Greed In Macbeth

Are you truly content with the life you’re living? In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, an honorable Thane stumbles upon 3 mystical witches who inform him he will become 2nd in line to the throne, and then king thereafter. The thought of becoming king consumes him and in turn, he murders the king in order to guarantee he shall take over in his place. Macbeth’s character is never secure or satisfied with the power he has because of his own avarice. Shakespeare uses crowns and sleep as symbols to convey his theme that greed prohibits satisfaction because a greedy person will always want more. Crowns are used to represent power which conveys the greed in people and how they will never be content. Shortly after Macbeth comes into power he feels …show more content…
In reference to his power, Macbeth claims “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, and put a barren sceptre in my grip” (3.1.61-62). Crowns are seen as representing dominance, as they are commonly seen with monarchical figures. By saying that this crown he holds is ‘fruitless’, Macbeth is suggesting his power has no weight to it and he feels his position holds nothing. He has power and authority over everyone and yet he still feels like he doesn’t have enough. Macbeth is king over the entirety of Scotland, how is this not good enough for him? Macbeth’s most prevalent quality is arguably his greed, and that is exactly what is preventing him from feeling content no matter how much power he holds. The definition of greed is “a selfish and excessive desire for something” (Greed). Macbeth’s excessive desires don’t let him have the chance to be happy with himself because he always craves more. In the beginning of the play, when Macbeth comes across the three witches who begin to tell him his future, his response is that “If chance will have me king, why chance will crown me without my stir” (1.3.144). Macbeth’s desire for the crown shows his greed and need to have authority. This idea of ‘crowning’ paints the picture of