Hands have the power to create and destroy, to show loyalty and to overthrow, and to save a life just to end it in one fell plunge of a dagger. As an extension of one’s body, the actions that the hands perform are dictated by one’s desire to enact them. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth’s conscience, corrupted by his greed for power, transforms into a catalyst in which results in the appalling deeds carried out by his hand. The masterful symbolism of the hand as the instrument for potential good or evil, cautions against the abuse of its power by demonstrating the devastating effects of egomania through Macbeth’s vanquishment. The hand is shown to become a fatal weapon for greed when wielded by the corrupt conscience of Macbeth, demonstrating the effect of the detrimental selfish motives on the actions it performs. In the soliloquy performed in the awakening moments of his lust for power, Macbeth’s desire for “not light to see [his] black and deep desires” is revealed, as well as how his eyes will “wink at the hand; yet let that be,/ Which the eye fears when it is done to see” (I.IV.51-53). This is the moment that defines Macbeth’s decision to murder King Duncan, a plot he so fears to execute that he must conceal it from the light of day. Despite his brewing dread for his murderous plot, he is determined that he must eliminate Duncan in order to become the King of Scotland. The …show more content…
This compelling narrative warns of egocentric tendencies that unleashes uncontrollable desires, which sows the seeds for bloodshed and widespread devastation by detailing the downfall of the once regal Macbeth, and through this, aims to deter people from following the same accursed path he has walked