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Fear Of Failure In Macbeth Analysis

Decent Essays

Fear of Failure
Through a process called potentiating, the more scared you feel the scarier thing will seem. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the thane of Glamis and General Macbeth is brought prophecies by three witches and he chooses to take action and rush the process. Fear of failure leads to Macbeth committing his crimes because he is afraid of failing to be a good husband, failing to be a good friend, and failing to hold his position as king. As a result, the character Macbeth demonstrates how fear can make people act irrationally.

Macbeth encounters several problems throughout the play but he always tries to be a good husband. Fear of being a bad husband leads Macbeth to go against his own choices. An example is when Macbeth says:
“I am settled and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with the fairest show,
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” (Macbeth 1.7.79-83)
In this scene Macbeth decides that he does not want to kill Duncan but is bullied by Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth taunts him and calls him a coward; during the Elizabethan Era this was very insulting because status and position was everything. Not wanting to be a bad husband, Macbeth chooses to do the deed. As the story progresses Macbeth makes his own evil decisions trying to surprise his wife. This is clear when he says: “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day
And with the bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond” (Macbeth 3.2.45-49)
In this quote we can see Macbeth is keeping things from Lady Macbeth to surprise her later on. This shows that even though Macbeth has achieved great power he does not want to fail being a good husband and still wants to please her. Macbeth isn’t only scared of failing to be a good husband but is also afraid of being a bad friend.

Even though Macbeth is an evil tyrant and committed several crimes he still has some decency throughout the play. Macbeth is afraid to be a bad friend. Macbeth’s fear of failing to be a good friend is evident when he says:
“We will proceed no further in this business.
He hath honour’d me of late,

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