Themes of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

As customary with most of William Shakespeare’s work, the tragedy of Macbeth has transcended centuries due to its compelling plot, masterful use of language, and timeless themes that depict factors of society and human nature. In Macbeth, Shakespeare highlights the dangers of unrestricted ambition, the effects of the burden of guilt, the role of witches in the tragedy, and the general misconception of masculinity and what it entails.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to portray the evil deeds that come from unrestricted ambition, as well as the effects of guilt ensuing the deed. In Act 1 of Macbeth, “the weird sisters” deliver Macbeth a prophecy stating that he will be promoted to the title Thane of Cawdor, and then later King of Scotland. When the witches’ first prophecy comes true, Macbeth begins to believe that he might actually become king, and wonders if he will have to do an evil deed to fulfill the prophecy.

Upon discussing the witches’ words with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth resolves to murder King Duncan and take the crown for himself. Guilt hits him even before he stabs Duncan, as he envisions a bloody dagger pointing towards the King. He does the deed and becomes King, but at a cost. The ambition-driven murder causes Macbeth to become stricken with guilt. He claims that not even all the water in the ocean could wash the blood off his hands. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, questions his manhood and understates the murder.

From this point on, Macbeth calls to murder anyone who poses a threat to his reign, including his old friend Banquo. After Macbeth hears the news that the murderers killed Banquo, he begins to see visions of his old friends ghost taking his seat at the banquet he was holding. Again, overcome with guilt, Macbeth pays the price for his killings, and again Lady Macbeth questions his masculinity. He is eventually driven to madness, taking human life as though it were worthless and ruling as a tyrant king.

Lady Macbeth’s behavior, however, spirals in the other direction. At the beginning of the novel she belittled Macbeth for not having the strength, the manhood, to kill King Duncan. Yet, after all the murders of Duncan, the chamberlains, Banquo, and MacDuff’s wife and child, Lady Macbeth begins to feel remorse. She, like Macbeth at the beginning of the play, feels like there is not enough water in the Earth to wash the blood from her hands, to become clean again. Lady Macbeth’s despair leads her to suicide.

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth convey the dangers of free ambition. Since the prospect of becoming King compels Macbeth to kill Duncan, it’s highly likely that there is not much he would not do to protect his crown. The dangers of free ambition are that there are no boundaries to what is right and what is wrong. Macbeth is the quintessential example, like Richard Rich in Robert Bolt’s play A Man For All Seasons, of one who will sell his soul for an esteemed position. Unlike Bolt, however, Shakespeare displays how guilt effectively ruins Macbeth’s honorable title of king as well as Lady Macbeth and his sanity. Due to the burden of guilt, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are deprived of sleep, happiness, and sanity. The price of Macbeth’s fateful deed was the quality of his own life.

Through the prophecies of “the weird sisters”, Shakespeare depicts the role of fate in the play Macbeth. At the beginning of the play, the three witches deliver Macbeth a promising prophecy that states he will become Thane of Cawdor, and eventually King of Scotland. Later in the scene, Angus and Ross rush to Macbeth to tell him that he has been given the title Thane of Cawdor. Given that the first prophecy came true, Macbeth wonders if he will have to do anything to fulfill the second prophecy, or whether it is just inevitable that he will become king. After mulling it over, Macbeth takes it into his own hands by killing King Duncan and is given the title King of Scotland. The witches do not force Macbeth in any way to murder Duncan, rather it was Macbeth’s own will that made him commit homicide.

As the play progresses, and Macbeth kills more and more people, and gains more and more enemies, he becomes increasingly paranoid and consults the weird sisters on his future. The witches continue to give him prophecies, but do not cast spells or force Macbeth in any way to ensure that these prophecies are fulfilled.

From Shakespeare’s subtle position on the effectiveness of the witches, one can infer that the witches do not have any impact on Macbeth’s actions, but rather inform him of the inevitable future. It is believed by many that Act 4, Scene 1, was written by an alternate author, as the perspective of the role of the witches is not that they are enablers of the inevitable, but that they meddle in the affairs of Macbeth and cause him to commit evil deeds.

Shakespeare portrays society’s misconception of true manhood in Macbeth through the interactions between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and well as Malcolm and Macduff. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth belittles Macbeth’s masculinity when he struggles to bring himself to kill Duncan. This encourages Macbeth to do the evil deed, as questioning one’s masculinity is an extremely effective way to make a man succumb to influence. Macbeth comments on Lady Macbeth’s tenacity, saying it should be inherited by a male, for it is sufficient for the formation of a strong man. The general feeling is that to be a man is to be violent and able to take what he wants. This attitude is both immoral and unhealthy.

In Act 4, Scene 3, Macduff is informed of the murder of his wife and child. Malcolm encourages him to channel his anger into rage and manly avenge their deaths. Macduff replies, “I shall do so, But I must also feel it as a man.” (4.3.227-228). Through Macduff, Shakespeare sets the right description of what it is to be a man, not just a bloodthirsty and overly ambitious creature, but one who has emotion and compassion, and looks to protect his family.

by Davie Bruton