How Is Macbeth Inhumane

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In the beginning of the play, Macbeth acknowledges human life as any other person in the world, something valuable, sacred and not worth going to waste. Macbeth discovers, from the weird sisters, that it his destiny to become king of Scotland, and all that is in his way is the current king, Duncan. As Macbeth contemplates whether or not to kill Duncan, he states, “We will proceed no further in this business” (1.7.34). Macbeth goes back and forth with his decision, because he does not want to kill Duncan, but like any other human being he desires more and wants to be king. Although he will be more powerful by murdering the king, cruelty does not come to him naturally. Macbeth does not want to have murder on his shoulders. In addition to not wanting to be responsible for murder, the idea of fate plays a role in Macbeth’s humane …show more content…

In Act IV, Macbeth is told by Apparitions that no one will rip the power out of his hands. He will remain the king of Scotland until the Wood of Birnam moves out of place. Macbeth declares, “The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand” (4.1.167-168). In other words, Macbeth will utilize the first idea that appears in his mind. Therefore, Macbeth lacks a conscience and moral sense. Not only does Macbeth portray his inhumane quality through his lack of inner voice, but also through his cruel actions. Later in the Act, Macbeth is told by Apparitions that he should beware of Macduff. Because of this warning, Macbeth thinks he needs to kill all the members of Macduff’s family (4.1.171-175). When Macbeth killed Macduff’s wife and sons, he did not stop to think about them as humans. The wife and children of Macduff were innocent people with lives that were taken away just because Macbeth received a warning from ghost-like images. Macbeth’s cruelty and inhumane characteristics took over, and caused him to commit murder for no

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