Theme Of Power In Macbeth

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth was and remains a literary masterpiece that tells the story of corrupted power, the fall of a kingdom, and the destruction of countless innocent lives. This theme is not specific to Shakespeare’s play, however; it is perhaps one of the most common seen throughout the course of literary and real-life history. Two of the best examples of abused power are seen through Adolf Hitler and Macbeth - their rise to power, complete control of a country, and destructive rule mirror each other nearly exactly, and ruined the lives of countless families. Although one is fiction and the other real, both men left a horrendous legacy that will never be forgotten.

In act one and act two of Macbeth the urge for power is constant. Starting with the witches telling Macbeth he will become king and ending with Macbeth becoming the King. There's always one factor constant in each of these happenings, and that is Lady Macbeth. Without Lady Macbeth pushing him, Macbeth would have not of killed the King.

Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” (Third Witch) “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king

Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” , “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (Shakespeare 311). Macbeth, foolishly, had put so much trust in these three witches. His obsessive demeanor towards becoming King was taking a toll on his sanity.

In act 1,scene 3, The Witch's first encounter Macbeth and Banquo saying “All hail,Macbeth!hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/All hail, Macbeth!hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!/All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!”(1.3.48-50).

Macbeth upholds the reputation of being a great hero capable of anything. When he returns from a great battle, Dunkin exclaims that “what he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won”(Shakespeare, act I.II, line 70). Macbeth returns victorious and is praised for it. Along the way, Macbeth and Banquo come across three witches who had planned to speak to him. The refer to him as the “thane of Glamis”, “thane of Cawdor”, and tell him that “[he] shalt be King hereafter”(Shakespeare, act I.III, lines 48-50).

Macbeth at the Globe Theatre was a beautiful production that highlighted the distrustful, manipulative relationships within the show and allowed the comedic moments by the porter to highlight the horrors of what is happening in the show. The show also focused heavily on puppetry which helped the audience to envision the witches and Banquo’s ghost. This aided in enveloping the audience in these visions and the horror of them. The entire show is based on distrust and uneven relationships who are fueled by the need for power and even love.

His infidelity breaks the trust between him and Duncan because of his immense betrayal to not only the King, but to the country of Scotland. He quickly becomes a man whom Duncan could no longer rely upon, for this reason, Duncan awards the title to a noble and courageous soldier, Macbeth. Dramatic irony is presented in this line because as Duncan is addressing the unfaithfulness of the old thane, it is followed by the entry of Macbeth to the scene, a man who later misuses his power to betray the King. To Duncan, Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, is appeared to be virtuous and courageous because of his heroic performance in the battle for defeating the opponent, Macdonwald. The King demonstrates his satisfaction towards Macbeth through a conversation with Banquo. He describes Macbeth as “full so valiant, And in his commendations [King Duncan is] fed; It is a banquet to [him]… It is a peerless kinsman.” (1.4.56-60). In this speech, King Duncan truly admires Macbeth’s valiancy and describes him as a man without equal. He congratulates Macbeth for his courage on the battlefield and as followed by the witches’ prophecies of Macbeth, “...All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor…” (1.3.50), he replaces and becomes the new Thane of Cawdor. This speech reveals the gullible nature of Duncan who once trusted the old thane and anew, believes the new thane will be loyal to the country. By all means, Duncan is clueless of

Shakespeare spends an inordinate amount of time ruminating on basic questions surrounding power: how does one acquire it, can they keep it for any prolonged period of time, and is it inherently corrupting? After seeing all these questions answered primarily through the death of characters, it would not be unexpected for readers to believe that Shakespeare meant for the latent antagonist of his histories and tragedies to be power. Therefore, this essay will examine the performance of power in Macbeth to demonstrate that the model given to readers by Shakespeare for its acquisition is one that requires individuals to take on a highly performative and unsustainable nature. This performative nature is exemplified by the many acts and identities

Macbeth's Desire for Power Many scholars believe that the desire for power occurs naturally in all humans. The human mind has a natural inclination to be on top and to rule, yet many times this hunger for power destroys the sanity of the power hungry individual, and could potentially destroy the sanity of those around them. In William Shakespeare's 1623 play Macbeth, Lord Macbeth is known as a cruel, power-hungry tyrant who contributed to the desolation of Scotland.

In the opening act of this play Macbeth is a solider who has just returned from war. The captains are speaking highly of Macbeth’s valor, courage, and bravery. Suddenly Macbeth meets up with three witches. These witches tell him, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, that shalt be king

Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! ‘All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! ‘All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter.''

As Abraham Lincoln once said “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Almost everyone can withstand adversity, but when given power you never know what may happen in the long run. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, power is demonstrated as a strong theme. Shakespeare demonstrates power as a theme when Lady Macbeth was craving for the power just as much as Macbeth.

The wicked predictions of the witches has infected Lady Macbeth first, and she must convince her husband that he should kill King Duncan and use the prophesies as an excuse. Lady Macbeth’s word choice of fearing his nature of “Human Kindness” proves the point that Macbeth started out truly innocent, and that it is the witches who are influencing his every action. Later, Banquo comes to question Macbeth, trying to determine why the Witches were right. When considering the unclear circumstances of King Duncan’s death, and Macbeth’s rash decision to kill the framed murderers then and there, Banquo can only “fear you [Macbeth] played most foully for it”. Banquo concludes this after he considers that Macbeth was a man in good standing before meeting the witches, as he was hailed as a noble war hero.

However, when he stumbles across the “weird sisters” or witches, they give him a prophecy that states he will become the “Thane of Cawdor”, and then finally, the King of Scotland, he is overwhelmed by temptation. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.50-52). The theme of the supernatural appears once more when he realizes the prophecies that the witches have given him are starting to come true from the new title King Duncan has given him, “Thane of Cawdor”. He is then tempted by this supernatural aspect again and instead of just letting fate run its course, he gets greedy and impatient and kills Duncan to get to the crown. The witches intention from the beginning was to corrupt Macbeth with a promise of destiny which would ultimately lead him to his