In the Shakespearean play Macbeth, Macbeth, the play's protagonist, undergoes a significant transition in his evolution from a brave and loyal war hero to a tyrant who brings chaos and destructions to Scotland. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is described as being "too full of the human kindness/To catch the nearest way" (Shakespeare 39, Act 1, scene 5, l 16 - 17) but towards the end of the play, Malcolm describes him as "butcher" (Shakespeare 257, Act 5, scene 9, …showed first 75 words of 1218 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1218 total…has over his life. By the end of the play, Macbeth realizes that his ambition and lust for power made his life like "a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing" (Shakespeare 235, Act 5, scene 5, l 28 - 30). Ultimately, Macbeth proves himself better suited for the battlefield than for political intrigue, because he lacks the skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant who responses to every problem in a violent manner.