Lack Of Power In Macbeth

Words: 993
Pages: 4
Open Document
Humans experience a wide range of emotions, varying from being absolutely overjoyed to incredibly sullen. People strive to be the best, but tables do not always turn the way they want them to. That is when people begin to experience ambition, the willingness to strive for achievement. People feel an urge for power along with the desire to be content with their lives. However, when that is unattainable they begin to feel jealousy towards those that are superior. The feelings of ambition, the urge for power, and jealousy are emotions that motivate people to strive for greatness. When someone desires something, such as wealth or happiness, they will do whatever it takes to obtain it. This is also called ambition, which can be classified more …show more content…
Believe it or not, “power is at the heart of all our relationships,” (Robertson 2). Much the same as in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth himself has many relationships affected by his lack of power. He learns from a prophecy that “[he] shalt be king hereafter,” and he wants to know instantaneously when he will become king so he demands for the witches to stay and tell him more (Mac.1.3. 49-50). He is desperate to gain more power because he wants to be as successful as possible and he is motivated by not having the amount of power he desires. His relationship with King Duncan becomes ruined because Macbeth is envious of the amount of power in which he withholds. When people “have urges to do certain things, [they] behave in a particular way that might involve breaking rules,” (Burgess 3). This leads Macbeth to murder the king so that he is immediately able to take over the throne. Not only does his relationship with Kind Duncan fade, but so does his relationships with other characters in the play such as with Banquo. Macbeth wants to make certain that he remains King of Scotland, but the only thing keeping him from ensuring that he keeps his authority is the prophecy of Banquo’s heirs are to be next in line at the throne. The only way for Macbeth to remain in charge is to murder Banquo, so he does exactly that. His urge for power is what …show more content…
Ultimately, “of all the emotions humans show, jealously is one of the most common and unsettling. It tends to bring out the worst in us, even though most of us know better.” (Hoyt 1). Likewise in Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, Don Pedro’s “illegitimate” brother, Don John, is extremely envious of him. This is due to the fact that Don Pedro is much more superior in comparison to him. Don Pedro is even referred to as “Prince” in behalf of his generosity and respect that he expresses towards his friends and acquaintances. Don John on the other hand is the polar opposite of his brother since he is always being annoyed by his peers along with feeling melancholy. He also tries to create evil schemes in order to make other people know what it’s like to feel as sullen as him. That is why Don John sabotages Claudio and Hero’s wedding. He is envious of how happy they are and how cheerful they make other people feel to see them together. He does it because “it is torture for them [Don John] to constantly be in the presence of their higher functioning peers.” (Langman 2). No one seeks to be around those who live a better life than them because it is absolutely awful to feel jealousy towards
Show More

Related Documents: Lack Of Power In Macbeth

Lack Of Power In Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth tells a story about a man who couldn’t control himself. That man’s name was Macbeth. Macbeth was told a prophecy from three evil witches that informed him that he would one day become king. The gain/lack of power ultimately proved to be too much for Macbeth to handle. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth’s lack of power affected his relationship with King Duncan and then once he gained power his relationship with Banquo and Lady Macbeth was affected. In Act 1, Scene…

Words 912 - Pages 4

Macbeth and Animal Farm Essay

AO3 = explain links between the texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects Focus on progression of power Compare the way George Orwell and William Shakespeare present and develop power and attitudes to power in Animal Farm and Macbeth. Writer’s sharing of attitudes other characters and writers AO1 = respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations AO2…

Words 913 - Pages 4

Lady Macbeth Quotes Analysis

the years Macbeth has been read, there has been only one explanation for Lady Macbeth's death - suicide. Macbeth is a notoriously ambiguous and murky play. The ambiguous nature of Macbeth allows the reader's own imagination and interpretation to explain parts of the plot. Due to Macbeth's ever increasing bloodlust and the regression of Lady Macbeth from the orchestrator of evil deeds to a liability, it is clear that Macbeth ordered Lady Macbeth's death. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Lady…

Words 996 - Pages 4

Essay on Macbeth Speech

Macbeth has conflicting emotions that result in him destroying his self respect, ruining his pride, degrading his honour, and spoiling his integrity. Macbeth’s personality can’t easily be summarised as although strong physically he is a procrastinator, and it is this weakness which contributes to the downfall and change of Macbeth. Throughout the play we see the character of Macbeth change not just from the way he thinks and what we hear from the play, but from the actions he takes in the play…

Words 1442 - Pages 6

Macbeth Essay

of soliloquies and colloquies allow the reader to analyze whether Macbeth was too weak or not for the part he chose to play? Macbeth the Hero and Macbeth the Weak Many people would do anything to reach their goals. In one of Shakespeare’s great tragic plays, “Macbeth,” Macbeth battles the urge to be simply persuaded by power. Three witches appeared to Banquo and Macbeth in which they tell them the prophecy of Macbeth rising to power and Banquo’s children becoming the heirs to the throne. He was once…

Words 1451 - Pages 6

Similarities Between Macbeth And The Crucible

Reliance, the temporary solution for a lack of confidence People are naturally inclined into helping other people, but many people have difficulty finding a balance between what other people want and what they want themselves. They are often controlled by others needs because humans are social creatures. Therefore, people are often prompted into trouble since they cannot defend themselves. In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the characters’ actions…

Words 1005 - Pages 5

Examples Of Hesitance In Macbeth

King of Scotland Macbeth no longer demonstrates hesitance or a struggle to execute others. That is, after achieving power Macbeth no longer shows his humanity concerning taking the life from others. For example, before Macbeth became King, Banquo was a close friend of his. However; after his title Banquo and he are seemingly not as close as they were before and Macbeth no longer views Banquo as a friend, but a threat to his crown, so much he has hired others to murder Banquo. As Macbeth states, “…And…

Words 473 - Pages 2

Mental Instability In Macbeth Essay

Macbeth by William Shakespeare had many characters whose mental stability deteriorated throughout the play. This theme was no more relevant than to Lady Macbeth, the wife to the main character of Macbeth. From beginning to end, Lady Macbeth was a mental wreck. She walked in her sleep, talked about ripping a baby apart, and even killed herself in the end due to the vast amount of guilt that she had. Lady Macbeth progressed down a dark road of mental instability and revealed that to audience throughout…

Words 972 - Pages 4

Macbeth Character Analysis Essay

“Macbeth”, written by the great William Shakespeare, is a brilliant tragedy that provides a fascinating plot and allows the audience to gain a detailed insight on the battle of power in a past era. Not only does this play evoke several emotions such as horror, sorrow, and fear within audience members, but it also introduces each character successfully through the use of detailed imagery. Macbeth’s character traits are gradually revealed as the plot thickens. His character shift can be observed through…

Words 1335 - Pages 6

Essay on Lady Macbeth

10/22/14 3rd period "Macbeth," is a tragedy, written by William Shakespeare. In the play, a woman by the name of Lady Macbeth, is the Puppet Master for all acts of inhumane savagery. She heavily persuades her husband, Macbeth, to engage in unnecessary measures of violence to redeem his right for power. She manipulated Macbeth to perform first degree murder, she oversteps her boundaries as a woman, as well as displays cowardly behavior after all the dirt is thrown. If Lady Macbeth had not influenced…

Words 378 - Pages 2