Thirst For Power In Macbeth

438 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The corrupting influence of power in macbeth

Introduction:
‘Power lacks moral or principles. It only has interests’ Power is an amazing thing, and when used in the correct way and for the right thing it can lead to greatness. But when power falls into the wrong hands such as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Professor Daniel Marais from The Power of One. It can be used to manipulate and cast a shadow of power over its victims. Through the use of verbal irony, imagery and tone these characters portray their thirst for power and how the will stop at nothing to do so.

Paragraph 1 (Macbeth):
Shakespeare's demonstration of the thirst for power overrides right judgement is analysed within his play, Macbeth. The use of verbal irony is conveyed in "Tonight we hold a solemn supper, sir, And I'll request …show more content…

The force of mind and hardness vital for an assassination is shown to come from her. We are also forced to see a comparison between Lady Macbeth and the witches. When she invokes the dark spirits to "unsex me" and "fill me" with "direst cruelty" there is a complete betrayal of humanity and femininity and an abandonment of self to evil. This soliloquy of Lady Macbeth's is full of imperatives ("come", "Fill" etc) gives her speech added urgency and determination. It is interesting to note that when her husband arrives she greets him in the same way as the witches did in Act I scene 3. The messenger announcing the arrival of the king is a nice touch, as it is juxtaposed to Lady Macbeth's plans for him. Lady Macbeth highlights the meaning of the thirst for power overrides right judgment within the play, Macbeth. The use of imagery is illustrated in “And fill me from the crown to the toe topful, Of direst cruelty. The use of imagery fluently suggests the power that Macbeth portrays is strong and bitter. She is demanding to be filled with these evil spirits, using imagery we can picture her calling upon these spirits and her thirst and aggression to be fulfilled with power. Imagery continuously proposes the idea of the thirst for power overrides right judgment, Lady Macbeth was clearly able to project that ‘Power lacks moral or principles. It only has

Show More
Related

  • Macbeth Fate Quotes

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a strong theme of power. Macbeth is a king who is given three predictions from three witches, one of which is that he will become king. The one problem is he doesn’t know what he has to do in order to become king. His wife then decides that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. This one murder then leads to others in order to cover the original murder up. Once Macbeth becomes king, he doesn’t want anything to change, he wants to stay king until he dies. He then begins to kill again, but instead of killing to cover something, he is killing anyone who stands in his way of staying king. Macbeth’s fate is affected by the personality trait of bravery, his ability to be manipulated, and his determination.

    Read More

  • Lust of Power Depicted in William Shakespeare´s Macbeth

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth distinctly exemplify the weighty pull that power holds over those with authority. For, once prompted, both craving power, chose corruption in order to obtain and preserve stolen power. Power proved to be so addictive to the two that they remain consumed by darkness and take great and murderous measures to insure their security on the throne. Once the darkness accomplished its end of engrossing the king and queen and leads its victims to their own demise. Demise set in motion by their prompted corruption. The theme of the power of power aptly stated by Lord Dalberg-Acton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

    Read More

  • Power In Macbeth

    1950 Words  | 4 Pages

    An idea such as power establishes itself in most societies throughout the world. Power sets the basis for order and civilization, but it also causes chaos and collides with other human instincts such as greed and ambition. Power presents itself in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a confusing manner. Macbeth yearns to gain power and has the means to gain it, but the method of his gaining of power have been questioned by critics since its inscription in 1623. Macbeth, while tyrannical in gaining his power in the murdering of Duncan, sets the premise of the story and in this murder makes a name for himself on his leadership qualities. A man’s gain of power should not determine who they are as a ruler or even

    Read More

  • The Power Of Power In Shakespeare's Macbeth

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Edward Counsel once said, “The steps of power are often steps on sand.” In Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Macbeth, a play about what power can do to a person, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are put to the test when it comes to gaining the power of being king and queen. Although the two characters start off as ordinary people, Shakespeare shows through their changes that the need for power can bring out the worst in people. The character Macbeth displays through his actions that ambition brings out the worst in him. After the Witches tell Macbeth that he will be king, Lady Macbeth tries to persuade him into killing King Duncan.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The Corrupting Power of Ambition

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    The more power one desires, the more corrupt actions one takes to fulfill those desires. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, “Macbeth” the main character, Macbeth, becomes hungry for power which ultimately leads him to his tragic death. This is shown through the use of foreshadowing and apostrophe to prove Shakespeare’s theme that the gaining of more power leads to more corrupt influences. It is evident that there is no positive outcome from the craving of power and the act of doing morally or ethically corrupt activities in order to achieve a higher place in society.

    Read More

  • Unbridled Ambition in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    While in Hamlet and others of Shakespeare's plays we feel that Shakespeare refined upon and brooded over his thoughts, Macbeth seems as if struck out at a heat and imagined from first to last with rapidity and power, and a subtlety of workmanship which has become instructive. The theme of the drama is the gradual ruin through yielding to evil within and evil without, of a man, who, though from the first tainted by base and ambitious thoughts, yet possessed elements in his nature of possible honor and loyalty. (792)

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On Macbeth

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power can be used to a person’s benefit, but it also can bring about the corruption of a human’s character and moral foundations. Unfortunately, power is the key to the downfall of events that occur throughout Macbeth. When Macbeth is given prophecies about his future, he is skeptical at first. However once one of the prophecies is fulfilled, Macbeth becomes power hungry and he seeks to know the unknown. As he seeks the unknown, his mind begins to corrupt as he questions the extent to which he will go in order to gain the power that he desires so strongly.

    Read More

  • Ambition, Greed, Power, and Wealth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others.  The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself.  Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.

    Read More

  • The Duplicitous Nature of Macbeth by Shakespeare

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power can transform even the most loyal of men. In Shakespeare’s gloomy and morbid Macbeth, nothing is as it seems. Even the most loyal characters are duplicitous in their nature, exemplified by Macbeth. The greatest Scottish warrior becomes power hungry in his quest to re-kindle his relationship with his wife, Lady Macbeth, and is thrown over the edge when he is not appointed the Prince of Cumberland, an honor he feels he deserves. This same hunger for power ultimately destroys Macbeth, leading him to betray all those he loves, including king Duncan, his friend Banquo, and his wife.

    Read More

  • powmac Macbeth’s Obsession with Power

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chute, Lily B. "Macbeth : A Study in Power." Readings on Macbeth. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. 126-35.

    Read More

  • How Power Corrupts in Macbeth

    2635 Words  | 6 Pages

    It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Desire For Power

    1584 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.

    Read More

  • How Power Leads to Corruption in Macbeth

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    ..., Macbeth becomes everyone’s enemy, he in convinced he is invincible which leads to his inevitable downfall and demise. Macbeth was a perfect example of how correct society is when it is said, "Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it". It means not everyone does the right thing to get to where they are, people use and abuse one another for what they want. Although it may be deceiving no one cares as long as they get what they want. Power is literally what rules the world, corruption is what happens to the ones who gain to much power. In other words there is no getting around the statement power leads to corruption.

    Read More

  • The Lust for Power in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth's destiny and his lust for power, confirmed by the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth, leads to destruction. Every act that Macbeth commits effects the kingdom as a whole. Macbeth's indecisiveness and his understanding of success cause this destruction. This lust for power leads Macbeth, as it would all men, to an evil that exist in everyone. It is his destiny to fail.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Relationships and the Impact of Power

    1286 Words  | 3 Pages

    To become powerful, is to become corrupt and The Tragedy of Macbeth is a prime example. In William Shakespeare's tragic tale, a young noblemen soon becomes corrupt when he is given the opportunity to become king. His need for power and safety drives him to corruption, ultimately killing off anyone who stands in his path: innocent or not. Throughout the play, many characters portray the impact power has on a relationship: Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth, Macduff and Macbeth and many more. While all these characters were affected by power in the play, Banquo and Macbeth's relationship best demonstrates the effect of power. By examining the effect that power can have on relationships in The Tragedy of Macbeth, it is clear that Banquo and Macbeth's relationship represent best what the impact of power on friendship can be like. This ultimately illustrates that the need for power can drive people to take extreme measures in capturing that power.

    Read More

More about Thirst For Power In Macbeth

Open Document