Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Macbeth Corruption Essay - 1091 Words

When one wants something bad enough, the lines between right and wrong tend to blur. In William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Macbeth,† the relationship between ambition and corruption is explored. Firstly, Macbeth’s inability to control his urges to know his fate leads him to listen to The Weird Sister’s prophecies, which eventually causes his unhealthy desire for power. Next, Lady Macbeth’s strong ambition to kill the King leads to a corruption of her mental state and behavioural standards. Lastly, Macbeth’s aspiration to rule Scotland leads to a harmful greed for power and the betrayal of his morals. In summary, one’s demonstration of an overly ambitious nature can lead to corruption and an excessive desire for power. Firstly, Macbeth could not†¦show more content†¦And what noise is this?† (4:1.115-117) Macbeth was pressuring the Witches for more information and claimed he would rather watch the universe be turned to chaos than be denied his wishes, even though the Weird Sisters warned him not to ask for more predictions. The next prophecy that they showed Macbeth caused him to kill Banquo and further added to his overwhelming desire for power. In conclusion, the difficulty that Macbeth had controlling his need to know more about his fate lead him to listen to dark forces that messed with his mind. Secondly, Lady Macbeth’s ambition to kill the King lead to a corruption of her mental state and behavioural standards. Lady Macbeth was suffering from nightmares and a loss of appetite because of her unhealthily strong ambition that lead to the murder of King Duncan. When Lady Macbeth expressed her concerns to Macbeth, he said that he had been feeling the same and told her, â€Å"But we let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep in the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3:2.18-21) This quotation proves that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had suffered because of their sinful act. Macbeth was explaining that he too had lost his appetite and could not sleep because of his terrible nightmares, which further exemplifies how Lady Macbeth’s deleterious ambition had corrupted her mental state. Additionally, Lady Macbeth was known to beShow MoreRelatedEssay On Corruption In Macbeth11 09 Words   |  5 PagesWith Power Comes Corruption â€Å"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.† is a quote from Lord John Dalberg-Acton, explaining that any amount of power can corrupt the mind, but absolute power will take over. 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