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Macbeth's Betrayal

Good Essays

Power is addictive, and an individual’s desire for it often results in the betrayal of others.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, power has a similar effect on the protagonist, Macbeth, who turns on his country and closest allies in order to satisfy his insurmountable appetite for power.
More importantly, Macbeth betrays himself by sacrificing his virtues in exchange for power.
He either gives up or suppresses the virtues of loyalty, morality, and intuition in order to gain power.

In order to gain power, Macbeth must abandon his loyalty and betray those closest to him. In the events leading up to the arrival of Duncan, Macbeth is very hesitant and wary of killing Duncan. In this soliloquy, he understands his role as an ally and a host, and this …show more content…

As shown early in the play, Banquo was a strong ally, if not a close friend. Accordingly, this betrayal is vastly more meaningful because it marks Macbeth’s betrayal of both his political and personal loyalty. Macbeth doesn’t kill Banquo because he is a threat to his power (Banquo isn’t mentioned as a threat by the witches), but rather because he doesn’t want Banquo’s sons to be kings. The latter is personally motivated, as the reign of Banquo’s sons doesn’t obstruct or threaten his power. As a result, this betrayal emphasizes his absolute rejection of loyalty. Macbeth has betrayed his political loyalty by murdering Duncan and he now betrays his personal loyalty by killing Banquo. The betrayal of Banquo is another example of how power leads Macbeth to turn on his allies and betray his …show more content…

However before, the power that he believed would come from inheriting Duncan’s position led him to abandon his morality. Only once power is taken out of the equation can he see his faults and lack of morality. This same blinding effect that power has on Macbeth’s morality is also seen later in the play, when he murders Banquo. Under previous circumstances without power at stake, Macbeth and Banquo were close allies and friends. However, as soon as Macbeth perceives Banquo as a threat to his power, he doesn’t hesitate to betray his good friend. Macbeth’s betrayal of Banquo falls under the “morality” category because it is more an immoral action against a friend than a violation of a loyalty between an ally. Thus, yet again, Macbeth sacrifices a virtue with hopes of gaining or at least maintaining his

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