Macbeth

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Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Macbeth portrays that power naturally entails corruption by producing a craving for more power with ambition unchecked by moral constraints unless this power is bestowed by God.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is founded on the principle that Kings’ power directly comes from God as a divine right and oppressing this power causes corruption. According to Suzuki, Macbeth’s actual tragic flaw is “his error in imagining himself a free agent in a world where his actions are ultimately circumscribed” (96). Hence, he is seen as a tyrant after killing King Duncan and one lord says about Malcolm that “The son of Duncan/ from whom this tyrant holds the due of birth” (Shakespeare 3.6.28-29). Macbeth’s act is triggered by the prophecies of witches who entice him by saying that “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” which implies that he is on the path of evil (Shakespeare 1.3.52-53). As per the prophecy, the moment he becomes Thane of Cawdor, the taste of power corrupts him and he kills Duncan in the lust of more power and become a king. He admits that “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on the other” (Shakespeare 1.7.25-28). Moreover, since this power corrupts him hence as a king he continues tyranny. In the end, Malcolm taking back the throne restores the law of nature since power goes to the one whom God has chosen.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth depicts how power automatically sets in motion corruption. Macbeth’s power corrupts him as it is owing to the malign prophecy of evil forces and not granted by God.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Lulu.com, 2016.
Suzuki, Erin. “Lost in Translation: Reconsidering Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Kurosawa’s
Throne of Blood.” Literature-Film Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, 2006, p. 93-104. Literature Resource Center, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A146537924/GLS? u=j101912100&sid=GLS&xid=b880c6ab. Accessed 2 Jan. 2019.