Ambition And Dishonesy In Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'
Author Criss Jami once said, “Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction” (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4860176.Criss_Jami). With this quote he explains that, oftentimes, truthfulness can be more misleading than dishonesty. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play about ambition and greed. After hearing prophesies from three witches that he will be king, Macbeth becomes a power hungry killer who annihilates anyone standing in his way. The women in Macbeth’s life are deceptive and give him a false sense of hope and security which he uses as fuel for his selfish plans. The misleading
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Lady Macbeth possesses the ability to wean Macbeth off of his own morals and values and assures him that their plan to power is the best way to accomplish their goals. Moreover, Lady Macbeth leads by example as after Duncan has been killed, she displays to Macbeth that she does not feel an ounce of guilt and neither should he. She tells him “My hands are of your colour, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white” (II.ii.67-68). She continues to persuade Macbeth that what he has done is not wrong and that nothing is off limits when it comes to acquiring total power for oneself. However, by the end of the play Lady Macbeth shows just how deceptive she has been to Macbeth. Although she is continually softening the impact of guilt on Macbeth, she is eventually taken over by her own reality. Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed with guilt from the murder of Duncan and begins to go insane. She is seen in her room pretending to wash her hands and saying “Out damned spot! Out I say...Yet who would /have thought the old man to have so much blood in /him?” while still asleep (V.i.32-36). Macbeth trusts Lady Macbeth whole heartedly and uses her apparent lack of guilt to convince himself that he too should not feel badly about what he has done. Even though Lady Macbeth alters Macbeth’s perception of guilt and innocence she is unable to deceive herself and commits
Lady Macbeth possesses the ability to wean Macbeth off of his own morals and values and assures him that their plan to power is the best way to accomplish their goals. Moreover, Lady Macbeth leads by example as after Duncan has been killed, she displays to Macbeth that she does not feel an ounce of guilt and neither should he. She tells him “My hands are of your colour, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white” (II.ii.67-68). She continues to persuade Macbeth that what he has done is not wrong and that nothing is off limits when it comes to acquiring total power for oneself. However, by the end of the play Lady Macbeth shows just how deceptive she has been to Macbeth. Although she is continually softening the impact of guilt on Macbeth, she is eventually taken over by her own reality. Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed with guilt from the murder of Duncan and begins to go insane. She is seen in her room pretending to wash her hands and saying “Out damned spot! Out I say...Yet who would /have thought the old man to have so much blood in /him?” while still asleep (V.i.32-36). Macbeth trusts Lady Macbeth whole heartedly and uses her apparent lack of guilt to convince himself that he too should not feel badly about what he has done. Even though Lady Macbeth alters Macbeth’s perception of guilt and innocence she is unable to deceive herself and commits