Macbeth is one William Shakespeare’s most powerful and emotionally intense plays, which has captivated its readers for nearly 400 years. William Shakespeare was born in 1564, and is considered the greatest dramatist of all time. His play, Macbeth, was most likely written during the reign of King James I, as this is whom Shakespeare wrote the play for. Macbeth is primarily set in Scotland, in the 11th century. It is about Macbeth’s rise to the throne, and his tragic downfall. There is a complex collection of character relationships, which helps Shakespeare convey a range of themes such as ambition, power, betrayal and manipulation. Shakespeare expresses disparaging ambition through the evolution of the relationship between Macbeth and Lady …show more content…
At the start of the play, it is obvious that Macbeth and Banquo are comrades and close friends. They both fought together to defeat the ‘rebels’ to earn the admiration of the people of Scotland. Banquo witnesses the witches’ prophesies with Macbeth. They are both extremely loyal to each other. When Duncan is murdered and Macbeth becomes King, Banquo fears that he had “play’d’st most foully for’t.” Banquo’s own ambition is showcased when he says, “by the verities on thee made good, may they not be my oracles as well?” This shows that Banquo doesn’t want to accuse Macbeth, because he is afraid that if he interferes, his descendants won’t become kings. Macbeth shows that he still admires Banquo, but fears his intelligence when he says, ‘He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour, to act in safety. There is none but he whose being I do fear.’ It is this fear that makes Macbeth order Banquo’s murder. Macbeth demonstrates that he will do anything to maintain position on the crown when he says, ‘to be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.’ Through this relationship, Shakespeare demonstrates the extreme lengths people will go to obtain