Macbeth (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: William Shakespeare
- First Published: 1623
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: Eleventh century
- Setting: Scotland
- Genres: Drama, Tragedy
- Subjects: Folkloric or magical people, Murder or homicide, Guilt, Good and evil, Loyalty, Assassins, hit men, or contract killers, Ambition, Witches or witchcraft, Scotland or Scottish people, Middle Ages, Eleventh century
- Locales: Scotland
Characters Discussed
Macbeth (mak-BEHTH), thane of Glamis, later thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland. A brave and successful military leader, and potentially a good and great man, he wins general admiration as well as the particular gratitude of King Duncan, his kinsman. Meeting the Three Weird Sisters, he succumbs to their tempting prophecies, but he also needs the urging of his wife to become a traitor, a murderer, and a usurper. He is gifted, or cursed, with a powerful and vivid imagination and with fiery, poetic language. Gaining power, he grows more ruthless, until...
[The entire page is 1384 words long]
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