Desire of Power in Macbeth

The lust for power is not rooted in strength but in weakness. Erich Fromme. Macbeth, a
tragic play written by William Shakespeare, is about a Thane named Macbeth who is consumed by his
desire of being king and kills all and any that come in his way. Driven by his obsessive thirst for power,
Macbeth commits delusional acts which ultimately lead to his downfall. Lust for power dramatically
changes Macbeth from a nobleman and admired Thane into a scheming, paranoid tyrant. Due to
Macbeths uncontrollable desire for power he commits absurd acts, Macbeth kills his dearest king,
others he finds as a threat and pays heed to the conniving witches.
In the beginning of the play, the character Macbeth was portrayed as a heroic and sincere noble,
as mentioned by the captain in the first act, For brave Macbeth well he deserves that title (I.2.16).
However, as the play progresses his desire for kingship compels the loyal Thane into the betrayal and
murder of King Duncan. The statement, My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical (1.3.142),
evidently shows that Macbeth is thinking of Duncan. He describes murder as fantastical because he is
engrossed of what he will gain after the deed is done. Macbeth knows that by killing the King he will be
subjected to eternal suffering in the afterlife as he would be killing someone appointed by God, but right
now all he can think about is the throne. Desire transforms Macbeth from a loyal Thane into a power-
hungry tyrant
As the thought of becoming king consumes Macbeth, he commits foolish acts in order to gain
the title of king, one of them being him seeking out the deceiving witches. Nevertheless, Macbeth does
not only seek out the witches, but he soon begins to believe in their prophecies. As the play proceeds
and Macbeth encounters the three witches, he is engrossed with the thought of becoming king and
grows eager to learn more, his longing is evident when he says Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me
more (1.3.70). When Macbeth says this, irony is quite evident as he is calling the weird sisters hags
and imperfect speakers yet asking them to stay, this shows the audience how desperate he is to get
more knowledge. Later when Macbeth is bestowed the title Thane of Cawdor; he is possessed with
conflicting thoughts on whether or not the prophecies are true. Not knowing the reality of these
revelations annoy him because at this point he is considering the notion of being king and murder as the
approach of attaining that title. Soon after when the deed is done and Macbeth is crowned king, he
grows paranoid that others will find out his unjust ways of acquiring the throne. Macbeth also has sick
thoughts of others stealing away his kingdom from him, so he plans to revisit the witches for more
prophecies. I will tomorrowand betimes I willto the weird sisters. More shall they speak, for now I
am bent to know, by the worst means, the worst. For mine own good, all causes shall give way
(3.4.139-143). This proves how he believes that the witches are faithful to him, even though they are
actually playing around for their own amusement. This is also dramatic irony as the audience is quite
aware that Macbeth is just another source of the witches entertainment. But due to his yearning of
dominance, he dismisses the fact that the witches could be misleading him and instead Macbeth blindly
devotes himself on acquiring useless information that he believes will guide him to victory.
In order to hold onto his kingdom and power, Macbeth thoughtlessly kills any person that he
feels is a potential threat to his throne. Even as king, Macbeth does not feel satisfied with his throne
because of the witches predictions of Banquo being the father of many kings. Macbeth feels that he is
vulnerable because he has a fruitless crown, and a barren sceptre in *his+ gripe, (3.1.61-62). He does
not have an heir to succeed him and feels that every king must, or else their reign is considered
meaningless. In order to solve this problem Macbeth sends murderers to finish off Banquo and his son
Fleance, so that Banquo's line of descendants shall never become kings. When Macbeth says to the
murderers, And with thy bloody and invisible hand cancel and tear to pieces that great bond which
keeps me pale, (3.2.50-53), he is using figurative language as he is referring to his paranoia about losing
his throne to the offspring of Banquo. The death of Banquo is an example of Macbeth's uncontrollable
desire for power because it shows how Macbeth arranges the murder of his loyal companion and an
innocent child all in the name of power. The death of Macduff's family is another prime example of
Macbeth's overwhelming craves of power. In Macbeth's second meeting with the witches he is told to
Beware Macduff and Beware the thane of Fife (4.1.74). Up to this point Macbeth is already
suspicious because Macduff has gone off to England. Macbeth feels that Macduff is plotting against him
and has a servant fee'd (3.4.132) in the home of Macduff as a spy. After finding out from the
apparitions that Macduff is indeed a real threat, Macbeth sends assassins who mercilessly slaughtered
Macduffs wife, children and servants. The unnecessary death of Macduff's family proves that Macbeth
fears Macduff and thinks that the deaths of his beloveds will show his powers, and their deaths also give
him satisfaction. Macbeth's constant paranoia is caused by his hunger of power that grows throughout
the play.
Macbeth becomes responsible for the deaths of innocent people and crazy at such an extent
that he relies on the prophecies of the witches to make him victorious because of his obsessive need for
dominance. He shamelessly kills his beloved king and his friends all in the name of power, and to make
matters worse Macbeth seeks out the two-faced witches for help. However, this horrible disease of
power-hunger was not only in Macbeths time but in reality still exists to this day.