Macbeth

Discuss each topic below

his sefishness

his greed

his ruthlessness

his ambition

his fall from grace

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Macbeth's selfishness is clear in his demands to the witches to tell him more once they hint he will be king hereafter. Greed and ruthlessness come in when he goes after the goal of becoming king by taking the shortcut right through king Duncan. More ruthlessness and selfishness in his killing of Banquo who has become a threat and is his competition as the witches predicted. All of this is subject to his ambition. Once he has got a hint of power by the witches he mercilessly goes after that power and ruthlessly defends it once he has it.

He is a clear example that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He starts the play as something of a hero and a nice enough fellow, but once he smells the throne his selfishness and greed set him on course of brutal ambition. Even his wife, who was worse than him at the onset, collapses under the sheer horror of their deeds. Not so Macbeth: he only gets more ambitious and greedy.

A fall from grace is a strange notion in this play. If there is one, it starts at the very beginning. As soon as Macbeth acts on his ambition and possibilities, his fall from grace begins. Actively searching power and might sets him on a course that will eventually lead to his doom.

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