Examples Of Greed In Macbeth

Shakespeare is a shockingly influential writer and his play Macbeth is full of literary examples of our society today. Macbeth is known for being greedy, and that is something that humans should not have today. If someone have greed then nothing can ever be enough because no matter what they do then they will always try to find something better. Someone who is going after something they want like a new car or house or new job would keep trying and not give up until they finally receive what they are looking for. Macbeth demonstrates through his greed how human beings are always going to want more and and that they will never be satisfied.

Macbeth is brave for fighting for his country and defending his troops. At the camp near the battlefield the Captain describes how Macbeth is fearless in battle: “For brave Macbeth — well he deserves that name — Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave” (1.2.16-20). Macbeth is brave and is ruthless in battle, he does not allow anything to get in his way and will get the job done no matter what. People in society today are striving to go after something they want and won’t quit until they get it which makes Macbeth an ideal role model for kids and people today.

Macbeth is greedy because he does whatever he needs to do in order to get what he want when it comes to women.

"I grant him bloody, Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name5) ." (4.3.60-6Macbeth wishes every sin that has a name onto Macduff and he is saying that to Macduff because he says he is evil. Some people will wait to get married to the perfect person even though that is impossible and they will not settle for someone if they do not meet all of their expectations. This is what Macbeth does when he will not settle for any of Macduff’s sisters or

wives.

Macbeth’s greed continues when he would not stand for being anything but king and was not going to stop until he got it, just so he can have control over everything. “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!
[…] Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!” (1.3.53;70-71) Macbeth heard from the witches that he was going to be king and everything from there on was suddenly about him getting to be king. When a businessman wants money, he wants to acquire the most money he can and is going to negotiate the highest numbers until he is satisfied. This greedy act is pretty much what Macbeth was doing just with negotiating being king instead of currency.

Macbeth was greedy and could never settle for anything less than the best; he had multiple characters murdered ruthlessly including women and children. He would not stop going after people and things until he became king. This greed is something in our society today that people find unappealing and selfish. Humans are greedy and selfish and Macbeth is a great example of someone full of greed. If Macbeth were to become king permanently then do you think he would have ever stopped chasing something better? Or do you think that humans will eventually find something that is finally good enough?