Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

“Great power involves great responsibility.” In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the idea of power underlies and influences the behaviors of several of the play's characters. Readers follow the story of Macbeth, a brave Scottish general who, by the play's conclusion, has given in to his own desire for the throne and turned from the respected Thane who had demonstrated exemplary loyalty to King Duncan at the play's beginning into a vindictive, power-hungry dictator. Shakespeare’s play effectively demonstrates that the more authority an individual has, the more corrupt they become, and therefore the more difficult it is to preserve that power.
Scotland is portrayed as an untamed, barbaric kingdom ruled by a weak king (Duncan) who depends

Macbeth is quite powerless and naïve in the beginning of the play. He feels apprehensive about killing Duncan and spilling his blood. As Macbeth’s ambition and greed intensifies, he does not even give a second thought about killing the MacDuff family. For instance, "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.” (Shakespeare 4.1.151-154) He is not bothered by the fact that he is killing women and children to make his point. Throughout the play, Macbeth develops into a vengeful and dark-spirited character. At the play's conclusion, Macbeth declares that he will “fight till

Shakespeare employs the idea of power to demonstrate how it affects people through the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The play's recurring theme of power has an impact on the plot, his relationship with Lady Macbeth, and his desire to commit murder. When Lady Macbeth stated, "When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.” (Shakespeare 1.7.49-51) Lady Macbeth questioned and challenged Macbeth's manhood. Lady Macbeth is seen manipulating Macbeth skillfully pushing him, as he kills King Duncan in a regicide, thus achieving their shared goal of becoming king and queen. However, it is clear that Lady Macbeth's power does not come from her deeds but rather from her words, as demonstrated by the way she manipulates Macbeth. His interaction with the other characters in the play is impacted by his quest for power. The other characters reach a point when they believe killing him is the only way to stop him. Throughout the play, the power transforms Macbeth so drastically that he is ignorant to who he has become. The ultimate power is held by the Three Witches. In addition to giving Lady Macbeth the ability to transform Macbeth into the tyrant he became, the Three Witches also paved the way for Macbeth's collapse shortly after he assumed power. The Three Witches achieved this by making Macbeth appear