The Theme of Power in Macbeth Essay Example

Influencers are people who have the ability to greatly affect other people’s decisions and actions, however, not all influencers are good. Macbeth is a very ambitious man in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and will do anything it takes to hold all of the power. However, Macbeth was not always this way. Macbeth’s realization of the power he could hold started when he was given 3 prophecies, 2 of which were about becoming king as they started to come true, Macbeth realized his full potential. Throughout Macbeth’s journey to become king, his wife, Lady Macbeth, had influenced his decisions the entire time. It was not originally Macbeth’s idea to become king, but when his ambition started to cloud his judgment, his actions began to get a little out of hand. Macbeth becomes a monster through his own growing ambition and the influence of others.

Macbeth’s tyrannic behavior began when he was blinded by his ambition for power. Macbeth was given a 3 prophecies of what will happen in his future. So far, 2 of them came true, so Macbeth thinks that the others will come true now. Reflecting on the witches prophecies, it is said that, “Thou has it no king, Cawdor, Glamis, all. As the weird women promised, and I fear. Thou played’st most foully for ‘t” (Macbeth 3.2. Lines 14-17). Macbeth played foully to become king because of the amount of ambition and impatience he had. Because Macbeth believes that the rest of the prophesis will continue to come true, he has great ambition to make them come sooner. Macbeth’s ambition and impatience leads him down a dark road. Healthy ambition can be good for people, but when it becomes to overpowering  “Our entire notion of moral and legal responsibility is thrown into doubt” (Illing). Macbeth’s ambition caused him to make wrong decisions because of how it erased all of his morals and responsibilities. Ambition heavily impacted Macbeth’s judgement, causing him to act foully and unfairly, in ways he would not have acted before. 

Lady Macbeth ultimately influences Macbeth to commit violent acts. Lady Macbeth plays a big role in Macbeth’s decision-making. She taunts and shames him until she can make him do what she wants. Lady Macbeth insults Macbeth by asking, “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” (Macbeth 1.7. 41-43). Lady Macbeth is calling Macbeth a coward, which motivates and influences him to prove her wrong. Macbeth is embarrassed and aggravated by Lady Macbeth’s taunting, which influences him to commit so many of these murders. Lady Macbeth’s influence is constantly surrounding Macbeth, pressuring him to act in ways he would not act himself. Our actions are “often driven in subtle, and in surprising ways, by people around us” which can cause people to make decisions that are not necessarily our own (Qtd. in Berger). People’s opinions, words, and actions can all influence how the people around them think and make their own decisions. Both of these quotes talk about how influence can heavily impact one’s life.

Macbeth was too heavily influenced by the people around him, which ultimately impacted his decisions.The people that someone is surrounded by, good or bad, will have a huge impact on their decisions, which Macbeth learned the hard way. Ambition was also a factor that caused Macbeth’s actions. Macbeth’s ambition was something so strong and blinding that Macbeth could only see his goal, and nothing else. With influence, and added ambition, Macbeth’s goal was not very hard to achieve. Although he achieved his goal, Macbeth became a monster, commiting many villainous acts to achieve his goal. Having bad influence and overpowering ambition can drastically change a person, their personality, and their journey through life.