“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed” (Mahatma Gandhi). Although wanting and having greed for power may be a motivation, it can fill one’s heart with dissatisfaction and unappreciation. Similarly, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth wants to gain and sustain power, as he thinks that it was a necessary need. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, attaining and holding power is the ultimate reason for Macbeth’s downfall. The witches' prophecies spur Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s greed for power, Macbeth’s jealousy and his wife’s persuasion convince Macbeth to commit evil to gain power, and finally, the threat to his power secures his ultimate downfall. Firstly, the witches’ prophecies prompted Macbeth …show more content…
Macbeth is hopeless by Duncan’s plan of making Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland and later ascends the throne instead of him and Macbeth soliloquizes: “[aside] The prince of Cumberland! That is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, / For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires. / The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see” (1.4. 57-62). Macbeth is devastated on the inside as Malcolm takes the potential throne. This proves that Macbeth is jealous of Duncan's power against Malcolm. Macbeth realizes that he has to do some sinning for him to ascend his position. Also, Macbeth is expressing that stars should hide their brightness as Macbeth will do immense evil doings. He seems like if he is going after Malcolm’s position, but in hindsight, he is going after Duncan’s. After Duncan visits Macbeth’s, Lady Macbeth tempts Macbeth to kill Duncan while he is sleeping: “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place / Did then adhere, and yet you would make both. / They have made themselves, and that their fitness now / Does unmake you” (1.7. 54-59). Lady Macbeth is so enthused about gaining power that she had to question if her husband is a man to get him to respect her and her …show more content…
After Macbeth kills Duncan and becomes the king, he feels insecure about Banquo, his closest friend to secure power: “To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo / Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be feared” ( 3.1. 52-55). It indicates that Macbeth is insecure about his throne because Banquo is the only witness to overhear the witches’ prophecies. Furthermore, Macbeth is truly forgetting that Banquo is his closest friend and he plans to get rid of any threats to sustain his power. Macbeth gets addressed that Macduff has fled to England after the witches prophesied about Macduff and Macbeth proclaims: “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line” (4.1. 167-170). Macbeth is trying to kill Macduff’s family to deter Macduff from fighting Macbeth. Macbeth plans to end Macduff’s bloodline as he feels threatened by the witches’ prophecies. (Conclusion
In the beginning of the play, Malcolm receives the news that his father, King Duncan, has been murdered. In response to this, Malcolm says,“What will you do? Let’s not consort with them:/ To show an unfelt sorrow is an office/ Which false man does easy. I’ll to/ England” (2.3.131-134). When talking to Donalbain, Malcolm reveals that he is skeptical of the honesty of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, since it is very easy to fake sorrow.
Both greed and power, if not controlled, can lead to destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate how ambition can change one’s personal relationships. As in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not share the same ambition, and it is because of this that their relationship lacks love and affection however through the use of persuasion and other means, Lady Macbeth is able to get Macbeth to pursue her ambition. This not only changes their relationship drastically but it also changes Macbeth’s attitude towards ambition. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows us through Macbeth, the possibility for ambition to eventually turn into greed and how the lust for power may corrupt us.
In the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, the protagonist, Macbeth, possesses many qualities that shape the mindset that he carries. However, the one that influences his actions and need for power the most is greed. Greed has the power to greatly influence and corrupt one's actions, mindset and way of life. Macbeth strongly possesses the feeling of greed, as he has his mind set on being king after hearing the prophecy set by the witches. In Macbeth's mind being king equals having infinite power and that was all Macbeth wanted.
In the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth can be related to modern day problems. One of the problems present in Macbeth is selfish desires that humans have. While every human can be selfish, Macbeth takes his selfish desires to a whole other level. His selfishness was not created by only himself, but the people around him. Selfish desires can take over a person’s true self, cause them to be someone they are not, and commit acts they would not normally do.
Macbeth’s greed takes over him as he chases a fool’s dream. Macbeth's ambition leads him to secure his power; he overlooks his guilt and focuses on doing whatever it takes to hold onto his authority. Shakespeare demonstrates, in a variety of techniques, how just ambition alone can bring down the even the greatest of men. “There is something wrong with a individual’s character if opportunity controls their loyalty.” Sean Simmon’s the writer of this quote explains how blinded someone can be when given certain opportunities which can be directly related to the character Macbeth.
Macbeth, learning from the witches that he will become king, decides that the Thane of Cawdor is not enough and, with the help of Lady Macbeth, schemes to murder King Duncan. Macbeth becomes so struck with greed that he gets upset when Malcolm is named Prince of Cumberland. "Noble Banquo, That has been no less deserved, and it must be known no less to have been done so. Let me enfold thee and hold thee to my heart." (1.4.28-33) This is Duncan talking to Banquo about his reward for risking his life and fighting for the prosperity of Ireland.
Macbeth’s thoroughly corrupt actions in the play force Malcolm and Donalbain, and Fleance to flee Scotland. Malcolm and Donalbain both flee Scotland after their father, King Duncan, is murdered. Malcolm flees to England and Donalbain flees to Ireland, because they do not feel like they are safe in Scotland anymore. Shakespeare writes, “there’s daggers in men’s smiles; the near in blood, the nearer bloody” (II.iv.135-136). Malcolm and Donalbain feel that they cannot trust anyone in the castle because someone in the castle is guilty.
However, greed soon consumed him and the once honorable Macbeth disappeared. He was replaced with a power hungry man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Throughout “Macbeth,” the theme of greed causes Macbeth to murder, deceive, and listen to his wife’s voice of ruin. Macbeth’s thirst for power first begins with the killing of King Duncan.
“There is a sufficiency in the world for man 's need but not for man 's greed.” This quote was spoken from a wise Indian activist, what he says is a correlation towards the rising greed aspect of the character Macbeth. This play Macbeth was about a soldier who became greedy with power. It is about Macbeth’s Tyrant display when he kills Duncan and orders Banquo to be killed and other violent acts.
Macbeth believes that the Prince of Cumberland stands in his way to more power. “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies.” (1.4.48-50) Macbeth’s dissatisfaction with his current power is well illustrated with him referring to the current heir to the throne as an obstacle to overcome.
Macbeth is a tyrant during his rule, manipulating the minds of the people and using murders to clear out anyone that stood in his way, so that he can stay in power. Malcolm worries about the state of Scotland as he exclaims, “I think our country sinks beneath the yoke./ It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash/ Is added to her wounds. I think withal…” (Shakespeare 4.3.49-51). Malcolm notices the true state of Scotland under the rule of Macbeth, as he has forcefully gained his
[Malcolm] good Siward and ten thousand men” (IV. iii. 219-220) for Malcolm to fight Macbeth for the crown. It is seen in this scene, that his will to become king is so strong, that it is filling him with such
After the victory of Banquo and Macbeth against the king 's traitor Macdonwald the witches presence contract the vibe of manipulation seeking Macbeth as its next victim. As they encounter with Macbeth and Banquo, they start-off questioning the trio of leery ladies. "look not like the inhabitants of the earth, / And yet are on it"; they seem to understand him, and yet he cannot be sure; they "should be women," and yet they are bearded. One by one the witches told Macbeth his upcoming abundance of power leaving him immensely petrified. As a result the prophecies were the contemporary force plaguing Macbeth into slaughtering King Duncan for his aspiration.
“If good, why do I yield to that suggestion[killing Duncan]/Whose horrid image doth unify my hair” (I, III, 144-145). This quote indicates that the force of ambition is so strong within Macbeth that even he himself cannot understand why it is making him think of killing Duncan. Likewise, Macbeth’s ambition to become king is further emphasized after Duncan names his son Malcolm as his successor. Here, Macbeth says that he will have to “oerleap,/For in my way it [Malcolm] it lies” (I, III, 55-57).
This shows that Macduff is extremely loyal to his homeland and realizes when a good man has been lost. When all the other noblemen were rushing to find a new king and rush Macbeth into kingship, Macduff was the only one to question about what truly happened. While