Examples Of Greed In Macbeth

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Greed is oftentimes a powerful force. It can control one’s thought process and drive them to do things they never would have before. Macbeth is a stand up guy at first, and King Duncan thinks very highly of him. He awards him with the title of Thane of Cawdor after his bravery in battle. Macbeth seemed to be the ideal warrior that was submissive to the authority of the king. However, greed soon consumed him and the once honorable Macbeth disappeared. He was replaced with a power hungry man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Throughout “Macbeth,” the theme of greed causes Macbeth to murder, deceive, and listen to his wife’s voice of ruin. Macbeth’s thirst for power first begins with the killing of King Duncan. He saw the king …show more content…

After killing King Duncan, Macbeth had to find someone else to lay the blame on so that he did not look guilty. Since Banquo had heard the prophecies, Macbeth had him killed to eliminate that source of suspicion and to ensure that his children never became kings as it was promised. However, that alone was not enough. He accused 3 men of the murder of King Duncan. Alongside of his wife, they devised a sly plan that involved setting up the king’s grooms. She drugged their drinks so that they would fall asleep sooner. After they were asleep, Macbeth used their daggers to stab King Duncan, then placed the bloody daggers back with the grooms so that they would awake in the horror that they had killed their king. “The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms do mock their charge with snores. I have drugged their possets, that death and nature do not contend about them, whether they live or die.” (Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 2). Macbeth deceived them, along with everyone else, to believe that they had killed King Duncan and not him. It worked until his sons became suspicious, as did the rest of the men that were loyal to King Duncan. All because of his greed for power and authority, Macbeth used whatever measures necessary to eliminate all opposition on his quest to become king; this included