Desire For Power In Macbeth

The British Isles during the feudal era were a land consisting of forever-warring lords and barons, all fighting each other ruthlessly for the one intangible possession that held the most value to any man of the time, power. Power came in many forms in the early 1000s, whether it be land or crops, but the highest position of power by far was the seat of the king, who ruled entire nations from the seat of his throne. Although these lords pledged fealty to their respective kings, many were so consumed by a desire for power that they conspired against their despots and plotted to take the throne for themselves. This hunger for power, often influenced by emotional as well as sensible motives, drove many of these such lords to a point of hysteria, …show more content…
Popular literature hence has incorporated many of these elements of desire, greed, and demise into a literary phenomenon known as a tragic flaw; wherein a certain character trait leads to his or her inevitable …show more content…
Macbeth does not have faith in himself, and every action he takes throughout the duration of the play is an attempt to heighten this low self-esteem and make himself feel more powerful. When the witches prophesize that Macbeth will become King of Scotland, a title he would only receive if Duncan was killed, Macbeth confesses,within a soliloquy, that the thought of killing Duncan “doth unfix [his] hair and make [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs” (I.iii.147-148). He reveals that the situation, while still in the hypothetical, makes him so nervous that his hair is sticking up and his heart is beating so fast he feels that it is about to break through his chest. He does not believe he has the strength to overtake the throne, and soon after states that “if chance will have [him] king, why, chance may crown [him]” (I.iii.56-57). While the position of king is enticing to Macbeth, he is not courageous enough to make the sacrifices it would take, and instead leaves it in the hands of fate. When involved with any sedition, the conspirator must possess a certain level of confidence in his or her own capacity to carry out the crime, yet Macbeth, suffering from a low-self esteem, gave up the prospect of becoming king