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Royalty And Power In Macbeth

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Why are people always wanting to be at the top of the Social Pyramid? Macbeth is a play about people wanting power and if they aren't at the top, they will do anything to be at the top. Macbeth was one of those people. He wanted to be King and did anything for it. This play included lots of motifs like Royalty. Their were kings, the lower class, and everyone in between. Shakespeare included lots of royalty, power and the responsibility that came with it. Shakespeare says that royalty can change people for the worst because when people get power, they tend to abuse it. I'm going to talk about how royalty plays an important role in Macbeth and how it affects the story. Throughout this act, we learn more about how royalty plays a big part in this play. In Act 1, Angus says, “We are sent to give thee from our royal master thanks; only to herald thee into his sight, Not pay thee” (I.iii.112-115). Angus is talking …show more content…

In Act III, Macbeth is now king and he wants people to respect him and listen to what he has to say. Macbeth talks to the murderers and they answer with,“We shall, my lord, perform what you command us” (III.i.139-140). Macbeth tells the servants to get his drink ready and tries to make everything seem normal before he commits the crime. This quote helps us get an understanding of how Macbeth wants to kill King Duncan and that he has put a lot of thought into it. He doesn't want anything to seem out of the ordinary so no one suspects him of anything when the time comes. This portrays royalty because the servants respond to Macbeth by calling him a “lord” and doing what he tells them to do. This quote proves that even though Macbeth wasn't king yet, he is trying to work his way up to the top by committing a large crime. The idea of becoming kind and having this kind of power is making Macbeth want more of it, therefore abusing this new power he is going to soon

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306 Words | 2 Pages

This shows Macbeth’s desire to become king, even though he already has a high ranking position in the land. He is not content with he has and desires an even higher position. He desires it so much to the point of betraying the trust of people who are close to him just for his own greedy self gain. Macbeth betrays and backstabs many characters in the story, an example being King Duncan himself.

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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.

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861 Words | 4 Pages

He acted because his first prophecy came true about being thane of cawdor. Macbeth is convinced after a talk with his wife he finally decided to kill Duncan. In this part it shows how greedy Macbeth and lady Macbeth are in the beginning. “Cannot be ill, cannot be good: if ill, why hath it given me earnest of success, commencing”. (Macbeth Act 1 scene 2 lines 139-40)

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625 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth is becoming aware of his tyrannical behaviours, however, he is more fearful of threats to the crown and his kingship than the consequences he may face for such behaviours. This connection to kingship versus tyranny proves that kingship is honourable whereas tyranny is unjust and cruel in manner. The theme’s element of kingship is highlighted by Shakespeare’s usage of oxymoron when speaking of a “fruitless crown” (3.1.62) and “barren sceptre” (3.1.63). Fruitless and barren are terms associated with infertility while words such as crown and sceptre idealize lineage. In regards to kingship, Macbeth is hyperfocused on the fact that he has a blatant lack of heirs (which is unnatural to the throne), whereas Banquo has been prophesied to have many heirs in his bloodline.

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496 Words | 2 Pages

At the beginning of the play Macbeth, the main character Macbeth learns that he will become King. When he realised he could be the leader, the power he desperately craves motivates him to alter his character. “Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that's done.” (2.4.6-14)

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889 Words | 4 Pages

If you value humility and being altruistic, you will be sincerely disappointed in the outcome of Macbeth along with modern day rulers’ real life decisions. Shakespeare’s character Macbeth was a powerful ruler who became extremely egotistical when he was given power that wasn’t his. Along with being egotistical, he is very selfish when it comes to making decisions that only benefit him. This is shown in modern day scenarios; for example, Hitler and Nayib Bukele. All three narcissistic men do things to benefit themselves to endure power.

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541 Words | 3 Pages

When we are first presented with the character of Macbeth he is pictured as a noble and loyal warrior. However, once his future is presented to him by the witches saying that he, Macbeth, is to become the next great King of Scotland, he begins to lose focus and makes the wrong decisions. Macbeth begins to only make choices that will benefit only himself and to gain power. Becoming almost unrecognizable to the person he once was. After confronting his wife, Lady Macbeth, he isn't the only one with a lust for power.

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1590 Words | 7 Pages

However, when she begins to tell Macbeth her ideas he attempts to be steadfast in his loyalty to King Duncan. Macbeth states that “We will proceed no further in this business:/he hath honoured me of late;” (1.7.507-508). Macbeth’s only issue with murdering King Duncan is that he just got honored by him and that would be rude. Again it does not take much time for Macbeth’s ambition to take control due to his wife stating how much more of a man he could be if he just went through with it. Despite these influences Macbeth is in control of his own actions.

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724 Words | 3 Pages

In the play Macbeth shows the nobility element of the tragic hero. He shows literal part of nobility more. Macbeth shows the literal part of nobility when king Duncan say that Macbeth will be crowned thane of cador:(1.2.11). This shows the literal part of Macbeth nobility because it is showing that he has royalty. Another example of literal nobility is when the readers find out that

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931 Words | 4 Pages

William Shakespeare, playwright of Macbeth, shows the importance that power and corruption can hold on a person’s humanity. In order to prove the true effect of personal gains, he uses the main character, Macbeth, to show how evil people are willing to become. Personal power has the ability to be essential to greatness, but at the same time is able to destroy a person’s true nature. Believe it or not, Macbeth once was a man of honor. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was loyal to King Duncan, a strong military leader, and a respected husband.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

(1.2.24). His courage in war is a thing of “honor” (1.3.104), and so he is presented with the tittle thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is repeatedly being painted with the strokes of these heroic lines of honor.

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729 Words | 3 Pages

It is human nature to want power, to be at the top of the pyramid, to be king/queen, but that comes at a price as shown in Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will do anything to have absolute power and nothing stands in their way. From killing to going completely mad, they will become the next king and queen at all costs. The ambition and the want for power is so high that they kill many, they do whatever they can to be one step closer, and they go completely insane, all because they want that absolute power.

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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.

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954 Words | 4 Pages

What drives apparently good men to become ruthless, ambitious, jealous and greedy? We see an example of this in the play “Macbeth” performed at Pop Up Globe, directed by Tom Mallaburn, was written originally by the well-known author, William Shakespeare. Macbeth is based upon a big tragedy, where the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, inevitably were forced to do evil things due to their ambition; taste the sweetness of victory and then downfall again. Although the play was written by an English author, Shakespeare smartly sets his story based upon the idea of ambition, a concept that relates to all of us, no matter where we are from. We have to admit that in our minds, the concept of power and ambition is linked to men.

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789 Words | 4 Pages

Power can not only bring ambitious people honors, but also make them lose everything. In the play, Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, it demonstrates that the immoral power influences the life of Macbeth dramatically. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, friend, and wife, which shows that Macbeth’s wild ambition causes him to be isolated. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, Duncan.

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