In Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores the destruction of innocence demonstrated by a man’s need of power. Throughout the play, the need and want of supremacy takes over his characters and guides them towards their own obliteration of innocence. In order to get what he wants, the main character in Macbeth does whatever possible to achieve it. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both strive for power, so when Macbeth is foretold that he will be king, Lady Macbeth sways him into killing King Duncan so that he, the honorable Macbeth, would become king while she would become queen. As the play goes on, Macbeth slowly looses his morality as he strives for more control whilst Lady Macbeth steps into a frantic stage of guilt.
Through analysis of Macbeth’s choices in the play, it is evident that his ruthless ambition, blind trust in the witches, cowardice towards his wife’s demands and overconfidence were the key faults that led to his demise. One of the reasons Macbeth meets his untimely tragic defeat is due to his ruthless ambition. From the moment Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy and the first of them is realized (becoming Thane of Cawdor), Macbeth begins to seek out future ambitions: becoming the King. His personal ambition, fortified by his wife’s drive for power makes him blind to the man he was before he met the witches and before he became Thane of Cawdor. When Macbeth debates with himself regarding the pros and cons of killing Duncan he states: “I go, and it is done.
One can look at Macbeth’s actions as the play unravels and see that he is clearly headed down a path towards disaster resulting from one source: his ambition. It is his desire to become king that overpowers his good nature and pushes him to break all moral boundaries. Prior to his encounter with the three witches, Macbeth was a trustworthy man; one loyal to his King, wife and friends. But with the news of his future, a secret desire for power emerges and controls him as the play continues. For instance, in act 1, scene 7, Macbeth’s ambition has become to great for him to handle: “To prick the sides
“When you durst do it, then you were a man.” She is saying that, when you were thinking of killing King Duncan, he was a man and a brave soldier, but after Macbeth demands he will not continue with the plan, he would be a coward, hence she is taunting his manhood. On the other hand, Macbeth does have a very good sense of what is right and what is wrong. He does understand that killing King Duncan would cause disruption and grief to people but does have a sense of right because he wants to follow his own ambition to become King. Macbeth does realise that if he gets caught killing the King, there would be serious consequence. “This Duncan hath become his faculties so meek hath been so clear in his great office.
However, Macbeth’s indecision on whether he should kill Duncan or not shows us that ruthless aggression does not come that easily to them. When the witches predict that he shall be king, Macbeth does not think he should do anything to make the prophecy come true “If Chance will have me king, why Chance may crown me without my stir”. However when Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm, will become the next king, Macbeth soon realises that he must kill Duncan if he is to become king. “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else oerleap for in my way it lies.
With the witches’ prophecies mulling over in his mind, and knowing that he was not the successor of the throne, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. With the support and persuasion of Lady Macbeth, he kills King Duncan and gains his kingship. When Banquo makes his vow to find out who killed Duncan, Macbeth knew he had to silence him. After Macbeth is named king, he seeks out hired murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. Macbeth does this because he is afraid that Banquo will get in the way of his new title and Fleance, because he is prophesied to be king.
Unseamed him makes it sound like he ripped him like you rip a seam on clothes. He is also referred to as ‘Bellona’s Bridegroom’; so the husband of the goddess of war, so he is obviously a very good soldier. In Scene 3, Macbeth is told that he will be King. He then has a Soliloquy and he says that he is thinking about murdering King Duncan, but it shakes him up so much that he hardly knows who he is anymore, and he can’t act on his idea because of his thoughts and speculations. So he is thinking about killing the king to become king but his mind is telling him that it’s a bad idea so he is confused about what to do.
The descriptive label given to Macbeth is very deserving. It is to be notified that Macbeth’s evil intentions arose very early in the play as he contemplated the murder of King Duncan. This thought is seen in Act 1, scene 4 as Macbeth says, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what it is not. Macbeth continually developed unworthy thoughts as he drifted from an impressive and an ambitious warrior to an unjust and overly ambitious ruler. Many may argue that this title given to Macbeth seems very harsh and many may use examples such as in Act 1, scene 4 for justification of his feelings of trepidation.” The prince of Cumberland!
Macbeth explains his reasoning here: “With his surcease success, that but this blow/ Might be the be-all and the end-all here,/ But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,/ We’d jump the life to come” (1.7.4-7). The death of Duncan would peril the fortune of Macbeth’s soul. He believes that murdering Duncan will initially send him to hell. As Duncan’s “kinsman and his subject,/” Macbeth is “Strong both against the deed [murder]…/Who should against his murderer shut the door,/ Not bear the knife myself” (1.7.13-6). Strong feelings
The protagonist Macbeth was once this great Scottish hero, but he was a victim of his own ambition for power, which in the end was the cause of his tragic downfall. No matter how much force he put against himself, he could not resist his evil urges. Macbeth is so intrigued and obsessed with the idea of being King, he puts himself in situations that are hard for anyone to get over. “The prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap, for in my way it lies” (I.IV.55-57).