POWER AND GREED
‘MACBETH’ CONTEXT
Some people claim that it is human nature to crave power. Others suggest
that the more power that is acquired, the more power hungry someone
becomes, AND with this power they become more and more corrupt. In
Shakespeare’s Macbeth, some claim that this is shown throughout the entire
play.
Was there a direct relationship between the amount of power Macbeth
obtained and the corrupt acts he committed?? When Macbeth was just the
Thane of Glamis, he did not exhibit corruption. Early in the play he showed
no sign of corrupt behaviour. He was loyal to King Duncan, he fought
battles with courage, loyalty and honor… “brave Macbeth well he deserves
that name”.
Macbeth kills the respected King Duncan in his quest for power. However,
he increasingly demonstrates that he is incapable of mastering the power and
responsibilities of being a king. As he gained more power, his corruption
became more and more evident. Macbeth was most destructive when he was
King. His drive for power and maintaining his power is the source of his
downfall. When Macbeth is king, he does not use his power judiciously and
becomes corrupted by that power.
He views the position of king as an assertion of pure, uninhibited power –
power is an end in itself that is pursued for pure self-gratification and
irresponsible self-fulfillment –observe how he becomes distanced from Lady
Macbeth who he had previously described as “my dearest partner of
greatness”
Once he becomes king he is mistrustful, introverted, brutal and
manipulative. He is a study in tyranny that is fanned by his “vaulting
ambition”. He severs all ties to his responsibilities as king. Finally we see
how his relentless pursuit of power has dehumanized and desensitized him –
he shows no feeling when he learns that his wife has committed suicide.
He is reduced to an empty, fighting machine – an empty shell of a man,
corrupted by power.