The theme of tragedy is often a key element in the plays of William Shakespeare. One such drama is Macbeth. The protagonist, Macbeth, goes through a tremendous amount of problems and conflicts. He starts out as a very respectable and noble guard and later into a hated and dishonorable king. For instance, in Act One Scene Four King Duncan expresses his gratitude to Macbeth and Banquo for their support. Macbeth then responds to Duncan by saying, “The service and the loyalty I owe, in doing it pays itself. Your Highness’ part is to receive our duties, and our duties are to your throne and state children and servants, which do but what they should be doing everything safe toward your love and honor”(199). This is where we first see how much Macbeth is appreciated and how much respect he has for his country and its leader. The character at this point on in the play is very honorable and loyal because his response was very genuine and respectable. Also of course the king thinks highly of him so it is easy to see why Macbeth is appreciated. Throughout the play we see Macbeth’s character change by the people around him and their actions and of course his own internal conflicts. In this play, Macbeth clearly shows his actions, fears, strengths and weakness, and how his character changes over time. However, all that honesty, loyalty, and respect was just a lie because the readers know a couple lines later what Macbeth’s plan really was. In the end of Act One Scene Four Macbeth says, “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires, the eye wink at the hand; yet let that be, which the eye fears, when it is done to see”(200). Here the readers can tell that after Macbeth’s run in with the three witches, that he has taken their premonitions to heart because after hearing that Malcolm has been appointed pr