In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and his wife plot and kill Duncan over a prophecy they receive. This leads to the death of Him and Lady Macbeth and many others. Is power a corrupting force? Yes in the play, Macbeth is given much power and he abuses it, being corrupted with the idea of power. This is prevalent through the plot, characters, tone, and theme of the play. Firstly, He murders Banquo and his son, Fleance in paranoia to keep his power. In the play it states, “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight, If it find heaven, must find it out tonight.”(Shakespeare 3.1 157-158). Banquo was there when Macbeth was given the prophecy of him becoming king. Macbeth grows paranoid of him and his son, so he sends murderers …show more content…
Upon hearing the prophecy, Macbeth admits, "Present fears are less than horrible imaginings" (Shakespeare 1.3 139). This shows that Macbeth having the mere thought of gaining power sends chills down Macbeth's spine. This highlights his inner turmoil and the allure of absolute authority. Also, Macbeth conveys his determination to safeguard his power, stating, "To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus" (Shakespeare 3.1 47). This illustrates Macbeth's growing obsession with preserving his position, even at the expense of innocent lives. Although, a common rebuttal for this argument is that Macbeth was evil inherently, since he did such heinous things. As Macbeth embarks on his treacherous path, his ambition intensifies, further catalyzed by the manipulation and encouragement of his wife, Lady Macbeth. In Act I, Scene 7, Macbeth debates the consequences of regicide, acknowledging the gravity of his actions, saying, "We still have judgment here, that we but teach bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague the inventor" (Shakespeare 1.7.8-10). We also see that Lady Macbeth is the main reason for his decline, she even forms a plan for her