Greed, Power and Ambition in the Tragedy of Macbeth - Research Paper Example

Under his rule, Scotland becomes a country ‘‘where sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air? Are made, not marked; where violent sorrow seems? A modern ecstasy’’ (Tarantelli 1483). The Tragedy of Macbeth basically articulated how greed, power and ambition can corrupt a man. Macbeth was once a loyal general who turned monstrous when he was seduced and blinded by the prophesies of the witches. The weakness in his character was not able to discern that it was indeed the job of the witches to corrupt a soul which explains why they were hunted and burned during Shakespeare’s time.

Macbeth’s road to perdition begun when he entertained the idea that he can be King of Scotland when the prophesy that he will become the thane of Cawdor came true after he defeated Norway during a battle and killed the thane of Cawdor. He then believed that indeed the Witches can see the future which no man can see and the prophesy that he will be King is a very seductive idea (Ghose 236). But for the prophesy to come true, that would mean eliminating the current King, Duncan who sits at the throne.

Although Macbeth was adamant at first, he eventually acceded to the idea of assassinating Duncan with his ambition to be King and after Lady Macbeth persuaded or manipulated him to do so. Both of them conspired to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth would spike the drink of Duncan’s servants with liquor and on her signal Macbeth would stalk into Duncan’s room to carry out the murder. Not contented with his initial kill, Macbeth became consumed with murder that he also killed Duncan’s servants so that there will be no witness of his crime.

Greed, lust for power and inordinate ambition has now taken over Macbeth. The prophesies of the Witches or the weird sisters appealed to Macbeth’s ambition because it served him well to be King. Such that when they prophesized that he will become thane of Glamis, thane Cawdor and then King, the ambition just proved to be irresistible for Macbeth to overcome. “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!, All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!, All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!

(Act I Scene III). From then on, Macbeth became consumed with the ambition of being a King that he went as far as killing anybody that stood his way. When he became King of Scotland, he was unloved by his subjects and his reign was filled with the snares of watchful tyranny that when he was slain by McDuff, he was referred to as “this dead butcher” (Tarantelli 1483). Now that Macbeth is King, the Witches grip on him is already undeniable as he take their prophesies with certainty and almost an absolute truth even if the idea was absurd, vague and again requiring murder.

It also made him a fool and greedy for it gave him a false sense of security that further contributed to his downfall and demise. He was again given three prophesies that made him feel invisible as the witches foretold “be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn. The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (Act IV Scene I). He assumed that since all men are born of a woman, he believed then that no man could ever possibly harm him and he could be King forever. His greed and haughtiness as a King was aggravated when he was