Trust And Betrayal In Macbeth

Trust is one of the things that keeps the world spinning, and when trust is betrayed, relationships are broken and people are affected. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare shows the effect of betrayal on its main character, Macbeth, who is a Scottish thane that is told he will be king one day, resulting in him killing the current king and many other people on his quest for power. The play Macbeth portrays trust and betrayal through Macbeth and his devolution as a character from a trusted person to a murderer that is left without any relationships.

In the beginning of the play, many admire and respect Macbeth and think of him as a person of integrity. Before Macbeth even makes his first appearance, he is spoken about highly. The king, Duncan,

Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, have a very strong connection with each other and trust each other wholeheartedly. After Macbeth’s experience with the Weird Sisters, he immediately writes a letter to Lady Macbeth, telling her what happened and calling her his “dearest partner of greatness” (I.5.11). He has no hesitation in telling her, and trusts that she will know what is best to do. Moreover, King Duncan and Macbeth have a relationship built on the trust between them. When deciding whether or not to kill Duncan, Macbeth says, “He’s here in double trust:/ First, I am his kinsman and his subject,/ Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,/ Who should against the murderer shut the door,/ Not bear the knife myself” (I.7.12-16). Macbeth is saying that if he were to kill Duncan, he would betray both the trust between king and subject, which is sworn by oath, and the trust between host and guest, which is necessary for both to feel safe. Lastly, Macbeth is trusted by another thane named Banquo, who he has a developed friendship with. Macbeth and Banquo fight together in the war against Norway, as shown when Duncan asks, “Dismayed not this our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?” (I.2.37). The trust between two soldiers who survive a war together is like no other. They trust that the other has their back while fighting, and they share a bond after the war that only they can

After hearing about the Weird Sisters’ prophecies about Macbeth, Lady Macbeth brings up the idea of killing Duncan. At first, Macbeth does not want to betray Duncan, but eventually he decides to go along with Lady Macbeth’s plan. He kills Duncan and goes back to Lady Macbeth, saying, “I have done the deed” (II.2.19). This is Macbeth’s first betrayal. He decides to ignore the trust he knows Duncan has for him, and instead goes after his longing for power. Macbeth feels some regret and guilt for what he did, as shown by Lady Macbeth saying “My hands are your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white” (II.2.82-83). Macbeth is so distraught over what he has just done that Lady Macbeth reprimands him for being so cowardly. All that changes, however, after Duncan’s body is found. Macbeth decides to act on impulse and kills the guards that he and Lady Macbeth were planning to frame for Duncan’s murder. He has now killed two more people hours after killing Duncan, becoming more accustomed with killing. Not only has Macbeth done this horrible deed, but he has done so without telling his wife, in contrast to what he did earlier when he wrote the