Macbeth Power Analysis

Throughout Act I in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the character Macbeth struggles with the Weird Sisters’ prophecy predicting his Scottish kingship. Macbeth believes the only way for him to rise to power is through murder. After contemplating whether or not to kill Duncan, the current king, Macbeth ultimately decides to follow through in order to gain status and power. As an audience member, I do not feel sympathy for Macbeth as he independently and consciously betrays his morals and noble duties.
In my mind, for a character to be sympathetic, uncontrollable external forces must manipulate them to change their values and behavior. However, throughout Act I, Macbeth constantly plots to murder Duncan, his nature changing not by external forces, but by his ambition and drive. When Macbeth first hears the prophecy of the witches, he thinks, “Why do I yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ And make my seated
/ Away, and mock the time with fairest show. / False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (I. vii. 92-96). In this line, Macbeth shows he can completely ignore his loyalties to the king if it means he can benefit himself. Although Lady Macbeth does play a role in convincing him to follow through with the act, Macbeth shows no indication of hesitation at this point. He is completely determined to take away Duncan’s life in order to improve his own. Despite Macbeth seeming noble and courageous towards the court, I, as a reader, am knowledgeable of his true feelings and do not feel sympathetic towards him. He does not fulfill the definitions of a sympathetic literary character that I carry in my mind, as he is aware and in control of his evil intentions and actions. In Act I, Macbeth’s initial reaction to the prophecy is murder, and his eventual commitment to the act showcases his true character as a murderous but independent