Human Nature in Macbeth Essay

Macbeth is a play that examines human nature. During the play there is a significant amount of emphasis on the different attributes and sides of human nature. The play demonstrates that everyone has the ability to do good or evil by what choices they make and what the ramifications of these actions are, decisions are made that affect the outcome of a person’s future. Macbeth is a prime example of the human nature in its very worst form. Throughout the play, Macbeth experience somewhat of a fall from grace. Macbeth’s greed and poor decision making caused him to lose everything he had worked so hard for. He became engulfed in greed and would stop at nothing to gain what he believed was rightly his. He went from somebody who was a strong courageous and well respected man who was an honourable warrior for Scotland. To someone who was so blinded by his hunger for power it drove him to incredible lengths such as killing his own cousin and best friend, to receive what was promised him by the witches. Macbeth’s disloyalty is a huge flaw in his character and part of his human nature. He murdered his long-time friend and king, Duncan. He had no remorse for his actions, he was only concerned for his own safety that he wouldn’t get caught. â€Å"The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or hell. † (act 2, scene 1) Shakespeare uses the character of Macbeth to demonstrate to his audience that the decisions we make and the actions we take can easily be affected by simple aspects of human nature such as greed, this hunger for power that some people seem to possess and that we can so easily be manipulated by others to do wrong. Lady Macbeth is very manipulative towards her husband, by questioning his manhood, emotionally blackmailing him she brings out his pride to do as she desires. â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. † (act 1, scene 7) She plays on the weakest parts of Macbeth’s character to manipulate him. â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. † (act 1, scene 7) This shows that Macbeth was set to not kill Duncan but Lady Macbeth manipulated him to change this mindset. So if were not for Lady Macbeth’s toying and manipulation of Macbeth he would still be the honourable man he once was. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses his main Characters, particularly Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to show the very worst of human nature and tried to show his audience and anyone to read the play in the years to come that our choices and actions can be easily influenced by others and that everything we do, particularly bad things have serious ramifications, in Macbeths case, The total destruction of himself, his wife and his country.