The play, Macbeth, is a story about a man who is eager for power and will do anything to get it. Macbeth is addressed by three witches who declare he is destined to be King. Instead of letting fate control Macbeth’s life, he decides to take matters into his own hands and kill those in the way of obtaining power. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth possesses the character flaw of greed which when left unchecked can lead to self destruction. In the first place, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as greedy when Banquo’s sons are destined to be king “rather than so, come fate into the list”(3.1.71). Macbeth becomes greedy in obtaining the throne and does not want anyone who is not himself to rule as King. Instead of letting fate control the future, …show more content…
In addition, Shakespeare lets Macbeth’s inner character flaw of greed show through as Macbeth debates killing Malcolm, prince of Cumberland, in order for Macbeth to hold the throne himself. As Macbeth comes to the realization that he must murder in order to get what he wants, Macbeth pleads “stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” (1.4.52-53). In this scene, Macbeth realizes his thoughts are wrong, but his greed is beginning to influence not only his thoughts, but his actions as well. Another key point, is when Shakespeare portrays Macbeth greedy as he thinks of murdering King Duncan in order to take the crown for himself. Macbeth questions “why do I yield to that suggestion”(1.3.137) as the thought of murder crosses through Macbeth’s mind. This recurring theme of greed shows Macbeth’s true character of selfishness and the want for power. The greed shown in numerous locations throughout the play shows Macbeth’s ultimate character flaw that ultimately leads to his self destruction. As a result, Macbeth indirectly kills himself by being greedy with power and only thinking of
Throughout the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth continuously makes bad choices and the consequences of these decisions catch up to Macbeth and result in his mental deterioration, however with Macbeth’s almost infant feel for ambition this makes him susceptible to manipulation, which then grows into an insatiable appetite for power. The acts of this, with the manipulation from outsiders, causes his blind ambition, his false sense of security and then finally his guilt, which all contribute to his derangement. Some will argue that all the choices made by Macbeth were continuously his own, that he had these opportunities as a man to put his foot down and say no, and be able to draw the line where things should come to an end, the fault of a mental deterioration was not there, that from the beginning Macbeth was an evil man who had a twisted way of achieving things. Macbeth’s ambition is to remain king for as long as possible, and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. Macbeth feels as if he was given a childless rule, and that his legacy will not continue on in fear his rule will be taken away by someone outside his family.
In conclusion, Macbeth is a victim of external forces. In this story you would learn the negative things about greed. Why you should not be greedy, and the consequences you would face. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of characters. Bravery, self-doubt, and ambition was the mastery of Macbeth throughout the play. In my opinion, this was very explainable of what greed exactly means. In the beginning, shows a brave and capable warrior; Macbeth, and things just fall apart for him at the end of the play. You should really read this, because it gives examples of greed and the consequences they
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a five-act drama that shows a clear example of how pride, greed, and power can alter a man's actions and personality. The taste of power blinds the story's main character, Macbeth. Sparked by Lady Macbeth, he becomes heartless and cruel as he kills anyone who is a threat to his power due to his paranoia of losing the throne. This fear ironically leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. The theme of the story is deceit and evil and how they affect a man's decisions.
Throughout the play, Macbeth’s ambition steadily progresses. Macbeth realizes that his ambition is the only thing that really makes him want to kill the king because it is for his own benefit. This is evident when Macbeth says,
Because of the witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s ambition and Macbeth’s greed, Macbeth diverges from his values and principles, corrupting him and ultimately leading to his downfall. Because of their greed and pride, the characters in the Tragedy of Macbeth end up not only losing everything that was important to them, but also the path on life they had tried so hard to stay on. Greed and pride shatters the fate that one would have had, whether fate is defined as where one would want to end up, or as where one will end up at.
Shakespeare clearly explores the themes ‘Fate and Free Will’, and ‘Ambition’ within this tragedy. Shakespeare weaves these themes around the character of Macbeth, showing us the depth of his insight into human society. Macbeth fell victim to his interpretation of supernatural prophecies and the influence from his wife. His impatience for the throne led to his crimes, subsequent guilt and acknowledgement of his sins. Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s life to his audience as a moral tale, warning them how men should be careful how they regard the ideas of fortune and fate and how in the end, evil intents and actions bring with them their own punishment.
Power can change people in a way that is incomprehensible. Power can make one so greedy that he/she will do anything for it and won't let anyone, or thing stand in his/her way. This essay will also compare the character of some that get pulled in by this greed for power, and one that doesn't get taken in by this greed for power.
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
Macbeth’s blind ambition leads him to surrender to his dark desires that taunt him throughout the play. Macbeth is frequently tempted to result to the wrongful methods that seem to roam inside of him. In the beginning however Macbeth tends to ignore these desires and depends on chance. He declares “if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir” (Shakespeare, act 1, scene 3, 143-144). This declaration by Macbeth shows his initial stand, which is reliant on fate and sin free. Yet as Macbeth’s character develops throughout the play, he moves farther from his dependence on chance and closer to his darker desires. Eventually his blind ambition to become king overp...
Greed cannot control one’s actions, it destroys humanity as a whole; and fills the world with fear and darkness. Greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others; it leaves society with an unquenchable thirst for power. In the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the author indicates that there are negative consequences that occur due to motivation brought on by greed. The negative consequences are shown through mental impacts, environmental aspects and the loss of loved ones. Greed is a major component in society because it leads to corruptions and destruction. This play is a great example that shows how greed is capable of creating harmful situations that are unfixable.
Greed is far more detrimental to society than procrastination, because greed can change a person, it can bring out the worst of themselves and it will affect the people around them. In Macbeth, Macbeth showed greed and as a result, it made him go crazy and it affected the people around him including his wife. Greed can make someone do anything to reach the point where they are satisfied. Lance Armstrong showed greed by using dope to help him win a bike race. Greed is one of the human traits that can cause many people to act in a horrible way.
The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is a tale of a man and his un-bridled ambition, set in ancient Scotland. Macbeth is a nobleman of the king of Scotland, Duncan, who is in mid-war with Norway. Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter three witches. The witches tell the pair that Macbeth will be king, and Banquo’s children will also be kings. Any person in their right mind would question information given to them by strangers, let alone witches, but for some reason these statements intrigue Macbeth. They temp Macbeth to do evil things such as treason, and worse, to kill. Although un-bridled ambition is his main tragic flaw, there is one more that plays a big role in his decisions and the outcome of the story; Macbeth is far too impressionable.
The tragedy of Macbeth opens up with him returning home from a victorious military battle, displaying his honor and excellence. This is, also the first time he is presented with the opportunity for power. His success covered him with glory in defense of the crown. Macbeth is busily basking in his own glory and soaking up credit when Duncan basically steals his spotlight from right over his head, proclaiming Malcolm, Duncan's son, as the heir-apparent. This action also belittles Macbeth's achievement, since the procession of the throne is not necessarily dictated by bloodlines. Duncan is basically announcing that Macbeth, while noble, is inferior to his son Malcolm. This is where Duncan provokes Macbeth to hate him and also points out what Macbeth must do to become King. Duncan even tempts Macbeth, by pronouncing him as the Thane of Cawdor. This gives Macbeth a taste of power and he begins to have a desire for more. This desire or ambition is his fatal flaw. Shakespeare, by using Macbeth as a guide, shows that even the honorable men can fall into the hands of evil just like everyone else. No one is safe from his or her own ambitions of power and success. It is clear that Macbeth ends up a far more brutal and simple...
Lady Macbeth and the witches have both planted the seed of ambition inside of Macbeth Because of Lady Macbeth’s wicked behavior, which resulted in Macbeth’s evil transition; he was led to become a murderer. Macbeth should not be held accountable for his actions completely since she is the one who lead him towards committing both crimes. The major theme ambition and greed for power have played a key part in Macbeth’s fall from a great Scottish general to a murderer. People should be content on what they have and not strive for things which destroy a person even if we are influenced. In this case Shakespeare’s thought proving play of Macbeth.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare confronts audiences with universal and powerful themes of ambition and evil along with its consequences. Shakespeare explores the powerful theme of the human mind’s decent into madness, audiences find this theme most confronting because of its universal relevance. His use of dramatic devices includes soliloquies, animal imagery, clear characterisation and dramatic language. Themes of ambition and mental instability are evident in Lady Macbeth’s reaction to Macbeth’s letter detailing the prophecies, Macbeth’s hallucinations of Banquo’s ghost and finally in the scene where Lady Macbeth is found sleep walking, tortured by her involvement.