ipl-logo

Macbeth's Desire For Power

118 Words1 Page

Everyone wants power. Even the most humble among us can be caught cutting in the line at Starbucks, cheating on a test, or using a tiny white lie on a resume to set ourselves apart. We all want to stand out and feel superior to the average Joe. Shakespeare’s Macbeth shows how fast a person can change as a result of the desire for power. Macbeth, the character, provides a perfect example of how even an honorable person can become corrupt when this desire is not regulated. While Macbeth is loyal and compassionate at the beginning of the play, he turns into a crazed lunatic by the end, simply because he chose to pursue power the wrong

Show More
Related

  • Power And Motivation In Shakespeare's Macbeth

    349 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power and motivation can push people to do amazing things, good or bad. In Macbeth’s case, his power gave him potential to do good; Instead, his greed for recognition led him to commit horrifying acts of murder. Macbeth was just a normal person of royalty until the idea of becoming king and gaining power lead him to the point of no return. Literally.

    Read More

  • Is Macbeth Power Hungry

    646 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth was the greatest king that ever lived and that anyone could have asked for to run their kingdom, yeah right. Macbeth was this lunatic crazed man who kills everyone that he doesn't think is trust worthy. Macbeth is so power hungry that he doesn't even care if his wife just died because in the book he says “ It was going to happen sooner or later”, like wow thats how he honestly feels all because he is the King and can do whatever if he puts his faith into the witches, but seriously Macbeth is no where near the greatest king that ever lived, I wouldn't even have this man take care of my turtles.

    Read More

  • Pursuit Of Power In Macbeth

    729 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Power And Control In Macbeth

    685 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare has been quoted on a daily basis and you probably never realised. 400 years ago, he explored raw emotions that created an ongoing link between his works and his readers. This is established in his renowned 1606 tragedy Macbeth and the 2005 Mark Brozel adaptation Macbeth Retold. Shakespeare delved into the deep desire for power and control which negatively results in guilt and the exploration of the human psyche. Their application by Brozel in a 21st-century setting shows how Shakespeare’s ideas and writing continue to be relevant to a significant extent.

    Read More

  • Influence Of Power In Macbeth

    988 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Influence of Power in Macbeth Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton) In the tragedy of “Macbeth”, written by William Shakespeare, he uses characters to portray a theme of “Power tends to Corrupt”. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two major characters that show how power can be a source of corruption, as their power increases their principles concerning the distinction between good or wrong behaviors decrease.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

    438 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s decision to murder Duncan, Both face the guilt of the power they abused portrays on the shadows that reflect on them as well as the natural consequences they will face. During the first half of the play, Lady Macbeth expresses her unnatural feelings and this is demonstrated through the corruption of power when she want’s to hire people to kill Duncan because she thinks that Macbeth is too scared. At first, when Lady Macbeth hinted “Their drenchèd natures lies as in a death”(1.7.78). This demonstrates that Lady Macbeth is characterizing corruption of power due to the fact that she want's to kill Duncan, therefore she can be queen of cawdor while Macbeth is king.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Fixation Of Power In Macbeth

    983 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth, the main character Macbeth goes from a hero to an antihero. He begins as a well respected and honourable soldier however by the end he is a power hungry and guilty king. The Shakespearean tragedy follows Macbeth as he becomes consumed by his desire for power. At first Macbeth is a well respected soldier, he is liked by his country and is valiant.

    Read More

  • Hunger For Power In Macbeth

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth loses his last scrap of morality when he orders the murder of innocents to enrage a rival. Shakespeare’s Macbeth shows that humans will do whatever it takes to achieve and maintain power by charting Macbeth’s descent from noble thane to murderous tyrant. Macbeth’s position of thane is already quite powerful but the need for more power overwhelms his loyalties to others.

    Read More

  • Ambition For Power In Macbeth

    935 Words  | 4 Pages

    Is it not weird how ambition for power corrupts one corrupt and leads them to their destiny? Ambition for power is lust which tempts one to be corruptive to acquire and protect it. However, in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, it is evident that ambition for power ultimately leads to corruption when Macbeth’s ambition for power causes the assassination of King Duncan, when Macbeth’s ambition for power compels him to execute those who obstruct his inheritance to the Scottish Throne, and finally, when Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to assassinate the people who impede his Kingship of Scotland out of lust for power. Macbeth’s ambition for power is the root cause to King Duncan’s assassination.

    Read More

  • Power And Corruption In Macbeth

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare, playwright of Macbeth, shows the importance that power and corruption can hold on a person’s humanity. In order to prove the true effect of personal gains, he uses the main character, Macbeth, to show how evil people are willing to become. Personal power has the ability to be essential to greatness, but at the same time is able to destroy a person’s true nature. Believe it or not, Macbeth once was a man of honor. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was loyal to King Duncan, a strong military leader, and a respected husband.

    Read More

  • Power And Corruption In Shakespeare's Macbeth

    496 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth believes he will be king. The power he thinks he will have causes him to kill the people who stand in his way Of fulfilling his destiny. The Spiderman quote “With power comes great responsibility,” relates to the theme of Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Macbeth and the actor Lindsay Lohan, share the trait that people with power often abuse it, corruption is frequently the result of responsibility to great for one person.

    Read More

  • Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

    789 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ambition In Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1015 Words  | 5 Pages

    In today’s society many people possess strong ambition when it comes to getting a job, following a passion and being immensely successful in life. Having an abundance of aspirations can have both successful and faulty outcomes depending on the situation and how individuals respond to the circumstance. For example, in the play **Macbeth written by Shakespeare, a prime example of an excessive amount of ambition is displayed through both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s actions. Essentially, Macbeth becomes power hungry and goes on a rampant killing spree that causes Lady Macbeth and Macbeth to be overcome with guilt. They both contain an excessive amount of desires due to their ultimate goal being for Macbeth to be crowned king.

    Read More

  • Desire For Power In Macbeth

    1323 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Power And Ambition In Macbeth

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    What drives apparently good men to become ruthless, ambitious, jealous and greedy? We see an example of this in the play “Macbeth” performed at Pop Up Globe, directed by Tom Mallaburn, was written originally by the well-known author, William Shakespeare. Macbeth is based upon a big tragedy, where the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, inevitably were forced to do evil things due to their ambition; taste the sweetness of victory and then downfall again. Although the play was written by an English author, Shakespeare smartly sets his story based upon the idea of ambition, a concept that relates to all of us, no matter where we are from. We have to admit that in our minds, the concept of power and ambition is linked to men.

    Read More

More about Macbeth's Desire For Power

Open Document