Throughout history power has been corrupted people many times. For example, Hitler, Napoleon, and even George Bush have all been corrupted by power. Any person who gains power usually uses it to their advantage. Shakespeare realized that humans are naturally corrupted by power. Many of the kings and queens of his day were corrupt. By writing Macbeth, Shakespeare was trying to prove a point about how misusing power leads to corruption.
When Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor he realizes all the power he could have. For example, Macbeth says, “My murderous thought is still only imaginary but it shakes my entire manhood so deeply that my power to act is smothered by expectation, and nothing seems real to be except what I imagine.”(Act 1 scene 3 lines 149-151). Although at first Macbeth wants to kill King Duncan but he is scared to. He does it anyway. He kills King Duncan so he can get his place of power.
Not only does Macbeth become corrupt, but Lady Macbeth does also. She is the one who encourages Macbeth to kill King Duncan. The reason she does this is because she wants more power and wants to become queen. Lady Macbeth encourages him by saying things like “…look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it“(act 1 scene 5 lines 72-73). By saying this, she is encouraging him to kill people in order to become king. Macbeth has some fears about killing the king but Lady Macbeth questions his manliness by telling him that if he was a real man, he would kill him.
In the play, Macbeth says to himself, “The prince of
Macbeth even kills off his best friend Banquo. Macbeth seems to respect and like Banquo. He has no reason to kill Banquo except to gain more power. The witches predict that Banquo’s sons will become kings so Macbeth attempts to kill Banquo and Fleance.The assaanation of Banquo is successful but Fleance escapes. In addition, the witches also say to Banquo, “You will be a father to kings, even though you won’t be a king yourself”. (Act 1 scene 3 68-69) This is saying the witches are predicting that Banquo’s sons will be kings. Although Macbeth doesn’t think about killing Banquo right away it is in the back of his mind. Once he has the power of being king he wants more power, so he can’t fight the desire to murder Banquo.
It is clear in the story of Macbeth that the misuse of power can lead people to corruption. When people are in positions of power they tend to abuse it and hurt others to get what they want. This is shown in Macbeth and throughout history. Shakespeare realizes this human flaw in the play and addresses the issue.