The Struggle With Power In Macbeth: The Tragedy Of Macbeth

Power is a blessing and a curse for humans. It provides structure to the population of people. It is also something that people can easily take advantage of if it falls into the wrong hands. In “The Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is the character in this play that struggles with his newfound power. Macbeth did not start out mad with power. At the start of this play, Macbeth is coming back from a battle against opposing armies in which he is victorious. As Macbeth and Banquo, his best friend, are coming back to Scotland they meet three witches that tell them prophesies. They say that Macbeth is going to become thane of Cawdor and will one day become king. The witches tell Banquo that he will beget kings. After Macbeth does

Macbeth never has any inclination to take the throne until he meets the witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become king and gain a substantial amount of power. However, the witches did not tell Macbeth how he would become king. This leads to Macbeth thinking about if he should kill Duncan and make the prophesy come true. This shows how Macbeth’s hunger for power begins. Once he lets Lady Macbeth know about his idea, she convinces him to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth is an integral character that helps to create the struggle for power and control that is present throughout the entire play. Lady Macbeth is the person that really pushes Macbeth to act upon his ambition before Macbeth becomes fully consumed with becoming king. All throughout the evening that Duncan comes to visit, Macbeth has second thoughts and wonders if he should go through with the murder. Macbeth believes that he should not kill Duncan, but Lady Macbeth convinces him to. This causes Macbeth to worry and even picture a “dagger of the mind, a false creation” (II.i.50). Even after the murder, Macbeth needs the help of Lady Macbeth to cover up the killing since he cannot stand to see Duncan’s bloody body again. After the murder, Macbeth shows signs of madness when he says he hears a voice saying that “Glamis [has] murdered sleep” (II.ii.55). Macbeth shows religious fear when he cannot say amen when the Duncan’s

He goes to kill another man named Young Siward before he faces Macduff. Young Siward is just another obstacle in Macbeth’s path to power. Macbeth’s next opponent is Macduff, and Macbeth is set to kill him too. At this point in the play, Macbeth does not flinch at the thought of killing. Macbeth goes through an amazing transformation as he struggles to keep his power. He starts off a man that is revered in his nation “who then wheels about at the very point of supreme greatness, and turns faithless to the State and Ruler” (Snider). Furthermore, he is a man who is “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness” in the beginning of the play, and turns out to be a hellhound by the end of the play (I.v.17). This transformation is due to his lust for power and the crimes he commits to gain power. Macbeth is an accomplished man “but just out of this great and good action is conjured the demon who is to destroy him” (Snider). At the end, Macduff slays Macbeth and Macbeth’s conquest for power is stopped in the exact way it begins; with