Theme Of Corruption In Macbeth

Charles Caleb Colton once said, “Corruption is like a ball of snow; whence once set a-rolling it must increase”. In other words, he explains how when a person commits a crime of some kind, it creates a snowball effect; once the corruption starts, it cannot stop, and the person will keep on becoming more and more deceitful and corrupt until his brutal end. Similarly, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth hears a prophecy from three witches that informs him he will be king. This prophecy places ambition in Macbeth, and as his aspiration to be king amplifies, Macbeth becomes more and more crooked and deceitful, which ultimately leads to his murder of the king Duncan, as well as others in his way. In this play, we are shown Macbeth’s deterioration from a brave and noble soldier to a nefarious individual, through his murder of King Duncan and others, further cementing how contagious corruption can be.

In the beginning of the play, we see Macbeth as a brave and heroic man, admired by many. However, after his confrontation with the witches, we see only a mere shadow of his former self. He begins to assess his ambition, and after hearing the prophecy, he sees the opportunity to become king. We first see his rising ambition as he says, aside, “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires (Shakespeare 29). Macbeth has begun his path to corruption. He has fallen to his ambition and begins to perpetrate crimes so he can become king. He is clearly