Power In Macbeth Essay

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the theme of power plays a vital role in how the characters are portrayed. There are many examples of how the pursuit of power can destroy a person and cause them to have cruel intentions. One character who exhibits this is Macbeth, who kills his cousin Duncan in order for him to be king. In a soliloquy he exclaims, “ I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature?” (1.3.37-41). Macbeth is having thoughts of killing King Duncan because of the prophecies the witches had previously told him. The witches didn’t even mention the act of murder, but just that he will be king, proving

that his thirst of power sques his thoughts. Another instance where Macbeth is overtaken by power is when Macbeth is plotting the death of Banquo saying the murderers, “And though I could with barefaced power sweep him from my sight and bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, for certain friends that are both his and mine” (1.3. 121-124). In this situation, Macbeth is king, but he is already abusing his power and it shows what kind of mentality he has due to lust for power.
Another character who displays a pursuit of power is Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth.

In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is the backbone of the downfall of Macbeth because of her desire to gain power in the kingdom. She was constantly adding fuel to the fire by criticizing Macbeth of his manhood and being the one with no morals and heartlessness. In a soliloquy, she yells, “Come, you spirits that tend on my mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” (1.5. 30-33). In this sequence, she is asking evil spirits to to turn her into a man and give her no heart so she can go through with the murder to complete the task. Someone who is exhibiting this kind of language has a motive for something, and in this case, power. By way of an argument, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth reside into their chamber, plotting the murder of King Duncan and she says, “Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” (1.5. 55-58”. She is practically telling Macbeth to act fake so a murder wouldn’t be a speculation. This is showing the extent she is willing to reach so that she can have the power she desires which comes back and destroys her later in the

play.
A character who shows the opposite desire of power but wants what’s best for his country is Macduff. He was the Thane of Fife, and unlike the characteristics of Macbeth, he was loyal to himself and his family. After the murder of his wife and children, he desires revenge upon Macbeth saying, “Either thou, Macbeth, or else my sword, with an unbattered edge, I sheathe again undeeded. There thou shouldst be; By this greater clatter, one of greatest note seems bruited. Let me find him, Fortune, and more I beg not” (5.6. 19-24). This is Macduff showing ambition in a positive way and using his power for the sake of the country, not himself. When Macduff goes to England to plot a rebellion with Malcolm, he hears the sickening news of his family’s murder and begins to break down, He cries, “I shall do so, but I must also feel it like a man. I cannot but remember such things were that were most precious to me” (4.3. 255-262). Unlike Lady Macbeth, who is heartless, Macduff is showing his feelings, exposing what is truly important to him. His family and his country were his top priorities, which proves power and kingsmanship does not affect him the way it did Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.