Scotland was thrown into turmoil by Macbeth’s greed and power-hungry nature, prompting the quality of life to worsen for the Scottish people. Macbeth used to act for the betterment of his country but after he became king, Scotland is suffering from his reign. To begin with, Macbeth killed Duncan, who was noble and passionate king. When Macbeth is deciding whether he should follow through his treacherous plan and kill Duncan, he thinks about all the reasons he has not to kill Duncan. He tells himself that Duncan “[h]ath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office, that his virtues/ Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against/ The deep damnation of his taking-off” (Shakespeare 1.7.17-20). In other words, Macbeth …show more content…
In addition, Macbeth tightens his grip on Scotland and threatens to destroy any opposition to his rule. This is evident in the case of Banquo. In the beginning of Act 3, Banquo suspects that Macbeth may have murdered Duncan, “[t]hou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all./ As the weird women promised, and, I fear,/ Thou play'dst most foully for't” (Shakespeare 3.1.1-3). Macbeth becomes aware of Banquo’s suspicion regarding his sudden acceptance of the throne and hence, hires murderers to assassinate Banquo in order to silence him once and for all. By assassinating Banquo, Macbeth demonstrates that he is willing to go to any means necessary in order to secure his position of power as king of Scotland, including killing innocent people. Furthermore, Macbeth failed to develop mutual trust and respect between him and his subjects. After Lady Macbeth asks the guests to leave during the banquet as a result of Macbeth’s ravings, Macbeth asks Lady Macbeth what she thinks about the fact that Macduff refuses to come when he asks him to. Macbeth then tells his wife that “[t]here's not a one of them but in his house/I keep a servant fee'd” (Shakespeare
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.
The choices people make lead them to where they end up, which may be interpreted as the opposite of fate. However, when some people believe something is meant to be, they are determined not to stray from where they think they should end up, even if it means throwing away their principles and values in the process. Through Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth’s original character and values are destroyed because of the influence from the witches' prophecies, Lady Macbeth's greed, and his own hidden ambition.
After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels that he needs to kill Banquo. He is afraid that Banquo is going to be a problem for him. He is suspicious that Banquo believes Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder, "Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared" (3.1.47-49). He plans to kill him, though Banquo has made no direct threat against Macbeth. He speaks of feeling inferior to Banquo, even though he is king. "There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked" (3.1.53-55). Banquo is Macbeth's closest friend, he is starting to lose trust in everyone around him.
After hearing the prophecy from the witches, Macbeth as a result becomes conscientious about the power of a king and therefore forces himself to engage in reckless and destructive behaviors, despite the fact he is aware that his reckless behavior is not right. "Mine eyes are made the fool o' th' sense" this quote is evidence in portraying how Macbeth is manipulated by his greed for power and wealth, stating that Macbeth only sees what he wants to see ad ignores the consequences. Macbeth is overwhelmed with the feeling that he has a chance of becoming someone important and so high in rank. Shakespeare uses a historic era to create greed and a willingness to capture a goal. "Let not light see my black and deep desire' this quote is stated
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
Throughout Macbeth, the greed which Macbeth and Lady Macbeth carry, leads them to do acts which are not applicable. They demonstrated their greed by killing individuals who quite frankly did not deserve such an inevitable fate. Macbeth and his lady were not the only ones to ever be overtaken by the powers of grief. In thousands of other books, plays, movies,and television shows, characters struggle with the wrath of greed and it shows in their actions. Frank Gallagher from Shameless is a prime example of greed consuming a person. Macbeth and Frank both act upon urges which only benefit them, while taking from others, making them extremely similar.
“If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacle” -Carl von Clausewitz. This quote depicts Macbeth and how his actions of ambition drove him to what he did and how he completed it. He not only had ambition but he had greed that will often play a more important role in their actions then thoughts. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth we see that greed and ambition has driven Macbeth and has crushed the moral support of Scotland and ended the lives of multiple lords and innocents. At first we see Macbeth as the effulgent hero who “unseam’d” (1.2.23) the traitor Macdonwald in the protection for not only the King but also for the Country, yet turns into
With his ambition guiding him Macbeth kills king Duncan in Act II scene i and Banquo in Act III scene ii. To become king Macbeth kills Duncan and Banquo to achieve his goal of gaining more power and to hide the information that Banquo knows about his prophecy. In his eyes, he believes that Banquo is a threat and compares him to a snake. Macbeth says to his wife, after hearing about the murder of Banquo, "We have only scorched the snake, not killed it. She'll close and be herself whilst our poor malice remains in danger of her former tooth" (III.ii.15-16). He explains to her that by killing Banquo he has only hurt the enemy but his son Fleance and others, still live and can turn against him. Macbeth acts upon his ambition to become king by killing Duncan, the king, so that he may claim the throne. But as long as Banquo knows about Macbeth's prophecy and ambition, Macbeth will always be at
At this point, the characterizations of the two seem to be equal in malevolence and control. Macbeth is starting to take matters into his own hands and becoming more comfortable with the corruption. Macbeth is losing his loyalty and honor, making much more similar to Lady Macbeth. For example, Macbeth in Act 3 Scene 1 is sending murderers to kill his dear friend, Banquo. He manipulates and deceives the murderers to do as he wants. On the topic of murdering Banquo, Macbeth says to the murderers that, “So is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ That every minute of his being thrusts/ Against my near’st of life.” (III.i.119-121). This marks a character shift in Macbeth as he has abandoned the values of his friendship with Banquo in order to keep his power. On the flip side, Lady Macbeth still has control but it is diminishing. In Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth has visions of seeing Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. Lady Macbeth takes control by imploring to the guests that her husband suffers from a rare disorder. She then goes on to scold Macbeth for his stupidity, telling him to pull himself together. At this point in the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are similarly doing whatever it takes to cover up the murder of
Macbeth was a play written by Shakespeare in the early 1600’s. The play features a tragic hero who will go out of his way to become the king when the witches describe a prophecy. He reaches his goal and murders many people. But, despite his ambition and success, his arrogance causes himself to eventually meet his own tragic fate and wither away.
Luke Fox Ms. Leibforth English 2H-2 5 May 2017 The Curse of Ambition “All Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”(Lord Acton) A notorious quote that has been proven true time and time again. It's Human nature to lust for power, but unchecked ambitions and desires for power will ultimately lead to a person's downfall. Ambition, greed, and pride can all cause a person to desire power. But if there’s one thing we know it’s that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Through-out history Kings, queens, tsars, presidents, etc. have all taken their power too far. In History, powerful leaders are way more commonly known as corrupt and horrible tyrants than right and just kings. Even in modern society, it is
The ability to attain personal gain will inevitably affect one’s ambition by creating greed. This is shown in both Vincenzo Camuccini’s 1798 painting, Death of Caesar, and the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Death of Caesar depicts the brutal betrayal and murder of self proclaimed “Emperor for life” Julius Caesar by members of his own senate. Macbeth is a story of a former Thane and his wife’s plots to attain and keep power over the lands of Scotland. Lady Macbeth acts as a catalyst to this by strategizing the plot to murder Duncan, the king, and have Macbeth take his throne. Both Lady Macbeth and the Roman Senators show through their drastic actions that when one is relentlessly driven to achieve authority, they become greedy with the
In life, each and every person must know how to control their own greed and selfishness, If exploited in exactly the right moment greed can make you. But if used at the wrong moment it can break you.
Greed is far more detrimental to society than procrastination, because greed can change a person, it can bring out the worst of themselves and it will affect the people around them. In Macbeth, Macbeth showed greed and as a result, it made him go crazy and it affected the people around him including his wife. Greed can make someone do anything to reach the point where they are satisfied. Lance Armstrong showed greed by using dope to help him win a bike race. Greed is one of the human traits that can cause many people to act in a horrible way.
Moreover, a tragic hero is one who has a hamartia, a tragic flaw that eventually results in the downfall of the hero. In the case of both Macbeth and Mark Zuckerberg, this tragic flaw rears its ugly head in the form of one of the seven sins -- greed. For both these characters their greed is deeply ingrained into their lives and can evidently be seen triggering the rising action in both storylines. In the Shakespearean play, Macbeth’s greed can be seen after his first encounter with the weird sisters. After the three witches greet him with “...thane of Glamis... / ... thane of Cawdor… / ...[and he] that shalt be king hereafter!” (Act I, Scene iii, 49-51), Macbeth goes off to an aside in which the audience is privy to his innermost thoughts