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Essay On Macbeth's Journey To Power

549 Words3 Pages

In Macbeth, the central protagonist, Macbeth, undergoes a drastic transformation from accomplished warrior to power hungry dictator with countless instances of bloodshed left in his wake ; Macbeth’s greed as well as the urges brought on by those around him lead Macbeth down a treacherous and destructive path to power. Macbeth’s journey to power begins with a urge to murder Duncan in order to become the kind of Scotland, Macbeth states, “Let not light see my black and deep desires.” (1.IV.58) Although Macbeth commits this murder himself and seeks it for personal gain, this murder would not have been committed without his wife exerting pressure on him to commit the crime. Macbeth is a character who is easily manipulated but also possesses an …show more content…

Lady Macbeth’s constant questioning of his manhood early on lead to an even greater amount of pressure on Macbeth to gain power through any means necessary. As stated by 19th century English writer Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Macbeth starts as a man who has been praised for murder he committed on the battlefield and soon becomes the very enemy he originally fought against by rebelling against higher power.With his inherited power Macbeth gains the access to do whatever he wants with those who oppose him. When he is confronted with the apparition that Macduff must be bewared he states, “The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.” (4.I.167-168) Macbeth’s anxiety about his power somehow being in jeopardy, even though the witches reveal no one can harm him, leads to him murdering Macduff’s family. Macbeth has an idea in his head that he must follow his first impulse so he can retain his power. Macbeth is a classic dicator, a power hungry individual who will do anything to maintain his power. Although Macbeth is still haunted by his commissioned murder of his best friend Banquo, this is not a sign of him possessing remorse but another sign of the anxiety he feels that might threaten his

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