How Is Power Presented In Macbeth

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Lady Macbeth associates manliness with having power and doing whatever you need to do to get it, including being cruel. She thinks that to be a man, you have to be willing to go after your desires, no matter the cost. She says to Macbeth, “Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valor/ As thou art in desire?” She challenges Macbeth that he should be a man by just going through with his plan. She views masculinity as being ruthless and selfish. Selfishness is represented here because she wants him to be able to stab anyone in the back to become king, including Duncan, who has been supportive and praising Macbeth all the time. She also values power because she wants Macbeth to have a greater status, and was quick to jump on the idea …show more content…

He lets Lady Macbeth change his view of masculinity. At first, he feels guilty about wanting to kill Duncan, but once Lady Macbeth challenges him, he says, “I dare do all that may become a man;/ Who dares do more is none.” Macbeth’s idea of manliness is to accept the challenge of Lady Macbeth. He shows that he thinks that you have to fit other people’s definitions, instead of creating your own independent version, like MacDuff did. He succumbs to Lady Macbeth taunting, proving that he actually isn’t a man, because he is letting a woman influence his morals. He finally accepts Lady Macbeth’s challenge when he says, “Whiles I threat, he lives.” Macbeth sees being a man as being someone who follows through with their ambitions and promises. He thinks that you can’t just make empty threats, but must deliver. When he says “Whiles I threat, he lives,” it reveals the selfish and ruthless side of Macbeth. He is willing to sacrifice someone else’s life for his own benefit. Macbeth is very selfish and also takes advantage of people’s kindness, because he takes advantage of the King’s trust in him to kill him. Macbeth is very power-hungry, like Lady Macbeth, and even though he has been promised kingship, he is impatient and selfish, and choses to meddle with what could’ve come to him with time. He doesn’t value loyalty, but

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