Far from his family, MacDuff anxiously flees to England seeking the aid of Malcolm in an attempt to regain Scotland from Macbeth’s tyranny. In England, MacDuff successfully locates Malcolm and in his worried state implores for Malcolm’s involvement in Macbeth’s removal from the throne. Few, including Macduff, fears that Macbeth’s “boundless intemperance” has gone unchecked for too long, as his unquenchable lust for power is proving to be detrimental to Scotland’s well being. Under Macbeth, the once joyous state of Scotland is now disturbed by Macbeth’s unrelenting mission to eliminate all prophesied hindrances to Macbeth’s longevity as king. For centuries, man has often been consumed by greed. In our entire existence, the course of human history has driven by the nonconforming idea of …show more content…
greed. Even in the Book of Genesis, greed is well documented, branching from the idea that the devil desired the omnipotence of God. From the earliest of times to this very moment, the destructive nature of greed entraps many with its false promises. Nowadays, it is common to see people line up for the new phone or for the latest article of clothing, believing that its promises brings about the betterment of life. When in fact, the once the desired need that promised happiness, entails frustration and consequences that bring about disparity. The avarice that befalls upon Macbeth, in essence, is a tyranny of the mind for its corrupt and conflicting nature is an unchecked disease of the spirit.
Macbeth’s excessive greed is, in fact, the befalling of kings, for its false promises mislead one’s desires to bring about a result that does not always satisfy. Macduff believes the amount of power that Macbeth wishes for — is a path that subconsciously morphs and changes Macbeth into an individual whose mindset can be seen as cancerous. The destructive nature of greed was demonstrated by Macbeth earlier in the story when he decided to kill the former king and his good friend Banquo. At first, Macbeth felt remorse and his conscience was questioning his need to be king, but as he began to allow his greed to guide his actions, the less remorse he felt and the more inclined he was to seek what satisfies him most. Instead of tending to Scotland’s people, Macbeth is plagued by the need to remain king, as he leads a crusade in an effort to ensure his future. It is for this reason, that Macduff urges for Macbeth’s removal from the throne, due to his toxic disposition that does not benefit, but only deteriorates the kingdom of
Scotland.
As the war for the justified king began, Macbeth faces his deep-rooted friend, Macduff. The fact Macbeth has murdered Macduff’s family exceeds their past friendship; Macduff seeks revenge against Macbeth and begins to draw his sword. Macbeth, however, refuses to fight: “Of all men else I have avoided thee. But get thee back. My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already” (V. iix. 5-7). Shakespeare shows that the blood Macbeth has charged with came from his ambition to become king and to stay king. Macbeth willingly and consciously kills his friend’s family in order to keep the crown. Individuals, overcome by greed, will kill entire families for power. Nevertheless, with greedy ambition comes retaliation. Macduff decapitates Macbeth and Death from past vengeance proclaims the final step of
While the name "Macbeth" means "son of life" in Gaelic, Shakespeare contradicts its meaning as he shows the gruesome consequences that Macbeth faces. Macbeth, a modern tragedy written by Shakespeare, cautions the audience of those consequences. He highlights the terrible choices driven by ambition that Macbeth makes, and in the process, warns the reader to stay away from those choices. Shakespeare's use of symbolism in Macbeth reveals greed's power to destroy one's mind and soul.
Shakespeare tells us through the play that greed can bring down the greatest amongst us. This is shown no clearer than in the case of “Brave Macbeth” (1.2.17) as we see him “carve out his” (1.2.20) path to “unseam” (1.2.23) the traitor Macdonwald and prove his courage. He was rewarded for these deeds with the thaneship of Cawdor and the renown of his soldiers and the other lords of the court. The three witches, however, soon show the true power of greed as they “win [him] to [his] harm…with honest trifles” (1.3.26, 28) and he becomes a paranoid despot grasping to regain control of his life and his realm. Eventually the greed and ambition for greatness and power led him to become a “dwarfish thief…in a giant’s robe” (5.2.18, 20) whose men “move only in command, nothing in love.” (5.2.17) Most of the Scottish lords of the time would think themselves above such ruthless need for power, perhaps Macduff most of all,...
& nbsp;   ; Macbeth's greed starts to become a problem when people start figuring out the truth behind Duncan's death. Macbeth realizes that he is well beyond to point of no return and that the only thing left to do is to keep eliminating people whom may potentially stand in his way, or hurt his political figure such as when Macbeth sends orders to have Macduff's family assassinated because Macduff hurt Macbeth politically by not showing up at the party. "The castle of Macduff I will surprise/Seize upon Fife; give to th' edge o' th' sword/His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls/ That trace him in his line" (4.2.150-153).
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.
Throughout History, greed has exhibited a capacity of good and evil. The story begins as a respected and loyal hero of Scotland during the middle ages takes a turn for the worse. Greed causes him to make sinister decisions, violence made him hated by the community, and hallucinations made him become sickened. “Macbeth and another of the king’s general’s, Banquo, encounters three witches, who greet Macbeth as thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, and future king”( Dominic, Catherine C., Ed “Shakespeare’s Characters for Students New York: Gale, 1997 Print). This is when the evil thoughts of greed nature begin within Macbeth. “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt to be king hereafter” (Shakespeare, William 1.2 62-64). The three witches predict Macbeth
What drove him to become a power hungry tyrant was his wife. She put ideas in his head that changed him. A day before Macbeth would not speak of the idea of killing the king and now he was considering it. By killing the Duncan, gaining the title and king, and not being caught, Macbeth was given an enormous boost. He now felt invincible and let power finally get to him and corrupt him. With this new amount of power, Macbeth was not willing to let it slip away. To protect his power, he did whatever was necessary. Macbeth cowardly had Banquo killed, going against everything he ever believed in. Killing Banquo was not enough for Macbeth. Shakespeare shows to the audience how power can make a person go higher in the world but at the same time make them more vulnerable. Macbeth was now vulnerable, to solve this he sent the murderers to kill Macduff.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is described as being “valiant”. He is a skilled warrior, who is loyal to his king and his country. Almost single-handedly, he wins the war for Scotland. He defeats many of the enemy soldiers, including a traitor, all in the name of his king. But, when three witches encounter Macbeth and his friend Banquo, Macbeth’s ambition begins to grow. They tell Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King. Soon after, Macbeth meets with King Duncan. He informs Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is astonished, and from then on he is obsessed with being king. His ambition begins to become ruthless when Duncan proclaims that his son Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland, and therefore, the heir to the throne: “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, /For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires:/The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be/Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (I,iv,48-53) At this moment, Macbeth, realizing that they stand in the way of the witches’ prophecies, decides that both Duncan and Malcolm need to die for him to be king. As soon as Macbeth kills Duncan, he enters into a world of evil. Later in the play, Macbeth’s ambition becomes increasingly ruthless. He kills his best friend Banquo, and almost kills Banquo’s son, Fleance, because he believes they would stand in the way of his reign. The witches told Banquo “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” (I,iii,67) This means that Banquo himself would not be a king, but that his successors would be. Macbeth tries to prevent this by killing Banquo and his son Fleance.
The role of Macduff is an essential one in Macbeth. He acts as the brave antagonist and foil to Macbeth, while portraying a dynamic and round character in the play as well. Macduff’s values do not change throughout the play however, as acts progress, more is learned about his character and certain traits are accentuated. For example, Macduff is hostile against Macbeth from the beginning, immediately suspicious of his path to royalty, first seen when Macduff chooses to return to Fife instead of attend the new king’s coronation. As Macbeth is more overwhelmed with his power, and chaos ensues from his reign, Macduff’s suspicion and lack of acceptance in his kingship grows to fuel his rivalry against the once heroic Macbeth. Macduff is dynamic in his growth as a more involved character but also in his suspicion and hatred for the protagonist. In addition, Macduff is also considered a round character with many facets. In Act 4, Macduff is revealed as more than just a moral man and brave Thane, but also a sensitive family man with a wife and many children. His multi-facet life exposes the increasing differences in M...
Macbeth, whom initially was a very reasonable and moral man, could not hold off the lure of ambition. This idea is stated in the following passage: "One of the most significant reasons for the enduring critical interest in Macbeth's character is that he represents humankind's universal propensity to temptation and sin. Macbeth's excessive ambition motivates him to murder Duncan, and once the evil act is accomplished, he sets into motion a series of sinister events that ultimately lead to his downfall." (Scott; 236). Macbeth is told by three witches, in a seemingly random and isolated area, that he will become Thank of Cawdor and eventually king. Only before his ambition overpowers his reasoning does he question their motives. One place this questioning takes place is in the following passage:
In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Shakespeare creates the ruthless character Macbeth, who is willing to go beyond any measure in order to attain the power of being king, including murder, deceit, betrayal and overpowering the chain of being. Macbeth was first tempted by the idea of kingship when three witches presented him with their portent of Macbeth becoming the next King of Scotland. Ebullient, Macbeth, immediately informed his wife of the news and they both pondered the thought of having the power to rule all of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, a power seeker herself, promptly schemed a plan to kill King Duncan in order for her and her husband to rule, displaying her ready ambition for power. Macbeth’s thirst for power ate away at his conscience
Power is the ability to carry out a task or act in a particular way. Many people desire power because of the wealth and control that are associated with it. Power can also give people a greater sense of security because they are able to have an easier chance at achieving their personal and professional goals. The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a story of a great warrior hero, Macbeth, who wanted to rise to power in the ranks at an accelerated pace by committing acts that were against the honor that he long fought for. After hearing the prophecies of three witches who told Macbeth that he will soon become king, he discussed his dilemma with his wife, Lady Macbeth, who encouraged him to plot a murder
By this point, he has alienated all of his friends and acquaintances, and people have grown suspicious of him. When Macbeth is informed of his wife’s death, he seems numb, despite the great amount of love there was between them. In the scene, he states, “She should have died hereafter;/There would have been a time for such a word… Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player…It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing.” (16-28). In this moment, the audience becomes aware of just how much Macbeth’s loss of power has undone him, and how much power has truly taken him over the edge. Macbeth reaches his all time low in his battle with Macduff, when he says “…damned be him that first cries ‘Hold, enough!’” (34). Though Macbeth is aware that Macduff is not one of woman born, and thus fits the criteria to be Macbeth’s killer, Macbeth remains confident. All chance of Macbeth recovering and losing pride is gone, and the ultimate effects of hubris are revealed. Both Greek and Christian hubris are in this final act. Greek hubris his resulted in Macbeth’s doom, whereas Christian hubris leaves a note of hope when Malcolm, who exhibits many of the characteristics that define a good king, takes over the
“He has courage, individual consciousness, and will-power, and in his inability to acquiesce patients in the primal order of things we sense a strong, restless energy which is compelling. He is still a terrifying criminal who spreads death and destruction about him”(Long). Macbeth’s ambition is all circled around obtaining more power. But once he gets power his ambition changes to keeping and securing his power. Macbeth was so headstrong on trying to get power that he didn't realize that his ambition was causing his downfall. His ambition first started with the death of Duncan. After that he wanted to get power and keep it. That was why he was so demanding of the witches in the end , because he wanted to keep power. But in the end it all lead to his death. Even when he was fighting Macduff he was blinded by ambition. He was letting the witches prophesies get in his head causing him to believe that he was going to die. “They begin to give him reason to doubt, and his belief, steaming from his ambition , allows Macduff to defeat
Greed, being a key human condition, has shaped society from the very start. In fact, some scholars believe that greed was the first major milestone of human success, when the first human wondered why he/she had to scrounge around for necessities; it is a part of being human to be greedy. Wanting a new car, to be loved by another, or to desire the feeling of well doing when feeding the needy, these are all factions of greed...