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Biblical References In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

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Throughout a great deal of pop culture and literature, we see a plethora of biblical references. That much is true in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. As we follow Macbeth through his journey of attempting to become king, we witness three of the seven deadly sins: sloth, greed, and lust. These three sins are what take Macbeth from being a strong and trustworthy leader to being double-crossing, conniving, and dead. The Bible is believed to give us good morals and help us make smart decisions, but when Macbeth crosses the line, he feels the consequences.

All over Macbeth, we see Macbeth cutting corners and putting no effort into the decisions he makes throughout the play. Macbeth does not take action for himself or think about what he wants to do with his life. When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth what the witches told him in …show more content…

Macbeth, learning from the witches that he will become king, decides that the Thane of Cawdor is not enough and, with the help of Lady Macbeth, schemes to murder King Duncan. Macbeth becomes so struck with greed that he gets upset when Malcolm is named Prince of Cumberland.

"Noble Banquo, That has been no less deserved, and it must be known no less to have been done so. Let me enfold thee and hold thee to my heart." (1.4.28-33)

This is Duncan talking to Banquo about his reward for risking his life and fighting for the prosperity of Ireland. Banquo had landed himself a hug from the king himself, and he is thrilled to accept the gift. This is in contrast with Macbeth, who is not happy enough with Thane of Cawdor. The proof is in the pudding, and after reading Macbeth, all of the problems our leading star seems to undergo are all his fault. Macbeth would’ve lived a long and happy life if he never eliminated the king and was grateful for what he had

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Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor / All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.46-49) This quote sets the motion for the rise and tragic fall of Macbeth. Macbeth after hearing these words spoken to him is filled to the brim with mixed feelings that cause him to lose grasp upon himself and his nobleness. Macbeth was ordinarily noble and devoted to his country prior to the incident with the witches which led him to be blinded by his overwhelming sense of cupidity.

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Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature” (Act 3. Scene1. Lines 47-49. Page44). To Macbeth, becoming king is worthless unless his position as king is safe. He fears that Banquo’s murder will be revenged by his own murder, and it may reveal the hidden knowledge of his guilt.

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At the beginning of the play, he is hailed as the brave warrior who fought with his friend Banquo and, due to his act of bravery, was given the title “thane of Cawdor!” (1.2.65-67). However, it does not take him long to show his most noticeable character trait, ambition, which leads him to murder King Duncan. His insatiable desire for power and a fierce determination to be king drives Macbeth to continue to deceptively plot against his friend and commit terrible acts of violence and betrayal. It causes him to spiral out of control quickly, and he goes from a reluctant murderer to a sinister and brutal killer.

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In the first meeting with the witches; where Macbeth is prophesied to become the Thane of Cawdor and finally king. Banquo, whom had also been prophesized to become the father of many kings, comes to a realisation that “the instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence”. By saying this, Banquo believes that the witches will earn Banquo and Macbeth’s trust by telling them truth about little things, but if the witches decide to betray the two men, it may leave a devastating effect. Nevertheless, in contrast to Banquo’s skepticism regarding the witches, Macbeth desires to know more, “stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”, and the idea of becoming king now occurs to him as a possibility. This suggests that Macbeth already has a deep desire for power and status; although, at this point, Macbeth is “too full o’th’milk of human kindness”, to commit himself to this immoral act of murdering the innocent

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After murdering King Duncan he realizes that he is just one step closer to the crown. As a result, he has the desire to kill anyone who stands in his way of him getting the throne. Banquo stands in his way as he knows that King Duncan needed to killed. In this case, Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. He tells the murderers, “To leave no rubs nor botches in the work /

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Shakespeare takes these and uses them to elevate the story and characters. Almost all pieces of literature have some form of an allusion to the Bible, whether it is purposeful or not. The whole story of Macbeth has been one big allusion to the Bible. The story of Macbeth and the story of Adam and Eve are parallels. Both are deceived by an external force to betray a higher power in the name of greed.

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Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.” (Act 3 scene 2). The power Macbeth is receiving has made him completely power hungry to the point

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He reveals that he is not strong minded and is easily influenced by those around him. It is through Banquo that one can actually identify Macbeth with these traits. If it were not for Banquo’s calm and responsible reaction to the foretelling, it would be difficult to hold Macbeth on a basis on the appropriate way to respond to the situation. Banquo is not after sole success, and still considers himself successful even with his sons being heirs to the kingdom. With this genuine appreciation, we are able to view Macbeth as a greedy and irrational character.

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Those who read Macbeth may not see the difference in Banquo, but something does grow inside of his heart. It just might not be what we thought it was. Banquo, as written by Shakespeare, is a pure character that only has goodness planted in his heart. As Macbeth's trusted friend, "Banquo, in contrast to Macbeth, stands as a kind of morality figure who is able to resist the witches' temptation because the grace of God inherent in his nature is stronger than his propensity to sin" (Ribner). In every good story there is light and darkness, Shakespeare wrote Banquo in a light that would be a parallel to what has been planted inside of Macbeth.

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For the Macbeths and Adam and Eve, sin is also cyclical; as Colston says, “sin creates a proclivity for sin” (83). Colston claims that “Macbeth is made for war, not peace” as evidenced by his endeavors before the play (64). Although I resist the notion that Macbeth has no agency in killing, it is logical that his ambition to murder blossoms at least in part from his “appetite formed by violent action” (76). Certainly, his first sin of ambition soon spreads into many more; by the end of the play, Macbeth is “materially guilty of breaking all ten commandments” (83). To name just a few, he kills many people, bears false witness against innocents, covets his neighbor’s position, and worships the god of ambition exclusively.

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He’s not satisfied with just being the Thane. He kills King Duncan which scares off Malcolm, his son and Macbeth becomes king. This quote relates to the real world because when people are in positions of power they always want more and are not satisfied until they get

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Banquo, who had trusted Macbeth and promised to serve him forever, becomes suspicious and is killed by Macbeth’s hired murderers. His best friend’s betrayal of him is not the only backstab in the story. Another disloyalty happens with the “kings” death. Malcolm, the previous king’s eldest son, knew that the trust has been broken, so he and his brother flee to England in order to survive. So when Macduff goes to Malcolm and asks him to take his rightful place, Malcolm answers, “Boundless temperance in nature is a tyranny; it hath been Th’untimely emptying of the happy throne and the fall of many kings” (4.3.

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Macbeth became king and therefore greater than Banquo but he lost his morality which made him lesser. Banquo dies but he is still happier dead than Macbeth is alive, and Banquo’s children will become kings even though he does not get to be one. All of these things happen because Macbeth hires men to kill Banquo, but also because it was Banquo’s fate regardless.

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