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Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

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In life, power has a way of leading and misleading people. It can also be said that once an individual receives power there is an overall shift in their character. This specific shift can lead to detrimental decisions and obsessive emotional and intellectual distress for a person. It is apparent in the play, Macbeth that gaining access to power unfairly leads to corruption in the mind, actions, and daily life. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as noble and loyal Thane to Scotland. “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.”(Macbeth 1.2.67) Also, Macbeth even questioned the idea of receiving the Thane of Cawdor position.“The Thane of Cawdor still lives.” “Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?” …show more content…

Although all the prophecies were essential to Macbeth's corruption, the third one claiming that Macbeth would soon rule over Scotland is what really pondered within him. This prophecy is what changed his mindset to want to receive power no matter the cost. He begins to passionately contemplate over the idea of stepping over people to be the king. “That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies.” (Macbeth 1.4.50-53) As a result, Macbeth, after being heavily influenced by his wife and his own greed, kills King Duncan. Once he finishes killing the king he feels a huge sense of regret and guilt after committing this murderous act. However, he still achieves his aspiration of becoming king in which he is very possessive of. While Macbeth is king, he reminisces about the original …show more content…

However, after hearing the lasting yet fickle prophecies from the weird sisters his actions changed. He often relied on the witches' words as a source for him to keep his power and confident nature. “I conjure you by that which you profess—Howe'er you come to know it—answer me.¨ (Macbeth 4.1.50-51) For example, once he was told to watch out for Macduff, he resorted to plotting a plan to kill Macduff's family. “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff.” (Macbeth 4.1.74) He succeeded in his plan and began to turn into a corrupt individual. His sense of morality decreased because of his several planned murderous acts and his mind became drenched in intense guilt. In theory, it is evident that Macbeth did all this to stay king, but it can also be said that Macbeth's actions are a result of relentless ambition. Once Macbeth realized the prophecy of being Thane of Cawdor came true, he became enthralled with the idea of receiving more for himself and his wife. In his case, one could argue that it was the idea of wanting a powerful title and what that could entail rather than wanting actual

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At the beginning of the play, three witch sisters told him that he would become Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Right after they told him about the prophecies, Macbeth was told that he did in fact become Thane of Cawdor. Since that prophecy came true, he began to wonder if the prophecy about him becoming King would come true. When Lady Macbeth found out about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth convinced and influenced Macbeth to kill the King so that the prophecy could come true. Macbeth was reluctant to kill the king, but that reluctance was soon overcome by the sheer determination for power that grew inside of him.

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In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare a character Macbeth was told he was going to be king and he did everything in his power to make it happen. Macbeth tries to control the future by listening to lady macbeth and takes matters into his own hands to become king he did unspeakable things to make sure his prophecy came true. Macbeth allowed Lady Macbeth to convince him to not wait around to be king and take action to make certain that he will become king. Three witches told Macbeth that he would soon become king and when lady Macbeth heard she knew she would become queen so she became adamant on it happening she couldn't wait for the prophecy so she fed Macbeth terrible ideas for the prophecy to come true sooner than

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(1.3.47-48) These hags prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, to add to his title Thane of Glamis, and, eventually, king. Confounded, Macbeth demands an explanation, though none is forthcoming. Later, he discovers that he has indeed taken the title Thane of Cawdor, due to the rebellion of the former Thane.

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In play Macbeth, Shakespeare reveals that an individual’s great desire for power will lead him/her to perform consequential deeds that will scar his/her conscience and change the outcome of his/her life eternally. Macbeth is informed by three witches that he is going to become king and this initiates Macbeth’s thought of becoming powerful. Macbeth doesn’t act on his thoughts until he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, that he could become king. Lady Macbeth is extremely power hungry and does all she can to convince Macbeth to be just as desirable as her. Together, they come up with a plan to murder King Duncan, so that Macbeth can become king like the witches foretold.

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“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This famous phrase written by Lord Acton holds true in the famous play Macbeth written by Shakespeare in the early 17th century. Throughout this play, we see the change of a man. A man that goes from being a loyal and kind soldier to a ruthless and heartless tyrant of a king. Throughout the play, we see an example of this transformation through the relationship between Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth.

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1.3.52-54 As the first two prophecies become true for Macbeth, it gives him even more ambition to become king. This eventually leads him to kill King Duncan, making him his ambition dangerous. No matter how his ambitions started, they spiral Macbeth into a very dangerous and impulsive person throughout the remainder of the

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Macbeth has fully evolved to a guilty and evil character, who only seizes harm on others. As Shakespeare evidently demonstrates courage in the play, Macbeth stands alone, ¨But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate. Thou shalt not live, That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder.¨(4.1.85) As Macbeth is receiving his prophecies, he comes to the realization that if he kills Macduff he will be able to sleep at night.

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This tells us that for his protection and continued power he would do anything no matter how evil. It is not long after this that he kills Macduff’s innocent family for he felt Macduff was a danger to his power. Therefore, desperation for power leads to the development of an askew moral compass that is demonstrated by Macbeth and Napoleon’s oppressive rule. Not only do they now live in constant vigilance for threats, they will resort to anything to rid themselves of said

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At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.

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William Shakespeare, playwright of Macbeth, shows the importance that power and corruption can hold on a person’s humanity. In order to prove the true effect of personal gains, he uses the main character, Macbeth, to show how evil people are willing to become. Personal power has the ability to be essential to greatness, but at the same time is able to destroy a person’s true nature. Believe it or not, Macbeth once was a man of honor. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was loyal to King Duncan, a strong military leader, and a respected husband.

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Macbeth is also a power hungry man who would do just about anything to achieve his goal of becoming King. When Macbeth first hears the prophecies from the three witches he instantly became invested with the journey to become king. Similar to Lady Macbeth, nothing was going to come between him and his potential power, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man. That function is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.52-55). This quote exemplifies how Macbeth’s initial solution to becoming king was murder.

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Early on in the story it is revealed that Macbeth wants to become the king after listening from the prophecy told by the three wyrd witches. One example is when Macbeth says” Two predictions have come true. The First towards the ultimate goal, the throne!” (1.3.130-135). That proves that Macbeth has a lot of ambition to become the new king and to over throne Duncan.

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At first these thoughts remain hidden, but when the witches approach him with their predictions his desires reform his character. The witches wait for Macbeth and tell him series of predictions. The specific prediction, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51) causes Macbeth’s desire to become more intensified. Their prediction that he would become king brings a change in his character.

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Macbeth’s ambition is what is causing him to intervene with his prophecy and pursue his goal (rather than leave it to chance). In a way, it is Macbeth’s own “black and deep desires” that make him kill in the first place as the witches never tell him to do so. Furthermore, apart from ambition, it is Macbeth’s own weak will and moral system that causes him to do the actions that result in his downfall. Macbeth’s weak will is undeniable and is illustrated before killing Duncan. “I have of spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII, 25-28).

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Power can not only bring ambitious people honors, but also make them lose everything. In the play, Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, it demonstrates that the immoral power influences the life of Macbeth dramatically. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, friend, and wife, which shows that Macbeth’s wild ambition causes him to be isolated. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, Duncan.

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