Dbq Essay On Macbeth

Power can be used to a person’s benefit, but it also can bring about the corruption of a human’s character and moral foundations. Unfortunately, power is the key to the downfall of events that occur throughout Macbeth. When Macbeth is given prophecies about his future, he is skeptical at first. However once one of the prophecies is fulfilled, Macbeth becomes power hungry and he seeks to know the unknown. As he seeks the unknown, his mind begins to corrupt as he questions the extent to which he will go in order to gain the power that he desires so strongly. Eventually, Macbeth’s morals are defeated as his selfish desires silence all goodness. The corruption overtakes Macbeth and his behaviors are now purely controlled by his ambition to gain

When the Weird Sisters hail Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and the future king, Macbeth’s mind is put under a curse of selfish and greedy ambition. These prophecies controlled the way that Macbeth thought and acted and eventually lead to his downfall. Immediately after the Weird Sisters present Macbeth with the prophecies, Macbeth states to the Weird Sisters “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more...:” (Document A). This statement is the precursor that shows the uprooting of Macbeth’s power-seeking characteristics that were once buried beneath the morals that were “too full o' the milk of human kindness” (Document B). As Macbeth becomes obsessed with the idea of power, his mindset is consumed with fearlessness and he states “what need I fear of thee?” (Document D). This feeling of invincibility is created by the witches “when the witches bring the tidings of Macbeth's elevation to Thane of Cawdor” and “his body seems to act independently of his will” (Cohen). Although the witches did have partial control over the thoughts that preceded Macbeth’s detrimental actions, the final decisions were ultimately controlled by Macbeth