Power can change people in a way that is incomprehensible. Power can make one so
greedy that he/she will do anything for it and won’t let anyone, or thing stand in his/her
way. The play Macbeth portrays this well, and clearly, and therefore will be used
throughout this essay by taking various quotes and examples to show the impact and
consequences that the greed for power has on some people. This essay will also
compare the character of some that get pulled in by this greed for power, and one that
doesn’t get taken in by this greed for power.
In Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth gets corrupted by the avarice for power.
The way Macbeth himself get corrupted, is very evident. For example at the beginning
of the play, Macbeth seems like the sort of person who wouldn’t commit the act of
murder as he has a conscience. This is known because at the beginning of the play,
Lady Macbeth is the one that manipulates Macbeth to commit the crime. Macbeth has
his doubts, but Lady Macbeth coaxes him to do it. In this dialogue between Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth expresses his concerns and Lady Macbeth reassures him.
Macbeth: “If we should fail?” Lady Macbeth: “...screw your courage to the sticking
place, And we’ll not fail”(1.7.67-69). Lady Macbeth then goes on to explain the plan and
reassures Macbeth by saying “when in swinish sleep Their drenched natures lie as in
death, What cannot you and I perform upon Th’unguarded Duncan? What not put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt of our great quell?”(1.7.76-80). Macbeth
was evidently unsure about this and needed a great deal of reassurance to finally go
through with it. Even though Macbeth’s gut instinct at first was not to commit the
murder, he gives in to his wife and commits the murder. Despite that fact that Macbeth
is appalled by his deed, he still goes on to kill more people in order to secure his
position. Macbeth forgets about his friends and the value of their friendships and is
willing to, and does kill them if it means his position as king isn’t secure, or won’t be
secure. Macbeth’s priorities aren’t straight as a result of his avarice for power.
The next character that will be explored from Macbeth is Lady Macbeth. Lady
Macbeth’s attitude towards power is somewhat similar to Macbeth’s. At the beginning of
the play, when Lady Macbeth reads the letter from her husband telling her about the
witches, it can be clearly be seen that she will be willing to risk anything to see Macbeth
king. Her opinion about murder is that if it helps her to get what she wants, she’s in
favour of it. When Macbeth has his doubts, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth when
she call upon “...spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts...” to “Stop up th’ access and
passage to remorse/That to compunctious visitings of nature/Shake my fell purpose...”
(1.5.41-42 and 45-47). What Lady Macbeth is saying here is that it is as if she were
tearing her heart out to make her husband king. Lady Macbeth’s sole purpose for
murder seems to prove that she has been successful in emptying herself of human
feeling. Lady Macbeth seems to lie effortlessly. One expel of this is her welcoming
speech when the king arrives at their castle. This trait she has shows that all she wants
is power and nothing else. Lady Macbeth believes that worrying over things you can not
alter is a waste of time. This makes one believe Lady Macbeth has no guilt, but by the
end of the play it is clearly understood that Lady Macbeth is not as simple as she seems
and that she does indeed have guilt and fear because she kills herself to escape the
horrible nightmares that torment her. Lady Macbeth is a fascinating character. She has
immense strength and determination, but by the end, even her greed for power could
not stand up to the guilt she faced. It can be said that Lady Macbeth has struggled with
her guilt every bit as much as Macbeth has with his.
The final character from Macbeth that will be looked at is Macduff. Macduff is
different from the previous two characters looked at. Macduff is Macbeth’s major
opponent. Macduff opposes Macbeth because he knows what is right from wrong.
Macduff never wants the crown for himself. His desire is to see the rightful king on the
throne. Because Macduff is not very clever with words, he does not voice his
disapproval but by his absence. He refuses to attend Macbeth’s crowning or put in an
appearance at Macbeth’s feast just to keep up appearances. Macduff’s honesty is
revealed when he is tested by Malcom in Act 4, Scene 3. His honesty in a play like
Macbeth is like a breath of fresh air. When Macduff hears of the murder of his wife and
children, he handles it quite maturely. By having the courage to feel his grief, he is able
to convert his pain into a burning desire for righteous revenge. This man here is an
example of what a good king would need in order to succeed. This man is humble, and
doesn’t want power, all he wants is justice and fairness.
With the use of theses three examples, it can be seen that power can corrupt.
Power is something that if placed in the wrong hands, can spoil a lot. The greed for
power can make people do outrageous things, and once the power gets into the wrong
hands, it will be abused, and can disrupt the sort order that power is supposed to hold
within the society. As I have shown in this essay power changes people and it is mostly
for the worst, but that this isn’t true in all cases.
