The Theme Of Power In Macbeth

1100 Words3 Pages

Throughout the course of history, the covetousness for power and riches has led to the cruel or unusual behaviour by many. Greed has caused wars, murders, and other atrocities to occur in our past, and still they continue today. The obsession with power that leads to the fall of great characters is evident within the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. Lady Macbeth’s infatuation with power leads to her manipulating her husband’s actions, and therefore contributes heavily to Macbeth’s downfall. By destroying Macbeth’s masculinity, instilling greed into him, and absolving him of guilt, Lady Macbeth is a main contributor to Macbeth’s descent. She does these things as an attempt to use her husband to gain the royalty she wants. As …show more content…

To start, she recognizes that in the eleventh century, as a woman, she must act a certain way. Unfortunately, the way she must act is not one where she can acquire the wealth and power she desires. She states that she wants to “[be filled] from the crown to the toe… of direst cruelty” to receive all the riches and power she desires (1.5.33-34). Her plan then focuses on using her husband to gain the title of queen she thinks she is entitled to. She begins to transfuse her greed into Macbeth by manipulating him and his actions by creating plans for him and speaking to him without his thoughts or opinions in mind. Lady Macbeth says within a rant that “Thus thou must do, if thou have [the title of King]” and attempts to solidify the need to be King within her husband (1.5.22). This creates a sense of need around the title, enforcing Macbeth to do whatever he must to get what he and his wife long for. By reinforcing this thought, Macbeth is being manipulated into feeling the title is something he deserves and is entitled to, instilling more greed into him. This trait of greed is apparent as Macbeth’s character is developed by the way he begins to handle situations, such as murdering Macduff’s family. To conclude, Lady Macbeth knows as a woman, she cannot collect the wealth and power she deeply craves. As his wife, she uses her power in their relationship to manipulate …show more content…

And due to this theme, it also aids the downfall of important, noble, characters. Lady Macbeth uses manipulation to receive the riches she believes she is entitled to. She picks at her husband’s masculinity until he becomes the living image of what she believes to be the perfect man; strong and powerful. She persuades Macbeth into craving the same things as she, making her husband greedy for more power and more wealth. She also encourages Macbeth do gain the crown through evil acts, and removing the remorse he feels from these crimes, exonerating him of guilt. It is evident that Macbeth’s downfall is heavily progressed by his wife’s role in his life. She is the main contributor to the demise of this highly respected

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