Digital Object Identifier
Macbeth is a play about bad behavior and the consequences of such behavior, in which the main character acts in a manner that seems to go against his baseline character. Macbeth’s vaulting ambition is devoid of the “illness” or the ruthlessness that ought to be associated with ambitious goals. In the play, it is referred to as the “illness” of ambitious individuals when they refuse to be human or act humanely. Therefore, Shakespeare demonstrates, in a metaphorical manner, the primary source of the character’s future internal suffering. Macbeth does not naturally have a nasty character; he wants to obtain glory, but he does not want to play an unfair game to win it, he is aware of his conscience which is overpowered by his ambition. Under corrupting influences, he transforms into a criminal who not only disrupts his own life but also disrupts the entire nation of Scotland. Following the murder that Macbeth commits against Banquo, Macduff emerges as a powerful counter-force to his tyranny. Macduff prepares to rid Scotland of Macbeth’s evil and to assist Malcolm in restoring order and stability to the nation after the devastation that Macbeth caused during his illegal reign. Macbeth is slain in combat by Macduff, who presents the tyrant’s severed head to Malcolm to signify the restoration of peace. Through this violent resolution, the play illustrates how a noble figure’s tragic flaw can trigger a complete moral decay. Ultimately, Shakespeare warns that individual corruption inevitably manifests as destructive political tyranny.
Dr. Sushant Chaturvedi. “Macbeth: Hero as Criminal.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 4, August 2026, pp. 661-680. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n4.40.
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