Macbeth Theme

Macbeth Theme Essay

In the play Macbeth there are many themes that are shown in the text. Shakespeare was very skilled when it came to portraying emotions. There are many hidden messages in Macbeth about how emotions can drive a person into darkness. Shakespeare often uses themes that can be applied to a person’s own life. One of these themes that is how greed can make a man commit terrible crimes. Another theme portrayed is shown in Macbeth is how guilt can drive a man to insanity.

Greed is the one of the first themes we see in the play. When Macbeth is first mentioned in the play he is portrayed as a war hero that is filled with honor. But onces he meets the witches and hears their prophecies greed begins to take over. This is shown as he plans to murder the king in order to make the prophecies occur sooner. If Macbeth had not known what he would get from killing the king, he would not of done it. However, the personal gain is what allowed for greed to control his actions, and lead to the murder of the king. Although Macbeth knows that he is committing crimes, he cannot control himself. An example of this is when Macbeth says “(aside) The prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;Let not light see my black and deep desires,”(1.4.50-53). This quote shows that Macbeth doesn’t want to harm Malcolm but he has to otherwise he will take Macbeth’s “right” to the throne. Another example of this is when Macbeth kills Banquo. His reasoning for this murder is because he felt threatened by him, so in order to protect his place on the throne he killed his closest friend.

Another theme shown in the play is how guilt can drive a man to insanity. One of the most iconic instances of this is after Banquo’s death. When Macbeth is having his dinner he panics as he sees Banquo’s ghost standing on the table. This scene shows how the guilt of