Macbeth, By William Shakespeare - 1262 Words

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play about the inner struggles of a man who is informed of his possible rise to power, and how those inner struggles ultimately lead to his downfall. The story begins with three weird sister, or witches, planning to meet Macbeth (1.1.1-7). When the weird sisters meet with Macbeth and Banquo, in Act 1, Scene 3, they tell them of three prophecies. The first prophecy, that comes true right away, is that Macbeth will be titled Thane of Cawdor, which the audience learned of in Act 1, Scene 2. The second prophecy is that Macbeth will be the future king of Scotland. The third prophecy is aimed at Banquo, stating that while he will not be king, he will â€Å"get kings† (1.3.67), referring to his future family. While Banquo†¦show more content†¦Before the weird sisters share their prophecies, the play seems to be an ordinary story about a conflict between a Thane and the King resolved through battle (1.2). Macbeth is called â€Å"brave† (1.2.16) and given a new title for his battle skills (1.2.64-6). However, when the witches share their prophecies, Macbeth’s flaws are exposed through comparing his and Banquo’s reactions. Banquo accepts that the prophecies might be true, but warns Macbeth that â€Å"the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in the deepest consequence† (1.3.126-8). Basically, he is saying that evil things can appear to be good by telling parts of the truth, but will ultimately have terrible outcomes. This advice rings true for the entire play. However, Macbeth was â€Å"rapt in the wonder of it† (1.5.5-6) and he â€Å"burned in desire to question them further† (1.5.3-4). Clearly Macbeth is so captivated with the thought of being king that he disregards Banquo’s good advice and becomes obsessive; which is the driving force behind the entire play. The weird sisters’ prophecies have brought out Macbethâ⠂¬â„¢s thirst for power, but he is still struggling to decide how he should act on it; on top of his desire for power, he is also dealing with the added pressure of Lady Macbeth’s desire for power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth seems to not have any problems with Duncan, the king. However, when Lady Macbeth presents a plan to kill Duncan and