Shakespeare shows kingship and leadership throughout all his plays, especially Macbeth. He shows how a king should be and how they should be chosen. But every king is going to abuse the power in some way, just like Macbeth.
In the very beginning, Macbeth was a leader, a hero, and everyone honored him because his fame was on the battlefield when he led them through the battle. Macbeth was honorable and loyal, but over time he becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming king which leads to his demise. Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s character to show how when a good person is given power, they can abuse it and evil thoughts can take over not just their mind but their life. Shakespeare introduces the character of Macbeth as kind and loyal. In act 1 the captain says, “For brave Macbeth-well he deserved that name” (SparkNotes 1.2.16). The captain is describing Macbeth as a hero on the battlefield and inferring that he deserves all the praise that he is being given because he fought for his country and for the king himself. The recognition did not seem to affect him until he was given the title of Thane of Cawdor and
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In act 3 Macbeth wants to, “play the humble host,” so everyone at the dinner table would see how down to earth he was and how great of a person he is (SparkNotes 3.4.4). But when he saw Banquo’s ghost at the table, he lost the act he was trying to play. The song written and recorded by Tears for Fears entitled, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, describes Macbeth towards the end of the play. "Welcome to your life There's no turning back Even while we sleep, we will find you." Macbeth is constantly haunted by the consequences of his actions while being king. He is unable to sleep, and his guilt is eating at him, much like the song says he can no longer turn back from his actions. He allows ambition of being king to take over much like this song