Macbeth: Greed, Power, and the Pursuit of Prophecies

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a famous play written by the English playwright William Shakespeare. The play was written in 1606 during the reign of James I. The play talks about how a military general, Macbeth, rises to power after killing King Duncan. The Story revolves around how Macbeth’s actions change after he heard the prophecies from the 3 witches. Greed becomes Macbeth’s guide after he listens to the witches, and since he wasn’t fully content with his given position, he is easily manipulated by his wife. The central question to this play is to what extent power (or the lack of power) affects individuals and/or relationships. And how do the decisions and actions of people reveal their personalities? . Macbeth is introduced in the play as a warrior and hero whose fame in the battlefield wins him honor from the king. He comes across three witches which give him three prophecies. The three prophecies
His greed for power overcomes him and starts directing him to what’s wrong. Rather than feeling ecstatic, he felt confused at first. That’s a sign that shows his innocence in the beginning of the play and how he had no desire to overcome the king in the first place. But he was a victim of supernatural powers that diverted him from what’s right. Instead of encouraging him to do right, his wife, plays the biggest role in his demise. Lady Macbeth used different strategies to persuade Macbeth. For example, she questioned his manliness to trigger his anger because she knows he wouldn’t want his own wife to question him. So, he followed along uncertain of what his actions might cause to himself and to the people around him. “Are you afraid to be the same man in reality as the one you wish to be?” said Lady Macbeth, meaning that she knew Macbeth does In fact want to become king and is onboard with idea, he was just not ready to take actions in order to achieve the position. This soon