Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

Power is often an incredibly overwhelming and controlling concept. This is proven again and again as a recurring theme in many of Shakespeare’s plays. Much of the time, though, a thirst for power can lead to the madness and destruction of a character who was before thought of as sane. MacBeth is a play, written by William Shakespeare, about a man whose downfall comes from a fear of power. In MacBeth, the protagonist struggles to free himself from the power of others through murder and the general misuse of those around and beneath him, by manipulation or other means.

MacBeth’s misuse of surrounding characters is a defense mechanism to help free himself from others’ power. This is evident again and again as MacBeth forces others beneath him

The two murderers who he has hired have no choice but to follow his command, because MacBeth is the king. He also manipulates them into believing Banquo is an enemy, lines 129-130. By using these men, MacBeth frees himself from Banquo’s hold without the need to get his hands dirty. MacBeth also misuses his “friends”—Ross, Lennox, and the Lords—through manipulation and lies in order to gain freedom over them. These people, who would hypothetically trust the king, are lied to by MacBeth in Act III, Scene IV, when the banquet is held. He says, “Here had we now our country’s honor roofed / Were the graced person of our Banquo present / Who may I rather challenge for unkindness / Than pity for mischance.” This is misleading because MacBeth already knows the fate of Banquo; In fact, he is the cause. By pretending to be unaware, he hypothetically lowers the suspicion of the others surrounding his hand in the murder. Finally, MacBeth misuses

This begins with the murder of the King of Scotland, Duncan, in Act I, Scene VII of the play: “I go, and it is done. / The bell invites me / Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or to hell,” lines 75-77. Duncan trusted MacBeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor, and therefore Duncan’s death would leave MacBeth as king. A king, who normally has power over all his subjects, including MacBeth, would no longer be able to control him from the grave. In fact, with the King’s murder MacBeth gains his power, freeing him from many who before had a hold over him that he could not shake. Another example of MacBeth trying to free himself from others’ power is in the murder of Banquo and the attempted murder of his son, Fleance. This happens in Act III, scene I, when he says, “Banquo, thy soul’s light / if it finds heaven / must find it tonight,” lines 140-141. With the knowledge that Banquo’s sons will one day become king, MacBeth is fearful of being overthrown by them. Killing the two of them would hypothetically free him from their potential power he may one day face. This would free him from the constant worry of having Banquo’s son returning one day to slay him. Finally, a third example of his use of murder to free himself is with his attempt to kill MacDuff. MacBeth sends a murderer to kill his entire family because he feels