As humans, the desire to want control or influence is natural. However, some people may go to greater extremes than others to obtain this power. For instance, in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth was characterized as a good man, well renowned for winning a battle. His wife, on the contrary, Lady Macbeth, has a strong urge to obtain power and she is willing to do anything to acquire it. She implemented the thought of destroying everyone who stood in the way along the path to reach royalty in Macbeth’s mind by making him feel like he as though he is less of a man if he decided not to.
Despite Banquo performing similar, noble actions on the battlefield, Duncan did not give him a comparable reward to Macbeth’s. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo are the least likely suspects of Duncan’s murder because, although they have to ability to kill Duncan, they lack a proper motive to incentivise them to do
(Shakespeare, 363). The murderers were convinced by Macbeth that Banquo was the cause of all their misery in their lives, but that Macbeth fought for their freedom and wanted to relinquish them from their crimes. By the end of discussion, the murderers are so willing and confident in murdering Banquo, with the false knowledge that once he is dead, their lives can really start. Macbeth truly had influence over the murderers. He not only altered their own point of views of Banquo, he convinced them to murder Banquo in the middle of the night.
Most people in power in the world are corrupt due to money and political positions. Not so unlike in Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare, where the main character Macbeth after three witches give him, a prophecy saying he would be king and his friend Banquo’s sons would be king Macbeth begins his ascension to the throne through unnecessary means of which lead to his own downfall. Ultimately the pursuit of power not only led to the downfall of Macbeth but to those around them. From the beginning of the play, we can immediately see the cycle of corruption taking hold of the characters, mainly Macbeth. In the first scene Macbeth is in battle and is fighting the rebel traitor who is the thane of Cawdor.
Even though he did not physically kill him by himself, he still committed a crime. Macbeth did not desire to kill his own best friend or he will feel a sympathy of turning back on killing him. Banquo’s ghost created a scene that determined he was guilty of shooting down his loyal friend for no good
In the shakespearean play, Macbeth, there are three witches that tell the main character, Macbeth, the prophecies of his future. Yet with all magic, like seeing the future, there are limits of power. The witches tell Macbeth about his future as a king, then later of his death. His downfall is unknowingly caused by himself and his own free-will choices. The witches do not tell Macbeth how he will come to fulfil the prophecy of king or death to which Macbeth accomplishes on his own.
His lust for power drives him to murder Banquo and Fleance to ensure that they will not become kings, and so that his own sons will inherit the throne. Making rationalizations for the murders, he recalls the witches’ prophecy, by saying “They hailed him to a line of kings... No son of mine succeeding.” (3.1) Desiring to retain the power he occupies, Macbeth becomes increasingly willing to kill in order to preserve it. His mental state begins to deteriorate rapidly as he becomes increasingly more paranoid due to the lingering guilt of the crimes.
Power can not only bring ambitious people honors, but also make them lose everything. In the play, Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, it demonstrates that the immoral power influences the life of Macbeth dramatically. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, friend, and wife, which shows that Macbeth’s wild ambition causes him to be isolated. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, Duncan.
Additionally, it also accentuates the unjust nature of Banquo’s murder later on. This is due to the fact that unlike Macbeth, he remained true to his reputation until his death. The night that King Duncan is scheduled to visit Macbeth’s, Lady Macbeth warns him to act normal to avoid suspicion and
After the killers told mAcbeth that they had killed Banquo, he states,¨'Tis better thee without than he within. Is he dispatched?¨ (III.iv.15). This quote reveals that he was cruel because we see Banquo as an honorable man and even Macbeth's best friend. The fact that Macbeth had Banquo killed just because he was suspicious tells the reader that Macbeth Is cruel.
Power is always coveted in any society and the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is no different. In the play, Macbeth, a noble lord, shows his hunger for power with thoughts to remove an heir to the throne from power. Macbeth’s impatience to be king leads him to stain his honor by using murder. Macbeth travels further down the path of evil by arranging the assassination of a friend.
It is human nature to want power, to be at the top of the pyramid, to be king/queen, but that comes at a price as shown in Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will do anything to have absolute power and nothing stands in their way. From killing to going completely mad, they will become the next king and queen at all costs. The ambition and the want for power is so high that they kill many, they do whatever they can to be one step closer, and they go completely insane, all because they want that absolute power.
I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on 't again I dare not.” (Act II, sc ii, Lines 48-50). Macbeth is getting extremely paranoid and feels bad killing Duncan. Macbeths ambitions caused him to murder Duncan, but he also had Banquo murdered, and wanted to murder Banquo 's son, Fleance. Macbeth wants Banquo killed because he saw him as a threat; however, Banquo had been Macbeth 's friend and thought he could trust him. "
Lady Macbeth influences Macbeth to kill Duncan, but he continues to have second thoughts about it (i.vii.31-34) and feels terribly guilty afterwards (II.ii.63-66). However, following the murder of Duncan, Macbeth loses any ethics he had left. Macbeth kills the servants, Banquo, and Macduff’s whole family in cold-blooded murder. On the other hand, when Banquo ponders the witches prophecy for him, he contemplates the thought of having to kill someone to get power, but he quickly shuts it down (III.i.9-11).
The concept of power is discussed within the play by using strong symbolism to show authority through the characters of Macduff, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. After reading a letter from her spouse, Lady Macbeth has a thought about murdering King Duncan letting Macbeth become king. She then realises that she has to “unsex” herself and “take my milk for gall” so she is able to help her Husband, Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth believed that her “keen knife see not the wound it makes” will happen and she will be powerful if she shows more manhood.