ipl-logo

How Does Macbeth Stay In Power

376 Words2 Pages

Macbeth ultimately fails to stay in power because of his ambition. Macbeth fails because he is overly ambitious, lacks loyalty to his friends and his people, and is overly gullible and easily manipulated by the witches and Lady Macbeth. Nonetheless, Macbeth’s ambition makes his emotions get the best of him, and ultimately fails to stay in power. Macbeth killing Banquo results in Macbeth losing another loved one. Banquo being his closest friend, this had a stronger effect on Macbeth's conscience especially when he “dare… Approach thou like… rugged Russian bear”( Shakespeare 3.4.121-122). Macbeth is approached by Banquo's ghost and feels threatened to the point where he feels the need to “desert with thy sword”(Shakespeare 3.4.126). This shows how Macbeth's emotions hold him back and his ambitions make his situation worse when he tries to act bravely and stubbornly. …show more content…

Macbeth's suspicions towards Banquo make him decide that he is an obstacle to staying in power, thus he decides to hire murderers and manipulate them into thinking that Banquo “held you so under fortunes…had been out innocent self”(Shakespeare 3.1.83-86). Macbeth persuades the murderers that Banquo is the root of all of their problems and that he must die. This shows how he chose power over his best friend. Lastly, Macbeth's ambition makes him overly gullible and easily manipulated. Lady Macbeth’s need for power makes her put Macbeth's feelings aside and manipulates him into killing King Duncan, along with making other bad decisions, by questioning his manhood, and telling him to “Be…more than man”… “I had given suck”(Shakespeare 1.7.58-62). Macbeth is easily manipulated by Lady Macbeth and questions his manhood. Macbeth’s ambition urges him to prove her wrong and show that he is the one in power, as well as his fearlessness towards his hallucinations of bottled guilt and

Show More
Related

Honor And Certainty In Shakespeare's Macbeth

433 Words | 2 Pages

Despite his ambition for his own descendants to become kings, Banquo does not act on it, and instead remains loyal to King Duncan and his successors. This loyalty ultimately leads to Banquo's death at the hands of Macbeth, but his integrity remains intact. Banquo's struggle to maintain his honour and integrity highlights the importance of staying true to one's values and principles, even in the face of

Read More

How Is Macbeth Different From Other Serial Killers

720 Words | 3 Pages

She told him to kill King Duncan so he could take his place, but Macbeth said he felt guilty because Duncan was a good man and deserved better. Eventually he does kill Duncan but immediately feels remorse, guilt, and even hallucinates. After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth kills the guards as to not have any witnesses. The he begins focusing on killing Banquo because the prophecy said that his sons would one day be kings. He persuades some assassins to kill Banquo and his son by blaming their problems on Banquo.

Read More

Examples Of Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

1157 Words | 5 Pages

To begin, Macbeth demonstrates desperate and ruthless choices as he reaches for power which doesn’t belong to him. For example, when Macbeth is talking to himself about what he should do about the second part of the prophecy. Banquo, one of Macbeth's friends, also received a prophecy that his children would be their heirs to the king. Wanting to keep the power of the throne he says “Given to the common enemy of man/To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings./Rather than so, come fate into the list,/And champion me to th’ utterance”(3.1.74-77). Macbeth is not willing to take any chances when it comes to keeping the power he has been handed.

Read More

Examples Of Self Destruction In Macbeth

203 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, it becomes apparent that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been led into their own undoing by their own self-justified actions rather than by leaving everything up to fate. For Macbeth, the most self-evident example of his destruction is by interfering with the Weird Sister's prophecy by hiring murderers to exterminate Banquo and his son Fleance. Even after killing Duncan and receiving the title of the King, he is still not satisfied as he realizes that all of his efforts would benefit Banquo and his sons without them even having to do anything. Rather than standing by and letting them benefit off of his endeavors, he decides to disrupt the fate of Banquo: "To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!

Read More

Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

889 Words | 4 Pages

In the story, Macbeth becomes nervous that Banquo will over power him. “But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. ' Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear.”

Read More

Paranoia In Macbeth

1645 Words | 7 Pages

In the tragic play of Shakespeare, the protagonist, Macbeth is characterized as a malevolent ruler whose mixed emotion gets in the way of his power and develops hallucination of rival which causes him to lose sanity. Shakespeare portrays Macbeth’s bitter character using metaphor, diction, imagery, and personification to show Macbeth’s thrive for power influence his mind negatively and grows greed, ambition, and selfishness that later develops insecurity and anger within himself. These uneasy feeling leads Macbeth to hallucinate rivals and provokes him to lose sanity to keep his power. Therefore, Shakespeare describes Macbeth as a malevolent character whose evil traits creates a mixed emotions within himself and develops a serious case of paranoia

Read More

Loss Of Power In Macbeth

747 Words | 3 Pages

While power may seem alluring to many, Shakespeare’s Macbeth highlights the destruction and harm that comes with great power. Throughout Macbeth’s journey for more power, Shakespeare is able to demonstrate the cognitive changes Macbeth endures with his power gain. Macbeth is seen getting more violent and apathetic as the play goes on, showing how power corrupts the mind. Soon after Macbeth has a great increase in power, Act Three Scene One emphasizes how the determination for more power affects Macbeth. Macbeth is shown with little remorse for causing the death of one of his former friends, blinded by the desire for power.

Read More

Banquo's Foil In Macbeth

736 Words | 3 Pages

His capricious and malicious acts prove how naive and vile he is as a person. Macbeth even attempts to kill Banquo to prevent any trace of his nature from making him, a “fruitless crown.” Macbeth states, “Must lave or honors in the flattering streams, and make our face vizards to our heart, disguising who we are,”(3.2.45). With such desperation, Macbeth is willing to include other people in his premeditated murder. By having Lady Macbeth be part of his plot to kill Banquo, Macbeth reveals two things about himself: That he does not value those around him, even if they are his loved ones, and that he places his personal success over all aspects of his life.

Read More

Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

446 Words | 2 Pages

21-22). Because the murderers failed to kill Banquo's son, it’s possible that the witches' saying may still come true. Because of Macbeth's extreme drive for power it causes him to go too far and causes problems for him mentally. Since he sought out to kill Banquo, during the dinner, he continues to hallucinate the ghost of Banquo sitting among them which really disturbs him as he tries to get Banquo's ghost to go away by saying “Avaunt, and quit my

Read More

Macbeth Ambition Essay

478 Words | 2 Pages

He orders the murder of his friend, Banquo, and his son, Fleance, out of fear that they will threaten his reign. He also becomes obsessed with maintaining his power, even if it means killing innocent people. His ambition blinds him to the consequences of his actions, leading to his eventual downfall. Lady Macbeth also suffers from the consequences of her ambition. She initially encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan, but she is haunted by guilt and becomes increasingly unstable as the play progresses.

Read More

The Loss Of Guilt In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

2413 Words | 10 Pages

His greed for power eradicates his moral compass; only then is he able to kill someone who he has previously sworn loyalty to. Additionally, once Macbeth becomes king, he does not have qualms about murdering Banquo, his closest friend. During the conversation between Macbeth and two of the murderers, he mentions that “so is [Banquo my enemy]” (Shakespeare III.i.116). Macbeth’s ambition quickly and effectively eradicates his attachment to Banquo and his conscience as Macbeth is blinded by the desire to seize more power. His ambition alters his moral compass, which allows him to make radical decisions that are innately forbidden.

Read More

Macbeth's Ambition Essay

535 Words | 3 Pages

However, the play also explores the darker side of ambition and the consequences that come with it. Macbeth's unchecked desire for power leads him down a dark path, ultimately resulting in his downfall. He becomes consumed by his ambition and loses sight of his moral compass. Macbeth's decision to murder King Duncan sets off a chain of events that ultimately leads to his own demise. His ambition also leads him to commit a series of heinous acts in order to maintain his power, including ordering the murder of Banquo and his son, and later having Lady Macduff and her children killed.

Read More

Loss Of Power In Macbeth

677 Words | 3 Pages

His noble characteristics have been corrupted by his ambition and his fear of losing his newly acclaimed power makes it easier for him to take drastic measures; such as murder, to keep it. This can be seen when Macbeth is speaking to the hired murderers and says, “That every minute of his being thrusts/Against my near’st of life” (III.I.116-117). In these lines, he is referring to Banquo and how the mere existence of Banquo threatens Macbeth’s position. To Banquo from figuring out what he did to King Duncan, he has him killed (III.IV.16). Macbeth has no serious qualms about having Banquo killed and makes the order with surprising ease.

Read More

Lady Macbeth Masculinity Quotes

107 Words | 1 Pages

William Shakespeare portrayed the character Lady Macbeth to be extremely ruthless, malicious and manipulative. Thus, being the reason she could easily convince Macbeth to do her will, yet still put on such a convincing performance in front of those who knew nothing of her and her husband’s actions. Lady Macbeth shows her complexity constantly throughout the story when she shares her view-point on masculinity by demasculinizing her own husband, when she strategically plans the murder of the King Duncan, and finally when she finally goes crazy because of the guilt she possesses for not only her own actions but also turning her own husband into a

Read More

Banquo's Influence On Macbeth

771 Words | 4 Pages

As tragic as Macbeth becomes through the play, his paranoia is also a factor that leads to his ultimate downfall, morally and physically. Macbeth, now a traitor after the assassination of the king, is paranoid of anybody who may threaten his position or how he attained it. After killing the king, Macbeth’s conscience is guilt-ridden and he is no longer able to sleep peacefully. His only worry is that someone may be plotting his murder, just as he strategized the death of the former King. If there was nothing stopping Macbeth from killing Duncan and committing treason, who is to say that no one else will make the same decision, killing Macbeth? After becoming king, his first suspect is Banquo, because Banquo voices his scepticism in regards

Read More

More about How Does Macbeth Stay In Power

Open Document