Violence In Macbeth Essay

Violence has been a part of human history since the first ape slapped another ape. Over the course of generations wars have been fought and lost, while the human toll has been too large to comprehend. Violence has shaped our world, our nations, and our lives. It has even influenced many of the world’s finest works of literature. While the violence in Macbeth is what is responsible for the entirety of the story it no doubt grows out of control, since Duncan’s murder by Macbeth serves as catalyst for more murders by other characters, making The Tragedy of Macbeth one of the more brutal plays of its time.
At the origin of the play Macbeth was spellbound by the prophecy delivered by the witches. The prophecy stated that Macbeth would become King,
As stated by the prophecy, it would not be Macbeth who fathered kings, but instead his colleague’s offspring which would succeed him to the throne. It was also foretold that Macbeth would not stand as king for a long period of time. Macbeth’s inductive reasoning suggests that if he were not to be king long, and Banquo’s sons would become king, then it must be that he would suffer the same fate as Duncan. Because of this sort of logic, Macbeth dispatches Banquo by running him through with a spear. According to Cohen (2008) “Violence is the enemy of human kind, but it is also man’s most powerful instrument” (para. 5). By this reasoning it is clear to see that violence is responsible for many brutal crimes, and at the same time is accountable for the security of nations. It is a commonality for most people to overlook one of the most disastrous deaths of the play; Macbeth’s. McDuff slays Macbeth in one of the most violent scenes of the play. As Bell (2006) notes “Macbeth meets his death with an animal fortitude that is all that remains of his diminished personality” (p. 29). This in turn means that Macbeth’s violence essentially drove him from the realm of humanity, and into the existence equivalent to that of a