Sunny Sharma 1/20/11Creative Writing Honors Ms. Sapozhnikov

Critical Lens Essay

Throughout the course of human history, innumerable works of literature have

been created; many written with the intention of exposing the flaws in human beings, in

order to facilitate the betterment of the individual. John Steinbeck was once quoted

saying, “It is the responsibility of the writer to expose our many grievous faults and

failures and to hold up the light to our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of

improvement.” Authors of works of literature indeed have an obligation to show the

destructiveness of our inherent faults and failures, as well as to illustrate the futility of the

evil and malicious desires that human beings often possess. This fact is apparent in the

play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare. The main character of the play is Macbeth: a

once valiant and patriotic warrior who metamorphosed into a treacherous and tyrannical

king due to his unbridled ambition and desires. Through Macbeth’s descent into madness,

Shakespeare illustrates the dangers and risks of embracing our vices, employing the

literary elements of imagery and characterization to further elucidate this point.

In “Macbeth”, Shakespeare uses characterization to depict Macbeth’s rise to

power and subsequent demise, all a result his greatest flaw: his ambition. Initially,

Shakespeare characterizes Macbeth as a valiant and loyal warrior. When faced with the

fierce and ruthless tyrant Macdonwald from Norway, Macbeth showed no sign of fear or

hesitance; Macbeth effortlessly annihilated the adversary. Shakespeare ultiized imagery

to show Macbeth’s skill on the battlefield; when confronted by Macdonwald, Macbeth

split him open from the “naive to the chops.” When additional reinforcements were sent

from the Norwegians, Macbeth showed no sign of losing his composure; in fact the new

challenge was said to scare him about as much as sparrows frighten eagles. Upon arrival

back from the battlefield, Macbeth was acclaimed and praised by King Duncan and many

other prominent Scotsmen; Macbeth was even bestowed the title of Thane of Cawdor as a

reward for his military prowess. Macbeth was easily one of Scotland’s greatest warriors.

Although initially characterized as an adroit and loyal warrior, Macbeth was

slowly corrupted by his strongest vice: his unrestrained ambition. Not satisfied by his

new position as Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth craved for higher titles; specifically the title

of King of Scotland through the murder of King Duncan. Despite Macbeth’s initial

qualms about the murder, Macbeth embraced his vice and carried on with the plan by

slaying King Duncan in his sleep. However instead of being satiated with his title as king,

Macbeth descended into madness and paranoia. Previously in the play, a band of witches

had told Macbeth that Banquo, his close friend and fellow warrior, would be the father to

the heir of the throne. Despite the past intimate friendship between both warriors,

Macbeth ruthlessly decided to murder both Banquo, as well as his son Fleance in order to

secure his position as King. Hiring assassins to commit the deed, Shakespeare uses

imagery to depict the brutal murder; Banquo, the once good friend of Macbeth, was

cruelly stabbed to death while Fleance escaped the bloodshed. The once noble Macbeth

became tainted with malice due to his unquenchable thirst for power, driving him to the

edge of insanity.

As time went on through the novel, Macbeth continued to deteriorate

psychologically due to his growing paranoia. When Macduff, a rival lord, threatened to

usurp Macbeth’s reign, Macbeth hired assassins to murder off Macduff and anyone else

who came in the way of the killing (his family). When the murders arrive, only Lady

Macduff and her innocent child were present at the castle. Despite the fact that Lady

Macduff and her son posed little threat to Macbeth’s reign, they were both nonetheless

murdered. Shakespeare uses imagery to illustrate the senseless cruelty of the murders; the

innocent child of Macduff was heartlessly stabbed to death and her mother similarity was

killed by the assassins. Macbeth’s unrestrained ambition and subsequent paranoia to

remain in power led to his downfall; transforming Macbeth from a heroic and acclaimed

warrior to a monstrous, heartless and tyrannical King.

Since the beginning of human civilization, many works of literature have been

created with the purpose to exemplify the flaws and faults of human beings, as well as to

show the futility and destructiveness of the dark and dangerous desires that human beings

hold inside. While not all literature deals with this subject, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

certainly does. Utilizing literary elements such as characterization and imagery,

Shakespeare shows the reader the story of Macbeth, a man who metamorphosed from a

valiant and loyal warrior to a paranoid and tyrannical King, all due to his lack of restraint

on his ambition. The story of Macbeth serves us as a reminder of the dangers of

embracing the dark and dangerous dreams that human beings have inside. Through

Macbeth, Shakespeare sends a powerful message to the reader, so that the reader does not

make the same mistake that Macbeth had made by embracing his flaws and dark,

ambitious desires; a mistake which cost Macbeth his sanity. In this way, Shakespeare

adheres to the quote by John Steinbeck by setting a powerful example for the reader, an

example which still holds great value for society even today.