Within the first three acts of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth goes from fighting courageously and heroically on the battlefield to maliciously ordering the murder of his old friend, Banquo. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for readers and audience members to view Macbeth sympathetically. What other unlikable or unsympathetic protagonists have you encountered in other stories, novels, television shows, or movies? Describe why these figures were unsympathetic. Why might an author choose to focus on a character who readers and audience members view negatively?

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