IndexIntroductionHow is power presented in Macbeth?ConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionThere are many different types of powers that a person can possess. Sometimes people are born into families with such class status. Others will strive to improve their status and life. To obtain such powers, one must be able to successfully challenge the current dominant powers. This is especially true in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth where Macbeth kills the king to take the crown. The more power a person has, the more corrupt they become and the more difficult it is to maintain. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Throughout the play, the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth are the people who have the most influence on Macbeth's life; they led Macbeth to total corruption. Macbeth was a great hero when he returned from the battlefield; only when absolute powers cloud his mind and the forces of evil corrupt destiny. This essay therefore analyzes the theme of power in Macbeth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay How is power presented in Macbeth? Shakespeare uses the theme of power to show how power influences, as shown through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth challenges and questions Macbeth's manhood as she says, “When you dared to do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than you were, you would be much more than a man.” Lady Macbeth is seen manipulating Macbeth by skillfully pushing him as he commits regicide by killing King Duncan and achieving what they both want: to become king and queen. Lady Macbeth emasculates Macbeth as she controls his actions, however, we can see that her power does not come from her actions rather from her speech which is seen through her manipulation of Macbeth. In today's context, power is “the ability or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events”. Today's equivalent would be seen through the ruthless business tycoon, the power-hungry politician or the cult leader. In Macbeth power is seen as a tool to strengthen the system and this can be seen as at the beginning of the play there was an established monarch who followed Christian values which legitimized his sovereignty. However, this is interrupted when Macbeth kills King Duncan paving the way for him to become King, upsetting the "Divine Law" system. This is then restored when Malcolm takes his rightful place as king, showing that, although there has been a break for the monarch, his supporting values are more firmly established. In the play, Macbeth commits regicide; the most heinous of all the crimes of the Elizabethan era, just to become king. However, during his reign, Macbeth proves to be incapable of mastering the king's power and qualities. His drive for power and maintaining that power is the source of his downfall. Macbeth's obsession with power fuels his mental deterioration. He is not expected to have authority beyond the Thane of Cawdor. When Macbeth is king, he does not use his authority carefully. Macbeth was the central character of the play and was a good person, but his personality gives a 180 degree turn throughout the story. Evil is the worst thing on Earth. It affects everyone. A great example of the manifestation of the power of evil in the play is the sudden collapse of Macbeth's personality. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth appears as a hero, he was brave and loyal to his king. Although Lady Macbeth was able to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, the Three Witches were the people who made this possible. The ThreeWitches hold supreme power. If the Three Witches had not actually informed Macbeth of what would happen, the story might not have had the same outcome. Three witches meet Macbeth and call him Lord of Cawdor and the future also tells his friend Banquo that he will not be king but that his descendants will reign. The witches disappear leaving Macbeth to ask for more information. In turn, if Lady Macbeth had not been informed of the prophecies, she would never have expected Macbeth to kill Duncan in a desperate attempt to fulfill the prophecies. Two messengers from the king arrive and tell Macbeth that he is now Thane of Cawdor. This was the beginning of the change in Macbeth's personality as he contemplated within himself his ambition to become king, which had been strengthened by these events. Macbeth was afraid of killing King Duncan, he was afraid of “impartial justice” that says if he kills the king, another person can kill him; but ambition was greater than decency and he commits the murder. Ambition can ruin a person's life and we can see it in this tragic comedy. Many different people in Macbeth have power, and there are different ways to be powerful. Usually, men are the ones who are outgoing and aggressive about it, and women are. more subdued. Lady Macbeth had many powers over Macbeth; the powers he possesses are more of a “manly” quality than Macbeth. For this reason Macbeth was ashamed of himself. As a result of Macbeth's shame, he attempts to do everything in his power to prove his manhood to Lady Macbeth. “When you dared to do it, then you were a man, / And, to be more than you were, you would be / You would be much more of a man.” As a result of Lady Macbeth's doubts and teasing, Macbeth ultimately kills Duncan in a final attempt to prove his worth to Lady Macbeth. On the other hand, the Three Witches not only gave Lady Macbeth the opportunity to turn Macbeth into the tyrant he now is. the Three Witches also led to Macbeth's downfall soon after Macbeth's rise to power. The reason why the Three Witches were able to achieve this was that they made Macbeth feel overconfident. In other words, the Three Witches were able to bring Macbeth to power, but in contrast to this, they were also able to remove him from it. The only way they were able to get him out was by deception. While Macbeth was in this power, he had power over the lives of the common people, even as he used this power ruthlessly: “Send out more horses, skirr the round country:/ Hang them that speak of fear. Give me my armour.” He had power over these ordinary people, even if only for a tiny period of time What Shakespeare suggests about power is that the more power a person has, the more corrupt they become is what Shakespeare attempted to convey to readers throughout the entire play. Macbeth changed from a man of high morality and values: “Here we still have the judgment to teach / cursed instructions, which when taught return / to afflict the inventor,” to the ruthless and overconfident murderer he was , “I will not fear death and ruin, / Till Birnam Forest comes to Dunsinane.” In conclusion, the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth were the people with the most power over Macbeth's life. This was especially true of the Three Witches. The more power Macbeth gained, the more corrupt he became. Power was the best thing a person with Macbeth's characteristics could have; but since everything that goes up must come down. After killing Banquo, he begins to see Banquo's ghost and goes mad. Macbeth's personality changes dramatically, from a loyal and courageous man to a powerful king and finally to a madman. At the end of the work he suffers in understanding that, 1990.
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