Preview

Power In Macbeth Essay

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
431 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Power In Macbeth Essay
The lust Macbeth has for power has deteriorated his mind and transformed him into a liar. To elaborate, the significant event in Act II was the assassination of Duncan, the king of Scotland, by Macbeth. Macbeth committed this murder to seize the throne for himself, as predicted by the Witches. Before he crossed that bridge and burned it, Macbeth was a loyal and powerful member of the Scottish nobility. His morals and state of mind were in good shape, however, when he thinks he can be king, the desire for power overwhelms him. Up to the point of the murder Macbeth’s state of mind deteriorates due to the abandonment of loyalty and his morals. This is shown when Macbeth is waiting for Lady Macbeth’s signal that Duncan and his guards have …show more content…
After Macbeth kills Duncan he is incredibly shaken up and regrets the act, the weight of the situation is heavy and he must change as a person or go insane. Then when everyone wakes up and are asking who killed the guards, Macbeth lies and says he killed them out of fury. Macbeth states, “Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, / Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man: / The expedition of my violent love / Outrun the pauser reason” (2.3.120-123). Macbeth must lie to his allies as to not be seen as guilty, as events unfold he must continue to lie as to uphold his innocence. Before the murder Macbeth would not lie to his friends, he had honor but now he has nothing. By and large, I don’t feel sympathy for Macbeth, because he was not forced to murder Duncan, and he got what he desired, the crown of Scotland. Macduff, Ross, and their father speak of what is to come now that Duncan is dead. Macduff announces, ‘He is already named, and gone to Scone / to be invested” (2.4.40-41). Macbeth being elevated to king will only enhance his anxiety and stress, he will fear that his allies will figure out his guilt, and paranoia will worsen his already weakened mentality. He must continue to lie to sustain his power, but doing so will distance himself with his morals farther and farther until

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    power word of macbeth

    • 1013 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Typically 1,000 you can purchase traditional certificates of deposit through brokerage forms such as Wells Fargo Advisors.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Act two, Macbeth had killed Duncan. Duncan was a king and that is what Macbeth wanted to be, so he decided to murder him. Macbeth’s outward appearance is that he is powerful, but really incapable of standing his own ground. Macbeth became paranoid because he did not want anyone knowing that he had murdered Duncan. Every knock of the door he heard, he would ask “whose there?” Macbeth had an excessive amount of blood on his hands and thought that his hands could never become clean again. His guilty conscience was beginning to take over his mental thoughts.…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness…

    • 1231 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "In the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding on the back of the tiger ended up inside."…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, power that is wrongly obtained is misused throughout the course of the play. Power plays a major role in the tragic events of Macbeth. Most of the characters in the play strive for it. Although power is a key theme, Shakespeare shows that power that is unrightfully claimed is often used in a destructive manner. The power that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth stole was used wrongly and ultimately lead to the downfall of friendships, a marriage and a…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Macbeth is a very power greedy person. It is not necessarily his own doing that he is such a ruthless person. It all started (Macbeth being power greedy) with the Three Witches predictions: "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of/ Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter." (1.3.50-54)<br><br>As soon as Macbeth learned of his future, he began to scheme on just exactly how he would fulfill these prophecies. That is when he decided that he would have to murder Duncan to fulfill the last prophecy. But that is when he had a change or heart. <br><br>The only problem with Macbeth deciding not to murder Duncan, is that all of a sudden Lady Macbeth became the power greedy one. This is when Lady Macbeth's scheming began. Although Macbeth had changed his mind and basically refused to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth was able to eventually convince him to carry through with the plan. <br><br>Even though Macbeth was the one who executed the plan, Lady Macbeth was the mastermind behind the scheme. Her greed for power was the one major factor that possessed her to convince Macbeth of the plan and carry through with it. Macbeth murdered Duncan at Iverness, and became hysterical after doing so. As a result of Malcolm and Donalbain's suspicions resulting in their departure to England and Ireland Macbeth became king: this was the ultimate power that he and Lady Macbeth had as their goal (well, actually it was more of Lady Macbeth's goal), and now he eventually had received it. Nothing was going to take away this ultimate power from Macbeth, and he would do anything to keep it. Macbeth's ruthlessness results in him ordering three murderers to murder his best friend, Banquo. The power of being king has taken over Macbeth's life, and he is a victim of his own greed for power. He is a tyrant. Not only does Macbeth murder Banquo (not directly, of course), he also murders (actually he has people murder) Macbuffs family.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Power Analysis

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages

    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.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Regardless, leaders who crave power and desire superiority agree to weaken and terrorize people threatening their power. Equally, in Shakespeare's Macbeth, the witches tell Macbeth to be cautious of Macduff, "Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane Fife!" (125). Macbeth believes Macduff is his personal enemy that will take his power away from him. The fear of loosing the battle with England infuriates Macbeth to kill everyone close to him like Lady Macduff, his children, and his castle. To the point, Macbeth is consumed with fear of what he has done, which causes him to be sleep deprived and ravaged with guilt. He kills innocent people just to obtain more power and takes the opportunity to take down those in his way. A person who sees something that…

    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Firstly, Macbeth kills Duncan. Macbeth wants to fulfill his ambition to be king. Killing Duncan is vital in this case. Initially, he is hesitant, but by the help of his wife and his vaulting ambition, he kills Duncan. It is noted that having succumbed to his ambition to gain the crown by whatever means”(Lamar 8).Macbeth knows that he can be crowned king by killing important people. He allows his ambition to help him kill.Macbeth had gotten so intact with being king that he didn’t realize that the witches weren’t helping him, but they were actually hurting him.” your castle is surprised, your wife and babes/savagely slaughtered. To relate the manner/where on the quarry of these murders.” (4.3.240-244) This quotes shows he had really become power hungry. His actions caused Macduff to turn against him. Having people who could in the long run have a higher ranking than one is never good. In the end one may need them. Macbeth’s ambition got the best of him and Macduff’s family. He only sets the trap of his own death. He was unprepared for what was to come. Which was Macduff killing…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton’s 19th century words of wisdom were never more true than in the pages of Shakespeare's Macbeth tragedy. The corruption of power is one of the major and overarching themes of this play, Shakespeare uses charter dialogue and actions to flawlessly portray the corrupting grip that power wields. He shows just how cruel this kingdom of corruption can get. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are by far the most corrupted by power as their blood soaked pursuit of total authority clearly shows. Aggressive and abusive behavior forces the pair to the extremes, ultimately making the capricious decisions to usurp the throne by assassinating King Duncan.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Power In Macbeth

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He also came to realize that Macbeth was the one that ordered his family to be killed. “… Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still.” (V.vii.19-21) Macbeth is a malicious character who wishes evil to others. He admits to this at the end of the play. Macduff admonishes Macbeth to openly face his consequences. Macduff is truly hurt from the loss of his family and wants Macbeth to die by his own hands. “Once caught by the devil’s bait, only at the end is he able to express his inward state openly in outward appearance.” (Davidson 53) Macbeth openly admits that he is a hopeless tyrant living a worthless life. His deeds came back around him in a way that the evil he did to others started to punish him. From Lady Macbeth’s death to his own, Macbeth lost everything due to his greed. Instead of being a holy king, Macbeth chose to follow the path of evil by initiating a trial of murders. Macbeth’s courage contradicts itself because in Act I, Scene II he was praised for his bravery while in Act V he is a hopeless king fighting for his life. He came to realization that his life came to a bitter end. Ultimately, Young Siward’s death was more significant than Macbeth’s, because he died fighting for others while Macbeth fought for himself. After all, Macbeth’s only goal was to keep his position of the throne away from all,…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Motif Of Power In Macbeth

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people want to obtain power to satisfy their needs. Once the individual gains the power, they continue to strive to gain more without acknowledging the consequences until later. In William Shakespeare's Elizabethan tragedy Macbeth, the corruptive quality of power influences the individual to go against their nature in order to obtain power by any means necessary. Shakespeare utilizes the motif of blood to show that the steps taken to obtain power will not always yield favorable results and the consequences will stay with the individual.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeths Ambition

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Political ambition undermines man’s loyalty. In the play, Macbeth decides to kill his king because of his ambition for position. At the beginning of the play, he portrays himself as a noble person. He fights in the battle against Norway and proves his loyalty; however, as soon as the witches prophesize that Macbeth “shall be king hereafter” (1.3.53), he is not longer trustworthy. Ambition for power starts creeping into his head. After Macbeth’s internal conflict over whether or not to kill Duncan, he decides to do it quickly (1.7.3) in order to hasten the predictions. He decides to kill the king because he wants to extend his power all over the country by becoming the new monarch. He desires to be more wealthy and respected by the nobility as well as by the common people. Becoming king represents the highest rang in the political pyramid. The act of murdering is the only way to make his dreams come true because Duncan’s fair and prosperous rule over Scotland experience the support of the whole population. As Malcolm…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Loss Of Power In Macbeth

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth, a 16th century play written by William Shakespeare tackles many relevant issues from the time, including: the role of a monarch, political violence, and the nature of power. Shakespeare uses the Macbeths’ turbulent relationship with power to express his own views on the topic of illegitimate monarchy. Illegitimate monarchy is when the throne is obtained through uncalled for regicide, specifically if the murdered King or Queen was considered to be a benevolent ruler. Shakespeare uses the graphic image of deceased infants to underscore the lengths the Macbeths will go to for power. The image often appears in the play when a significant event relating to the Macbeths’ attainment, preservation, or loss of power occurs. This is because…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Main Theme

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Duncan 's murder filled Macbeth with grief and guilt, which turned out to be just the beginning of his killing spree. He began feeling guilt before committing the actual crime. He says, “And wicked dreams abuse the curtain 's sleep.” (Macbeth, 2.2.62-63) Macbeth is having preemptive nightmares before he even actually attempts to kill Duncan. This shows that he is weak to begin with, which is a quality that is not suitable for a king. After committing the murder, he greatly struggles to live with his guilt. He asks, “Will all great Neptune 's ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?” (2.2.78-79) Macbeth is in agony at the thought of the crime he committed, and he is having difficulty getting it off of his mind. Macbeth, getting anxious, says, “Wake Duncan with thy knocking, I would thou couldst.” (2.2.94-95) He wants to take back what he has done and wishes he could wake Duncan up, just imagining that he is dead. The guilt was unbearable for Macbeth at this point, and things were not looking up for him.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays