The play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a play driven by Macbeth's need for power and control of the kingdom of Scotland. The story of Macbeth is set around Macbeth rise to power and what he does along the way to achieve his goals, which many of his actions are frowned upon by others. This causes him to build up many oppressors who want him out of power. In the play, Macbeth's whole personality and his actions are set behind his emotions of greed, fear and confidence. Macbeth actions are surrounded by his greed. One example, would be his need to take Duncan throne for himself. Quote: I am settled, and bend each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show; False face must hide what the false heart doth …show more content…
This is supplying Macbeth with the need to get what he wants. Macbeth is a character who feeds his greed to the point that his actions represent that. Macbeth actions are partly controlled by his fear of losing what he has. Generally, Macbeth is afraid of Macduff. The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to the edge o' the sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his line. (166-172 Act 4 Scene 1) Macbeth blindly believes the witches' prophecies and thus wants Macduff and anyone else who threatens his power dead. Deep down, Macbeth is afraid that his power will be taken away from him. After learning that Macduff is a threat, he sends murderers to kill his family. This leads to Macbeth downfall, as he really only kills Macduff's family in response to hearing that Macduff is a threat. Killing his family does not stop Macduff from killing Macbeth, which really fuels his need to get revenge, if anything. So Macbeth really does not do a good job at stopping Macduff. Macbeth's fear of losing his power forces him to do things that are unhonorable. Macbeth's downfall is also closely associated with his
During the first scene, he discusses with the witches the various prophecies of Hecate. Immediately thereafter, he makes the decision to attack Macduff’s innocent family. “Seize upon Fife; give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him [Macduff] in his line” (IV, i, 150 - 152). Macduff, as the thane of Fife, holds some power in Scotland as a whole. As the play progresses, it becomes evident that Macbeth is willing to take all necessary actions for power from whoever he must, in whatever way he must. Macbeth therefore states in his aside that he is willing to kill Macduff’s entire family in order to protect himself from Macduff taking away his power as king. Family has most often been referred to as a support system; a set of people who are always there for you. Macbeth’s guilt is therefore proven, as he has become so hungry for power, that he is taking all steps necessary to bring Macduff to his knees so he cannot strip Macbeth of his stature as king. How? Simply by taking from Macduff what he values the most: his family. By doing so, Macbeth proves his own guilt for the murder of Duncan. As a result of Duncan’s murder, Macbeth has become so greedy and ruthless that he will do anything to gain more power as king. Macbeth is therefore guilty for Duncan’s murder as evidenced
Macbeth follows the tale of the journey of a once honorable man to a man of tyranny filled with bloodshed, culminating in a war aimed at reclaiming Scotland's rightful peace and order. In the tragic play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth seeks to gain power over Scotland but loses his identity as he fears future consequences and becomes tortured by overwhelming guilt. This ultimately reveals that one who focuses solely on the pursuit of power will lose direction to their moral compass, causing one's downfall. Initially, Shakespeare reveals Macbeth's fear of future consequences of gaining power, which will ultimately intensify his paranoia, compelling him to take Jurassic measures to maintain his position, leading him to destruction. Macbeth
Ironically, this only gives Macduff even more reason to kill him. Ambition compels the man who “was once thought honest” to become a “dead butcher”. Ph 4 Driven to paranoia, Macbeth not only kills those who oppose him, but also secludes himself from his wife. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth shares a close relationship his “dearest partner of greatness”, with the thoughts of one always known to the other.
The witches also told Macbeth that Macduff would threaten his power, so he tried to have Macduff and his whole family murdered. Macbeth sends people after Macduff to kill him and his family, “How does my wife?... And all my children?” (4.3.203-205). This quote shows Macduff learning about how Macbeth has slaughtered his whole family so he can try and stay in power.
Macbeth orders a surprise attack against Macduff’s castle, murdering Macduff's family, after viewing Macduff as a threat to his reign. His ambitious state prevents him from the concernment of innocent lives inside the castle, showing he will rather destroy anyone that prevents him from maintaining his position as king. This quote shows the extent his ambition pushes him, causing him to commit unspeakable acts of violence he once could not accomplish at the beginning of the play. His unchecked ambition is the result of multiple violent crimes, leading to the tragic consequences of Macduff getting justice for his family. Unchecked ambition is a powerful driving force, motivating humans to accomplish what they believe is best for themselves.
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth and Macduff are characters who play significant roles that influence each other’s ambition. Both Macbeth and Macduff are ambitious warriors of Scotland. When the witch's predictions start coming true, Macbeth wonders what he should do to continue the prophecy. For example, Macbeth says, “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies.”
In Macbeth, Shakespeare illustrates that ambition can lead to greed, which eventually leads to one’s demise in their hunger for power. In the exposition, Macbeth receives a prophecy to attain positions of power from the three witches, influencing his ambitious
Macbeth is so corrupt and misled by the witches that he fully believes he’s invincible, not knowing the possible loophole that’s abused at the end of the story. After the witches disappear, Lennox enters the room, with information. When Lennox informs Macbeth that Macduff had fled to England, Macbeth states, quote: “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; Seize upon Fife; give to the edge of his sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” In this quote, Macbeth orders the murderers that killed Banquo to kill Macduff’s family, showing his complete corruptness. Now, Macbeth is a far cry from his beginnings, as no more remorse can be found in him.
It shows his greediness towards becoming king, and shows the motivation he has to go out and kill someone in order to achieve kingliness. When Macbeth uses greed, it almost only ends in the death of another person/group of people, and this is to either make him king, or ensure he and his bloodline stays on the throne. These greedy actions lead to a whole host of negatives for Macbeth, eventually ending in his demise at the hands of Macduff. Macduff is seen as a threat to Macbeth and his staying in power. So, in turn, Macbeth decides to hire some murderers to go kill Macduff’s wife and kids. This is proven in act 4 when Macbeth says: “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; / Seize upon Fife; give to th' edge o' th' sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool; / This deed I'll do before this purpose cool. (IV.i.150-155)”, which states that Macbeth orders all of Macduff’s family killed, only to scare Macduff away. Finally, when Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance, it demonstrates the need that Macbeth has in keeping his bloodline on the throne. Greed in Macbeth is driven by inner rage and senseless violence, and results in many bloody deaths in order to make Macbeth’s life better.
Macbeth knows that Macduff is looking to revoke his status of King. Macbeth becomes angry with Macduff and sends his murderers to take care of him. What ends up happening is Macduff’s entire family is murdered. Macduff is not home at the time and he escapes death. Macbeth continues to murder
Desire for Power Leads to Irrational Decisions. Temptation and a desire for power can cause someone to make irrational decisions. We see this in a variety of ways in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Internally and externally, there are visible changes within several characters in terms of how they react to potential opportunities for power. This vision of power stems from Macbeth's encounter with the witches' prophecies upon the heath, when they inform him of his three titles.
" Macbeth’s decision to kill Macduff’s family, including his wife and children, showcases his behavior because it shows how Macbeth is willing to commit atrocities in order to eliminate any and all threats to his power in cold and calculating ways without feeling an ounce of remorse or
Later on in act 4 scene 1, Macbeth has made the choice to do away with Macduff’s descendants as well, “..the castle of Macduff I will surprise; seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword. His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” This statement is a huge sign of what's going on in Macbeths’ head. Knowing Macduff could be a threat to his plan, he is determined to make sure that none of his descendants know anything of what happened or be able to do anything about it. The theme of the play Macbeth is when people get in their head too much, they can make decisions they later regret.
After Macbeth has killed Duncan and Banquo, he realizes that there are more challenges standing in the way of him becoming king that he must get through. Macbeth visits the witches and they tell him to beware of Macduff. Macbeth thinks that killing Macduff and his family is the best way to keep this challenge out of his way. “And even now, to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: The castle of Macduff I will surprise. Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge to’ th’ sword
The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a thrilling play that portrays many different emotions. In the play the protagonist goes from being seen as a hero to being seen as someone that everyone hates; even his wife, Lady Macbeth, begins to lose trust in him after what he started. For example, Lady Macbeth was so confident and eager to become Queen that she took actions she would soon regret. Lady Macbeth quickly regretted what she did to Duncan. At the end of the play, Lady Macbeth was filled with so much grief and fear of what she did.