Examples Of Overconfidence In Macbeth

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Overstepping Overconfidence The ability to be diffident walks hand in hand with the ability to be successful. Conversely, when one is overconfident it will lead to an imminent downfall. Throughout the course of the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, characters will demonstrate this downfall when overconfidence has interfered with their lives. Early in the play, Duncan, the King of Scotland, Duncan, will demonstrate this notion by being overconfident in the loyalty of his countrymen. When doing this, Duncan is betrayed, and dies at the hands of his traitors. One of these traitors, Lady Macbeth, will also exhibit this when being overconfident in herself and her authority over her husband, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth will end up overusing this power, and…show more content…
Macbeth is seeing the hallucination of a dagger in front of him. He addresses the fact that he was already going to kill with that weapon, thus meaning that he was going to kill Duncan. This was to gain Duncan’s power. Furthermore, this overconfidence in others will lead to trusting dangerous people, who will result in their overall downfall. This is the similar to someone is over assured in their powers over others. When an individual is overconfident in their power over others, they will become trusting towards said person and lose that influence over them. This is highly evident when Lady Macbeth attempts to control her husband’s decisions. When Macbeth is acknowledged that he is capable of possessing such power, he lets Lady Macbeth know in a letter. Lady Macbeth quickly becomes consumed in her strive for superiority, and uses her power over her husband to gain the position of a King’s wife. In pursuit of this she says, Your hand, your tongue : look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under it. He that’s coming Must be provided for : and you shall

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