Themes in Shakespeares Macbeth - Essay Example

The confusion is signposted by the words of the witches in the prologue in scene one “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, (Act 1) a paradox suggesting that things may not be as they seem and this later turns out to be the case. For instance, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embody hypocrisy and they cleverly conceal their motive towards Duncan in polite curtseys and false friendship and loyalty. From his words, Kind Duncan is taken in by the act; “there’s no art, to find the mind's construction in the face: He was a gentleman on whom I built, an absolute trust." (Act 1, scene 4, page 27) The theme is also exemplified in the scene where Macbeth meets Duncan and expresses his desire to serve him for the rest of his life and pledge loyalty to Duncan as king. Therein, he creates the appearance of a faithful and loyal personage effectively hiding his real intentions which are to have the king put to death from him, as a result of the disconnect between reality and appearance Duncan trusts Macbeth with his life to the extent of even going to spend the night in his enemies castle. At their home, Lady Macbeth also showers Duncan with flattery while in the background she is organizing his murder, ultimately the Macbeths are successful in assassinating Duncan and Macbeth takes over the throne mainly because they were able to hide the realities of their motives behind a façade of friendship.

Kingship vs. Tyranny
Through the character and leadership differences manifested by Macbeth and Duncan, Shakespeare presents a juxtaposition between a king and a tyrant, in this regard, it is worth noting that throughout the play Duncan was known as the king while Macbeth was referred to simply as the tyrant. From the onset, the difference is illustrated when Duncan in his first appearance performs two duties that are expected of any king or indeed any leader anywhere. He punishes evil, by stripping Crawford of his title and sentencing him to death for his treachery and rewards Macbeth by putting him in Crawford’s former position for his bravery. "Pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth" (Act 1 scene 2, line 66). Duncan’s action in the period before he is assassinated bespeaks fairness and kindness and he is the epitome of good leadership driven primarily by the desire to serve his people as opposed to his selfish desires. This sharply contrasts with Macbeth who is driven to take over leadership by his greedy ambition and he puts his interests before those of the public he alleges to serve. The aptest illustration of the distinction between the two types of leaders is probably the scene in which Malcolm pretends to Madcuff that he would make a worse king than Macbeth by presenting Macbeth's exaggerated traits as his own. In describing a proper king he says, “The king-becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temperance, stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness” (4.3.92–93). These are attributes are representative of leaders such as Duncan or Malcolm but not the tyrannical Macbeth. As a result of his tyranny, the kingdom suffers a great deal as Macbeth has his enemies real and imagined assassinated and this forces Malcolm to overpower him so that Scotland may once again have a king as opposed to a tyrant.
Ambition
One of the factors motivating ambition in Macbeth is the prophecies of the witches, when they predict he will become king, “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter” (Act 1 Scene 3, 50) he believes them and starts to “help fate along” by killing the present king. Lady Macbeth instigates her husband to have the king murdered so that he may elevate their position and finally succeed him. “Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (Scene I. act 5, 15-18). She is aware that Macbeth is not predisposed to such villainy ad, therefore, has to make deliberate steps to convince him to kill Duncan against his better judgment. Her manipulations help him overcome the guilt of his first murder and he soon has to kill even more so that he may cover his tracks, after the king, the Chamberlains who are framed for his death and later kill Banquo who he fears may expose him. The consequences of their actions however soon spiral out of their control and ultimately Macbeth is slain for his tyranny and treason while his wife ends up committing suicide and at the end of the day neither of them gets to enjoy their ill-begotten gains. Read More