Loss Of Power In Macbeth Essay

‘Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts…perhaps the fear of a loss of power’ (John Steinbeck). Throughout all Shakespearian plays the bard has flawlessly emphasised the human experience and the universal themes surrounding it. Macbeth, a timeless classic, can be interpreted in a variety of ways but the themes of ambition, pride, and dehumanisation are always fore fronted. By exaggerating the emotions and traits the characters possess Shakespeare has made the plays relatable to people from all corners of the world as he has encapsulated the human emotions with such precision. The Tragedy of Macbeth displays the many emotions that are experienced today, even a good 400 years after the play was written.

When the initial idea of killing King Duncan

During a short soliloquy Macbeth starts being honest with himself “Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires” (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 50/51). These are the words as he prepares to commit the murder, ending his honest life he has served so loyally to king. Macbeth realises that he wants to get rid of Duncan but he fears that people will see right through his façade. He is asking the Gods to make the stars burn less brightly as to not let people see his deep desire for power. Shakespeare successfully juxtaposes light and dark here with good and evil, touching upon the symbolism in human thought. This is witnessed in every aspect of society as light and dark play a major role in our psychology that cannot be removed; as it is universally understood that light means happiness and prosperity and dark is the opposing. Macbeth has dimmed the stars, but he falls into the blackness completely when he admits “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other” (Act 1, Scene 7, Line 25-29). Macbeth attempt to rationalise his reason for his impending murder of King Duncan. He explains to himself that there is no sound justification for the crime as Duncan is a good and noble king, and a guest to his castle. The has no motivation to insire the murder as

After witches’ prophecy of Macbeth becoming king came true and he had murdered Banquo he made a return visit to demand more answers about his future. They gave him three prophecies, to which Macbeth failed to read between the lines and laughed at the chance that he was ‘invincible’. Nevertheless, his murderous ambition furthered in the butchery of Macduff’s family just to ensure that there was no chance they would get the throne. Prior to this occurring Macbeth tells his wife that “I am in blood stepp’d in so far that should I wade no more, returning were a tedious as go o’er” (Act 3, Scene 5, Line 136-138). He has already spilled too much blood (Duncan and Banquo) but it too late to turn back now, there is no way he is going to become a good man anymore. The witches and Lady Macbeth have propelled him down this murderous course and he wants to see where it is going, because he has acquired a taste for it! It is also easier for him to continue wading through the blood river he has made than to wade back the way he came. He begins to think irrationally and kills the Macduff family, his justification to his wife is that “blood will have blood” (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 128). Bloodshed required more bloodshed. During the last few days of his tyrannical reign as king Macbeth has completely lost all humanity and through his murderous ways has