Macbeth Universal Theme Analysis

In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, many selections, by themselves, can show the universal theme and significance of the work. A universal major theme in this work is the corrupting power of unchecked ambition. The main theme is powerfully expressed in the play’s two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The two main characters demonstrate this when they decide to kill Duncan and they aren’t able to stop their violence after committing just the one act. The problem, suggested by the play, is that once someone decides to use violence in order to increase their own power, without caring about the consequences, it will be very hard for this person to stop. An example of this problem is in act I scene VII, where Macbeth admits to himself

A primary example of this coercion is Lady Macbeth convinces him he has to kill Duncan in order to gain the power he deserves. Macbeth doesn’t want to nor thinks there is a reason to kill Duncan, but he listens to Lady Macbeth and continues with the plan. He tells the readers himself that he knows there is no reason to kill Duncan, but he’s still going to go forward with it because Lady Macbeth says so. “I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII). He believes there is no good reason to kill Macbeth because Duncan is good at being king, but he becomes selfish and wants all the power for himself. It is very ironic that Macbeth kills Duncan even though he believes he has no reason to. ¬Macbeth is only going to kill Duncan for two reasons. These being his wife is driving him to and he wants to gain all the power he possibly can, even if it means hurting others in the process. Besides these reasons, Macbeth does not see an actual reason for him to kill Duncan, but the fact that he still does it even though he admits to himself there is no actual reason to is Shakespeare being ironic, once again, in this

When the witches told him, he would one day become the King of Scotland, he decided to take the bloody path, his wife wanted, which progressively led him to more power. As his power grew, so did his corruption, and he got rid of any person that threatened his power by killing them. As Macbeth began to gain more power through his ruthless advancements, his morals and nobility were greatly corrupted. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth has done a great deed for Scotland and received praise for it, especially from King Duncan. In addition to this, Macbeth struggles from an internal moral conflict when he was deciding to kill Duncan. At this point, Macbeth had no significant power, but it was clear that he possessed basic morality. After killing Duncan, he emerged as king and did not look back on his former life without power. Although suffering from guilt, when he had to make a decision about ending someone’s life, he didn't think twice about it. It should also be noted that as he moved into a powerful position in Scotland, so he no longer need Lady Macbeth’s stern hand to make the poor choices for him. As his independence grew, his pride developed and he turned into a tyrant with overwhelming ambition. His coming into power corrupted him so much that he turned from a seemingly invincible warrior, to a prideful tyrant that was lusting for