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Integrity In Macbeth

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1. Macbeth’s lustful pursuit of power corrupts any trace of integrity within him. Once Macbeth ambitiously latches onto to the prospect of himself as king, he dishonorably mulls over the idea of regicide in order to solidify the witches’ prophecy, even though he is utterly aware of how morally unsound his desires are. “That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see” (I. iv. 51-55). Moreover, after Lady Macbeth tempts him to satisfy his hunger for the crown by killing Duncan, Macbeth completely relinquishes his loyalties and human decency in favor of deception …show more content…

The desire for personal gain trigger a tumult of heart-gripping fear and paranoia within Macbeth, disrupting his peace of mind and depriving him of the sleep and clear though necessary to conduct himself in a rational manner. “But let the frame of things disjoint, both the world suffer, ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep in the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly. Better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy….Oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife (III. ii. …show more content…

Macbeth resolves to make choices to safeguard his power and challenge the fate the witches’ bestow upon him with an unsightly mix of arrogance and ambition, for he believes that his title as king means nothing if he is constantly in fear of losing it. “To be thus is nothing but to be safely thus….prophet like, they hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in my grip, thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, no son of mine succeeding. If ’t be so, for Banquo’s issue have I filled my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them; and mine eternal jewel given to the common enemy of man, to make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, and champion me to th’ utterance” (III. i. 48-72). The sting of power also provokes Macbeth to act swiftly without giving his plans a second-thought, as he cites time as the greater thwarter of opportunity. “Time, thou anticipat’st my dread exploits. The flighty purpose never o’ertook unless the deed go with it. From this moment the very firstlings of my heart shall be to the firstlings of my hand. And even now, to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: the castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool. This deed I’ll do before this

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In Summary, desire’s can blind loyalty. MacBeth and Lady MacBeth have proved this point and payed dearly for it with their lives. This theme was expressed and expanded upon throughout the entire play, from the weird sisters prophecy, to the final battle when MacBeth was killed, he was blinded by his desires and he paid for it. This play has shown how people can let what they want become more important than the people they are supposed to have sworn allegiance

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If the stars shine their light, his “black and deep desire” will be revealed to everyone. Because he knows that what he is about to do is immoral and no one should hear about it, Macbeth is compos mentis. “The eye wink at the hand” refer to Macbeth’s wanting to blind his eyes so that he will not have to see the actions he will be making. Macbeth have an emotional conflict because he knows he might regret his actions later on and he is afraid to see the outcome. Due to the concerns he is having, Macbeth is still sane because he thinks about it before committing the actions.

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The fact that Macbeth believes the witches’ prophecies are not evil nor good foreshadows how he will go on to kill any other person standing in his way to more power. His ambition blinds his mind to make him even think about ruthlessly committing a murder. This forceful way of gaining power will only lead Macbeth to become a “tyrant” in Scotland and his “fantastical” desires of killing Duncan and receiving the crown will lead Scotland to failure. Under Macbeth’s rule, Scotland seems to be in a terrible condition. With distrust among the people, there is tension all within the country, as Macbeth’s totalitarian regime had rendered the prosperity of Scotland.

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Sean Smith Mrs. Anthony Senior English 8 March 2018 The Danger of Ambition In Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, the author proposes a perpetual loop of struggle through his use of fate and imagery of the character’s deaths in order to express the consequences for one’s actions if they are foolish enough to make these decisions. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is a uniquely portrayed concept of fate, internal struggle, and paradox; the story depicts a human with intentions to receive power.

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Ordering the witches to provide further prophecies reveals his ongoing search for “peace”. None of Macbeth’s encounters with the forces of evil and darkness provided him with contentment. The once mature and successful Macbeth has now been tricked by his desires into obtaining worldly honors.

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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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(1.2.24). His courage in war is a thing of “honor” (1.3.104), and so he is presented with the tittle thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is repeatedly being painted with the strokes of these heroic lines of honor.

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Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.

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Macbeth begins to make selfish decisions that he knows only will benefit himself. “For mine own good, all causes shall give way. I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er” (III.iv.140-145).

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Macbeth’s ambition is one of the most prominent things that drive Macbeth in the play and truly becomes evident when he hears of the Witches prophecies. When the witches stop talking, he demands to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (I, III, 73-74). This portrays his excessive curiosity on the subject as well as his craving for more desirable prophecies. This ambitious nature and craving for power is also demonstrated only moments after hearing the witches, when he starts formulating a plan to kill Duncan in order to make the third prophecy come true.

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