Alexia Tzaneteas English 10 Honors Mrs. Joyce June 3rd, 2022 The Machiavellian Rule of Macbeth Should morality be separated from politics, or should both be examined when determining the recognition a ruler deserves? According to Machiavelli's treatise, The Prince, a ruler should be defined not by their morality but by their ability to achieve what they desire, no matter what cruelties are used to accomplish it. Therefore, he advises a prince to be more deceiving than truthful, more cunning than naive, and more wicked than righteous in order to ensure success against the fickle forces of fortune. Machiavelli uses examples of real leaders who follow in his advice, but perhaps the most perfect model is a leader from William Shakespeare’s tragedy, …show more content…
However, having a weak ruler invites into the throne the cruelty, treason, and deception that defines what a Machiavellian ruler is. The King of Scotland, Duncan, has a personality that is already what Machiavelli would deem weak, but because of Scotland’s decentralization, he is also politically weak. He is politically weak because the rule of a king is dependent on the cooperation and approval of the thanes, which lessens the absolute power of the king. It doesn't help that Duncan is very trusting towards them and requires them to go to battle for him, rather than leading them in battle himself. As a result, he relies on a form of a “spoils system” that grants them more power the more they do for the king. This rewards system only fuels ambition, as “those who see themselves as king makers or king keepers soon wonder why they should not be king themselves” (Zuckert 594). For example, Macbeth does a great deed in battle and is naturally expecting a large reward. He is named only Thane of Cawdor, but Malcolm, someone who …show more content…
After the witches give Macbeth his first prophecy that he will become king, he begins to have thoughts about murdering Duncan. He pushes it aside in disgust, but Lady Macbeth creates a plan to do it in their own home. Macbeth has doubts about it and believes that no stroke of luck will allow him fully get away with it, which he expresses to Lady Macbeth when he tells her “If we should fail-”(1.7.68). By even suggesting failure, he is revealing his uncertainty about the uncontrollable forces of luck. Macbeth is simply relying on the witches’ prophecy to be correct, with the only evidence being that their previous prediction was correct. When this prophecy does get proven right, Macbeth soon becomes overconfident in his battle with luck, which is a complete pivot from his feelings the night before murdering Duncan. He begins to believe that the prophecies truthfully dictate what will happen, and he is therefore invulnerable to the fickle Fortunata, the goddess of fortune. He also attempts to use the knowledge gained from the prophecies to prevent them from happening, which is where Macbeth’s hold on luck begins to