Corruption of Power - Macbeth

Shakespeare’s bloody and tragic play Macbeth, written in the seventeenth century, portrays blind ambition, appearances can be deceiving and corruption of power. It follows the reasons behind Macbeth’s downfall. The play analyzes how other outside forces can easily change the path of ones desires and decisions. The witches’ intrusion, Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and Macbeth’s dark desires all interfere and manipulate Macbeth’s decisions. He goes from being praised as a noble soldier to a traitor and corrupt king. In the play, Macbeth commits many terrible crimes; however he is solely not responsible for all of them. The outside factors manipulate his decisions and are responsible for his downfall at the end.

To begin, the witches’ manipulate Macbeth early in the play by strongly influencing his decisions. The witches scheme to tell Macbeth his fate after a battle has is lost and won. While traveling to King Duncan’s castle Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon the three witches. The first witch greets Macbeth with his current title as the Thane of Glamis, the second witch greets Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor, and the last witch greets Macbeth as, “All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter” (1.iii.53). The greetings are prophecies that plant a negative seed of blind ambition in Macbeth’s thoughts and the predictions are an approach on the witches’ behalf to establish trust. Soon after the witches’ disappear, two Scottish Nobles – Angus and Ross – inform Macbeth of his new title as the Thane of Cawdor in addition to his current title as Thane of Glamis. The news makes Macbeth hopeful and invokes blind ambition, that he may become king. The prediction may come true easily as the Thane of Cawdor title did without causing harm to anyone. Once Macbeth actually becomes King, the pressure and guilt of his actions start to build. He starts to worry and is insecure about his throne because the witches also predict that Banquo’s descendants will become king.