. This was probably included as it mirrored a situation King James was in him. Everard Digby, one of the conspirators who tried to have James killed in the Gunpowder plot, was a favourite of the King, just as the Thane of Cawdor was.


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