With a society that relies on its leaders, power is one of the
most important and desired forces of mankind. Being able to control people,
however, could either have positive or devastating results. The way power is gained affects the way it’s
held detrimentally. Therefore, to test a person's character, power should be
given to them. In Shakespeare's play, "Macbeth," the main
character, named after the book, is promised power, does unspeakable deeds to
gain it, which eventually leads to his demise.
Macbeth is a
humble, yet very successful general of Scotland. He is ecstatic after he is
informed of a prophecy, in which he would be a king, as well as thane of both
Glamis (which he is already thane of) and Cawdor, although Banquo, a fellow
general, isn't so keen of the news.
But 'tis strange;
And often times, to win us to our harm,
the instruments of darkness tell us
truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence. (1.3.122-126)
Banquo, who was present when the witches had revealed the
prophecy, had already known better than to make an assumption out of what the
witches had told them. He warns Macbeth of the dangers they might have to face
if they took the prophecy into consideration. So Macbeth concludes that, “If
chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.” (1.3.144-146)
Macbeth, in this part of the book, hasn’t seen reason in committing sins to
become a king. He is still indifferent to the witches’ words, and plans on
standing by until a chance to be king is given to him. Naturally, after hearing
his destiny, he assumed that power would just come to him, and that it would
come eventually without him having to do anything. That, of course, changes
when Lady Macbeth learns of the prophecy.
After learning that he has become the
thane of Cawdor, Macbeth starts to believe in the prophecy, and sent a letter
speaking of it to Lady Macbeth. With Lady Macbeth being both power hungry and,
between Macbeth and herself, the more dominant one, Lady Macbeth takes this
prophecy as an opportunity to gain control and power, saying that,
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me
here,
And fill be from the crown to the toe
to-full
Of direst cruelty! Make think my blood;
Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect of it! (1.5.40-46)
Lady Macbeth is gathering up her courage to fulfil her plans of
murdering Duncan to gain power. She then questions Macbeth’s manhood,
manipulating him to kill Duncan, which will make him the king of Scotland.
Art
thou afeard
To be
the same in tine own act and valour
As
thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which
thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And
live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting
‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’
Like
the poor cat I’th’adage?(1.7.39-44)
This angers Macbeth, who does end up killing the king. Due to
Duncan’s sons fleeing his home after learning that their father was murdered,
they are both suspected of murder, and Macbeth is crowned king. However, power
is extremely hard to handle, especially if it’s gained the wrong way; it’s a
force that can rarely be handled by one man, especially, frankly, a man like
Macbeth. Whatever comes up must come down, as Duncan’s murder leads both
Macbeth and his lady in a downwards spiral.
After the murder
of Duncan, Macbeth starts to lose trust in the people surrounding him,
including Lady Macbeth, who has also been driven insane by the guilt of the
murder. Towards the end of the book, a lady in waiting notices that Lady
Macbeth had been sleepwalking, and shares it with the doctor; it’s as though
she is reliving Duncan and Banquo’s murders, saying, “Here’s the smell of blood
still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” (5.1.43-44)
With her having to suffer with sleepwalking because of all the guilt she felt,
Lady Macbeth ends up committing suicide, which is the least of Macbeth’s
troubles, as he had to deal with the war he had caused. At this point of the
book, Macbeth had gone completely mad, from having men kill Macduff’s innocent
family to ordering his doctor throw his medicine to the dogs after failing to
cure Lady Macbeth of her mental disorder. At this point, Macbeth claims that he
can no longer feel fear,
I have almost
forgot the taste of fears:
The time has
been, my senses would have cooled
To hear a
night-shriek, and my fell of hair
Would at a
dismal treatise rouse and stir
As life were
in’t: I have supped full with horrors;
Direness,
familiar to my slaughterhouse thoughts,
Cannot once
start me. (5.5.9-15)
Macbeth’s want for power had led him to
insanity, suffering from hallucinations to being the cause of death for the
people he was closest to. He had so much power in his hands that he’s basically
forgotten how to be afraid of anyone. This lack of fear ultimately leads to his
death, and the crown goes to its original successor.
Power
shouldn’t be easy to gain, and the way it is gained shows how well it is
handled. Macbeth had to commit sins to gain power, so as a result, he had
suffered so much guilt that it led to his death. Lady Macbeth, who had
manipulated Macbeth, had also been driven insane to the point of her suicide.
In conclusion, power is truly a test of character, and the desire to have it
may lead to unlawful decisions and terrible consequences. This is why today,
most of our world’s nations have shared powers, in which each appointed
government makes decisions for their nations. This balances the power between
people, therefore creating an equal way to rule a nation in which each person
has a say of how they feel.
