The Tragedy of Macdeath There are many cases in history where a leader will abuse their power and cause disruption in the society they live in. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, this corruption forms the core theme of misconduct of power and destruction. The protagonist, Macbeth, experiences the psychological damage from seeking political authority for personal gain. His desire to gain political power causes him to become senseless and leads to his ultimate death. The very first scene foreshadows his end. This is one of the most important parts of the work because the witches who open the first act lay the foundation for the theme and foretell Macbeth’s actions that occur later in the play. The first scene introduces critical characters that act as augurs for the theme. …show more content…
They are supernatural creatures that symbolize fate. They are influential and push Macbeth to control his own destiny. Throughout the play, the three witches induce a change in Macbeth. In fact, in the second scene of act 1, when the third witch exclaims, “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter” (Shakespeare 1.2 53,) the witches begin their influence over him, as the premature title the witch gives him will lead him to seek after it and kill Duncan. Killing Duncan leads to feelings of guilt and despair that soon cause him to go insane. His insanity prompts him to murder Banquo in the midst of his lust for power. The three witches are evil and seek for Macbeth’s self-destruction. They manipulate his actions to shape him into a murderous man. Before the killing he had a good life where he did not need any more power but, the witches influence his hunger for power as he listens to everything they say. The impact of them on Macbeth brings on the consequences of turmoil and destruction as his lunacy causes a great disruption in where he