for his acts of bravery in the war. Macbeth, as a loyal subject, proclaims his adherence to the king by saying such things as, “your Highness’ part/ is to receive our duties, and our duties/ are to your throne and state children and servants/which do but what they should by doing everything/ safe toward your love and honor.” (Mac. 1.4.26-30). Macbeth’s proclamation of loyalty is, in turn, met with the king’s praise of him and the gift of a second nobility title. Shakespeare conveyed that, by staying loyal to the king, Macbeth benefitted in a positive way. Later in the play, once Macbeth had strayed from his once loyal self, Macbeth orders a few murderers to assassinate Banquo, a loyal friend of his. The murder was intended for Macbeth to rule with the knowledge that his bloodline would continue to be royalty. The central issue with the murder was the burden that it took on Macbeth’s mentality. After Banquo’s death, Macbeth sees his ghost and acts insane, saying, “it will have blood, they say; blood will have blood./ Stones have been known to move; and trees to/ speak;/ Augers and understood relations have/ by maggot pies and coughs and rooks brought/ forth/ the secret’st man of blood.” (Mac. 3.4.152-157). The disloyalty he shows to one of his loyal friends and subjects, by murdering them, creates a sense of guilt and drives Macbeth crazy. As such, Shakespeare communicates disloyalty, as having a negative impact on one’s life. To further the impact that staying loyal to others has, the play goes on to show that Macbeth’s self-interested rule leads to his demise. He did not try to help the people of his kingdom, and only acted for self-gain. This is shown through the many murders, the freedom of murderers, and the lack of initiative to help his subject’s. Even Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, recognizes his vile manner, telling the witches, “all you have done/ Hath been but for a wayward son,/ Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do,/ Loves for his own ends, not for you.” (Mac. 3.5.10-13). It is telling when the goddess of that which is considered evil in the Shakespearean era, is depicting Macbeth as a selfish and wrathful person. She reinforces the selfishness of Macbeth’s rule. Shakespeare’s message about loyalty can still be applied to date.
Macbeth’s selfish rule is not unlike some reigns that are seen in modern times. For instance, in the case of the recent United States election, a president with a very self-involved demeanor was elected. President Trump, on his path to presidency, had done many things that put down several people to gain support. An example of this occurrence was his failure to condemn many racist and supremacist groups and individuals, most likely to gain their votes in the election. This has caused many people in America to believe it is acceptable to lash out at certain groups with harsh words, such as, “Get out of my country”. In Macbeth, the people under Macbeth’s rule are fed up with how he has treated them and thus, “many worthy fellows were out;/ which was witnessed the rather/ for the tyrant’s power afoot./ [The English presence would quickly] create soldiers, make women fight,/ to doff their dire distresses.” (Mac. 4.3.210-214). Just as Macbeth had little care about his duties to be loyal to the Scottish people, thus causing a rebellion, President Trump’s failure to uphold the constitution, by putting out a ban on multiple countries with primarily Muslim populations, caused many protests throughout America. Trump was disloyal to many people, as the ban affected many families unable to reunite, as well as workers that had come to America on work visas. By the end, the many people rebelling against Macbeth had
surpassed those loyal to him. Macbeth realizes that he had lost majority of his people’s loyalty to him, observing “[that,] were they not forced with those that should be/ours,/ we might have met them backward home.” (Mac. 5.5.5-8). Macbeth’s rule has been duplicated many times throughout history. The most recent example of a ruler, whose rule was relatively similar to that of Macbeth, would be the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi amassed plenty of personal wealth using Libya’s resources. Muammar would act violently against rebellions, just as in the case of Macbeth. In the end, Gaddafi died, just as Macbeth had, with the rebellion of the people of their respective country rising up to kill them. The people of Libya celebrated the death of Gaddafi, just as those of Scotland did with the death of Macbeth. The underlying trait for both was the lack of loyalty and care towards the people of each respective country. This disloyalty lead the people to lose any loyalty they had to their leaders and revolt, ultimately causing their deaths. Shakespeare uses the tragedy of Macbeth to warn against becoming disloyal to the people who are loyal to you. He uses Macbeth’s ruling to show that staying loyal to those close to one’s self and helping them out, instead of doing everything for selfish purposes, will result in them doing the same. At first, when Macbeth was loyal, everything was going well for him, but once he had betrayed his loyalty, his life became miserable. By following Macbeth’s actions through the play, we see how his loyalty to the people around him affects their actions towards him. The underlying message being, loyalty goes far, towards helping one in their journey through life. While, not intending to be pertinent so far into the future, Shakespeare’s message continues to be relevant throughout life.