Macbeth Loyalty Analysis

Can loyalty make a difference when someone is craving a higher rank of power? The author William Shakespeare wrote a drama titled “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which took place in Scotland during the 1000s. In the drama, the main character Macbeth became consumed with the idea of becoming king. During Macbeth’s quest, he was willing to take any means necessary to obtain the throne. The prevailing theme and moral of this drama is honor vs. disloyalty. This was exemplified through Macbeth’s interactions with Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Macduff. To begin with, Macbeth’s interactions with King Duncan truly illustrate the theme of honor vs. disloyalty. Macbeth became so consumed with the idea of becoming the king that he began to contemplate his plan.

Macbeth felt as if Macduff was disloyal to him when Macduff fled to England where Malcolm was. Therefore, Macbeth saw Macduff as a threat to the throne, stating in Act IV, “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.” (Scn i, lns 150-153) In the statement above Shakespeare illustrates how Macbeth ordered murderers to go to Macduff’s castle to slaughter Macduff’s family. The reader can see that this is an explicit example of treachery, because Macbeth was willing to take any means necessary to eliminate any threats to the throne. Macduff, on the other-hand, was an all-around loyal, dependable, and a conscientious nobleman of Scotland. When Macbeth began his plot to gain the throne, Macduff feared for his life and the rest of Scotland’s sanity. Because of this, Macduff went to find Malcolm in England and talk to him and King Edward of England about defeating Macbeth. While in England, Macduff discovered that Macbeth had slaughtered his family. To gain honor for Macduff’s deceased family, Macduff went to kill Macbeth in Act V saying, “… Tyrant, show thy face! If thou be’st slain and with no stroke of mine, My wife, and children’s ghost will haunt me still.” (Scn vii, lns 14-16) In Macduff’s statement, he was saying that if did not seek vengeance on Macbeth, then

disloyalty plays a crucial role in the development of the acts. The themes are portrayed numerous ways in the interactions between various characters such as Macbeth vs. Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Macduff in the drama. Therefore, it is obvious to see that loyalty in fact does make a difference when someone is craving a higher rank of