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

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