Analysis Of Macbeth And The Ultimate Demise Of Macbeth

His Ultimate Demise It is human nature to desire, and in Macbeth, Macbeth’s desires take over his life. His desires cause mass destruction throughout Scotland, which bring him to his death. Macbeth’s unreasonable wants cause him to behave in inappropriate manners towards his friends and family. His friends become his enemies and his family becomes strangers. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, violence, ambition and the lust for power cause Macbeth’s ultimate demise. First, Macbeth uses violence as a means for protection. He believes that by killing off his enemies, it will ensure his title as King of Scotland. As Sigmund Freud states, “…his actions lose all purpose and are transformed into the blind fury of one doomed to destruction” (Freud). Macbeth’s

After hearing the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth became obsessed with the idea of having immense power. Hecate, the sorceress in charge of the witches says, “How did you dare To trade and traffic with Macbeth In riddles and affairs of death;” (3. 5. 3-5). The head witch, Hecate, scolds the witches for luring Macbeth into this hunger for power. She understands that Macbeth will take their prophecies and make them come true. His lust for this unlimited power continues throughout the play and increases with each murder. As L. C. Knights states, “Macbeth defines a particular kind of evil, the evil that results from a lust for power” (Knights). His evil nature derived from his lust for power. Macbeth’s lust for power is an unhealthy obsession that is the root of all evil throughout the play. Macbeth describes his urgency for power when he says, “The expedition of my violent love Outrun the pauser, reason” (2. 3. 111-112). The “violent love” that Macbeth describes is his lust for power. He becomes an unknown version of himself and begins destroying everything and everyone in his life to obtain that one title. Henry N. Paul writes, “Macbeth requires destruction to enable him to attain his ends and this is just what the play discloses” (Paul). Paul’s comment suggests that his lust for power is also driven by destruction. Because Macbeth destroys everything and everyone, it causes him to get addicted to having power and he will do anything to keep it. Power causes Macbeth’s ultimate death because his lust for power causes him to destroy enemies, but also create enemies, which cause his death at the end of the