Pride In Macbeth

One could argue that pride is the most important of all of the Seven Deadly Sins, which is ironic of course. The root of human evil can be traced back to who thinks they are better or more deserving of certain things. Pride cannot be taken lightly, even though many other sins seem more ghastly, such as gluttony, lust, or even greed. The very idea of being above someone else annihilates the concept of love and humility, the foreground of human relationships. In Macbeth by Shakespeare, the relationships between Macbeth and his wife, his friends, and his country are slaughtered by a false sense of security in his own superiority.Three witches deliver a prophecy to Macbeth telling him he will become King, and that he is untouchable in a way that

Power drove him mad as he struggled to withhold his title, facing many hallucinations and abuse from his wife Lady Macbeth. When others started to catch on to his madness, they avenged the slain, and revolted the powers of Macbeth with the help of a carefully thought out paradox. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, pride is a cautionary tale, an abstract idea that leads to destruction and devastation when relied on too heavily by a blinded individual.

This cruel world is full of influence and ideas sparked by the creative thoughts of other people whispering in their ears. Extreme obsession with these influenced declarations will change lives, and most likely, not for the best. An inflated ego built as a result of other’s opinions leads to an addictive self pride that often conceals true character. Macbeth

A magnified ego acts as a blindfold, shielding the wearer from seeing their true potential, and failing to keep them humble enough to feel empathy. In Macbeth, pride becomes a weapon when it is the only lens through which the world is viewed. Macbeth was always a great soldier, a warrior praised for his bravery. When did this praise turn into conceded pride? The three witches sparked an ego boost with the, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” (Macbeth 1.3.52), repeated exhaustingly. They inflate his ego with words of admiration throughout the entire play, until the end when they send three apparitions. The second one, a bloody child, says, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (Macbeth 4.1. 90-92). This apparition starts with advice, to be strong and firm in all decisions, letting nothing stand in the way. A ghostly child is telling a world renowned soldier to be strong and violent. The symbolism alone is enough to raise flags, but why does the child bring him this message? The first apparition was of a knight in shining armor, who could have told Macbeth to be resolute and stop at nothing, soldier to soldier. Yet it is the innocent, the youth, that brings Macbeth this message instead. This shows his childlike decision making process, a naive decisiveness that children