ipl-logo

Macbeth Betrayal Analysis

490 Words2 Pages

William Shakespeare's Macbeth is a play that follows a man driven by greed and from that comes betrayal. It dramatizes the damaging effects of political ambition on those who seek power for themself. Betrayal is a prominent theme in the play Macbeth that is caused by greed and leads to destruction. One way Macbeth causes a powershift is by allowing Lady Macbeth to persuade him to kill King Duncan, this came to attention after receiving a letter from the three witches. The solution in Lady Macbeth’s mind is for Macbeth to take the throne is killing Duncan in his sleep. Macbeth is torn between greed and his loyalty to the King, “He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, …show more content…

Throughout the play Macbeth begins to think he is untouchable because of a prophecy the witches told him, but “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1:1:12). When a soldier reported to him that he saw the forest move, As I did stand my watch upon the hill, I look'd toward Birnam, and anon methought The wood began to move” (5:5:31-34). A few scenes later during a sword fight Macduff confesses to Macbeth that he was not born from his mother, “Despair thy charm, And let the angel whom thou still hast served Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped” (5:8:13-16). Macbeth begin to realize the things the witches said like forest moving and a man being born not from a women were very possible, the witches had betrayed his trust which ultimately led to his destruction. Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is filled with betrayal, not just between characters but also between a man and his internal well being. Throughout the play Macbeth was never satisfied with what he had, he wanted more, so he kept killing. From all the destruction he caused Lady Macbeth lost her mind and died and he died blinded by greed. Betrayal is a prominent theme in the play Macbeth that is caused by greed and leads to

Show More
Related
426 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth’s jump to murder illustrates the depth of his greed clouding his rational judgement. Shakespeare spotlights the hold greed can take on a righteous individual to emphasis the need for self control. Secondly, Macbeth, jealous of the prophecy stating Banquo “Shalt get kings” Macbeth fears he wears a “fruitless” crown, Macbeth orders the murder of his friend to

Read More
1464 Words | 6 Pages

Macbeth’s greed takes over him as he chases a fool’s dream. Macbeth's ambition leads him to secure his power; he overlooks his guilt and focuses on doing whatever it takes to hold onto his authority. Shakespeare demonstrates, in a variety of techniques, how just ambition alone can bring down the even the greatest of men. “There is something wrong with a individual’s character if opportunity controls their loyalty.” Sean Simmon’s the writer of this quote explains how blinded someone can be when given certain opportunities which can be directly related to the character Macbeth.

Read More
651 Words | 3 Pages

The play entitled Macbeth by William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth, a loyal and brave thane to the king. When a prophecy reveals he will become king, Macbeth is overcome with ambition and greed. Convinced of this prophecy and the encouragement from his wife, he is able to kill the king and take the throne. Although Macbeth was able to obtain the throne, he was was overwhelmed by power and guilt leading to internal conflict, which suggests that success is not desirable through cheating and corruption and ultimately cost more than its actually worth, Macbeth`s reckless pursuit of killing and becoming the king is representative of the power he has and what he is able to do with the power he's gained; therefore. His relentless ambition for king reveals the guilt behind power.

Read More
1313 Words | 6 Pages

Both greed and power, if not controlled, can lead to destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate how ambition can change one’s personal relationships. As in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not share the same ambition, and it is because of this that their relationship lacks love and affection however through the use of persuasion and other means, Lady Macbeth is able to get Macbeth to pursue her ambition. This not only changes their relationship drastically but it also changes Macbeth’s attitude towards ambition. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows us through Macbeth, the possibility for ambition to eventually turn into greed and how the lust for power may corrupt us.

Read More
477 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth is a dark play written by Shakespeare. It is about a kingdom in Scotland in which the people living there turn on each other and don't know who to trust. Macbeth changes from an innocent man to a murderous villain. In the end, his cockiness will get the best of him. Throughout the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many literary devices to convey the theme, “guilt cannot be washed away.”

Read More
402 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth is a play written by Shakespeare in 1606. Macbeth is essentially a story of a warrior who gets consumed by his own greed and ambition. Betrayal is a prevalent theme throughout the play that shifts power between the characters. In the beginning, the Thane of Cawdor betrayed the country and the king. When King Duncan heard the news he removed him from his position, “ No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth” (Shakespeare 1:2:63-66).

Read More
362 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More
780 Words | 4 Pages

King is the highest honor someone could have during this time, with that comes respect and loyalty. The king is highly venerated and held at almost a holy standard. One would expect that someone who loves their country would also love their king. Often times the reason for someone not liking their king is the way they rule. Speaking in terms of the play Macbeth, Duncan-the king of Scotland- rules justly and fairly, but he still has plenty of traitors within his group of trusted men.

Read More
672 Words | 3 Pages

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare set in Scotland about a murderous and vehement king who spirals on a path of destruction as he suffers from the consequences of determining his own fate. The predominant theme portrayed throughout the play is honor vs. loyalty. This is represented through the identification, actions, and quotes of numerous characters. To introduce the theme of honor vs. disloyalty, the characters Banquo and Macbeth exemplify traits that are equivalent with the moral of the story.

Read More
1113 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
824 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
714 Words | 3 Pages

In shakespeare 's Macbeth there are and twist and turns shake ups and things you couldn 't even imagine. In the play a man named Macbeth is driven crazy with power and starts to do thing out of the ordinary shakespeare says that even the ones closest to you will turn on you though Macbeth by making him turn on the people close to him Betrayal happens right in the beginning of the play it is the reason why the war was started because someone betrayed the king of Scotland. An example of it in act evonne is when king Duncan says “No more that thane of cawdor shall deceive” (act I,III,71) he says this because the thane of cawdor betrayed him and was giving away all of his plans during the battle with Norway. After Macbeth hears his prophecy he decides to take further action which is to kill the king he says “It were done quickly if the assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch” he was basically saying that if he kills the king and get caught there would be serious consequences.

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.

Read More
760 Words | 4 Pages

Power is always coveted in any society and the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is no different. In the play, Macbeth, a noble lord, shows his hunger for power with thoughts to remove an heir to the throne from power. Macbeth’s impatience to be king leads him to stain his honor by using murder. Macbeth travels further down the path of evil by arranging the assassination of a friend.

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth believe and fall for the witches which made him think that no one can harm him. "I bear a charmed life, which must not yield and to one of woman born" (5.8.12-13). As Macbeth and Macduff are fighting each other, Macbeth tells him to leave, for he does not want the blood of another Macduff on his hands. Macduff refuses and charges at Macbeth. Macduff reveals that he was not woman of born, but from his mother's womb.

Read More

More about Macbeth Betrayal Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document