Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Essay

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Power may corrupt those who wield it, and the pursuit of power is frequently harmful. People whose life objective is to obtain power over others are condemned to fail since human ambition frequently leads to sinful behaviors, which are inevitably punished. While The government is the system that makes laws and ensures that they are followed, it is the person who wields power who is responsible for the equality and impartiality of its enforcement.

Tragedies lie at the heart of Shakespeare’s creative legacy. They represent the strength of his brilliant mind as well as the essence of his period, which is why, if following epochs looked to Shakespeare for comparison, they first understood their struggles via him. Shakespeare’s tragedies have been influenced by a growing number of fresh interpretations. Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedies, depicts characters who have been damaged by their ambition and reveals the devastating nature of the desire for power for the sake of authority. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the most comprehensive portrayal of the individualist as a person who actively and consistently prioritizes what reflects her interests over the interests of others. Macbeth, driven by ambition, is eager to liberate his mind from moral ideals and domestic norms, seeing them as stumbling blocks and meaningless preconceptions.

People, like the play’s major protagonists, who are consumed by the concept of obtaining the throne, are frequently corrupted by power and eventually wreck their own lives and the lives of others. Macbeth is a tragedy of overwhelming ambition; therefore, it’s no surprise that its leitmotif is the hero’s words: “I dare everything a man dares,” which are addressed to death itself in the finale: “I wish to experience the last. Macbeth is a tragedy about a colossal personality who had the same chances for victory as death, but valor without wisdom drove it to full isolation from humanity and its soul.

Macbeth is willing to kill and betray even close friends to gain the crown and the kingdom. With a dagger, the hero assassinates the sleeping monarch. He also orders the Banquo and Macduff families to be killed. Macbeth does not see individuals; rather, he sees impediments on his route to the throne. After realizing that he might inherit the throne, Macbeth, a brave and powerful warrior and dedicated servant of the king, transforms into a greedy and vicious killer.

Lady Macbeth seems to be a more ambitious woman than her husband Macbeth., so Macbeth is far from the only person whose life has been tainted by power. This woman persuades her husband that Duncan should be murdered if he visits their home. “Look like an innocent flower, but be a serpent behind it,” she says to her husband. Lady Macbeth, who aspires to be queen, encourages her husband to commit crimes, therefore defining their fate. Without his wife’s convictions, Macbeth would not have committed all of these heinous acts.

The play’s conclusion, which discusses Lady Macbeth’s lunacy and Macbeth’s death, is the primary revelation demonstrating the corrupting nature of power. When Lady Macbeth notices blood on her hands, Macbeth, who thought he was unstoppable, is murdered. This couple loses something more important: intelligence and humanity because of their ambition for the throne. As a result, the government frequently not only discloses a person’s underlying undesirable tendencies but also leads to a fatal ending.

On the other hand, power does not always lead to corruption for individuals who strive to improve the lives of others. It also leaves behind those who are uninterested in receiving it. However, there are few such people: power is typically given to those who seek it. The throne, for example, was meant to belong to Duncan in Macbeth and later to his son, who may also be a fabulous king. Macbeth, on the other hand, receives the power because he went to such lengths to obtain it. Although power does not always corrupt, it does destroy individuals in the majority of situations because it is attained by those who are inclined to destroy.

Power corrupts those who possess it, and the chase of power tends to result in suffering. Macbeth shows individuals who have suffered as a result of their aspirations, revealing the fatal nature of the desire for power for its own sake. The play’s finale, which recounts Lady Macbeth’s insanity and Macbeth’s death, thus, becomes a key revelation that demonstrates how power corrupts. In Macbeth, the author demonstrates the corrupting influence of power: the protagonist’s and his wife’s life spent pursuing the throne ended tragically. Macbeth kills innocent people, including children, in his quest for power. The wife’s desire becomes the driving force behind everything that occurs: the image of the crown becomes more essential than anything else in her life. The play’s conclusion suggests that individuals should not seek power only for the sake of power. This performance teaches individuals that power and those in positions of authority are not essential aspects of their life.

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"Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”." IvyPanda, 23 Dec. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/concept-of-power-in-shakespeares-macbeth/.

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IvyPanda. (2022) 'Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”'. 23 December.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”." December 23, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/concept-of-power-in-shakespeares-macbeth/.

1. IvyPanda. "Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”." December 23, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/concept-of-power-in-shakespeares-macbeth/.


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IvyPanda. "Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”." December 23, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/concept-of-power-in-shakespeares-macbeth/.

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