Macbeth Betrayal Research Paper

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In a world where loyalty is considered a virtue of prime importance, instances of betrayal will often be a precursor of profound psychological turmoil, leading a person down a path of mental unravelling and eventual downfall. Betrayal is one of the most penetrating and powerful themes in literature; it often results in deep-seated cognitive and moral implications. Betrayal has the power to unleash a cascade of emotional and mental distress, opening doors to such harmful consequences as guilt, paranoia, and an unending, desperate pursuit to hold on to power or make amends for the wrongdoings committed. More often than not, the first act of betrayal sets off a chain reaction in which the first treacherous act is followed by another and yet another, resulting in webs of lies and mounting violence. This kind of butterfly effect calls attention to …show more content…

When a community of people or groups loses trust, suspicion, dread, and paranoia spread like wildfire, resulting in chaos and anarchy. This first betrayal damages the very foundations of trust that hold a society or relationship together, which could have far deeper and more killing effects than any amount of later betrayals. The most important initial act of treachery is Macbeth's assassination of King Duncan. The breach of trust, other than turning the natural order upside down and breaking the king-Macbeth link of loyalty, starts a vicious circle of distrust and instability, as is shown from the quote, "As the werd women promis'd, and I fear thou played'st most foully for't;" (Macbeth, 3.1.2-3). The fact that it is Banquo who says this about Macbeth shows that the other characters in the narrative have already lost faith in him. Just one act of betrayal is enough to destroy trust, and this is shown by the way the first act of betrayal caused the trust of the kingdom to become destroyed and

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