Macbeth's Abuse Of Power

In the theatrical play The Tragedy of Macbeth, through showcasing Macbeth’s rapid decline in accountability from nullifying the consequences of his actions and symptom of confirmation bias, Shakespeare demonstrates that Macbeth’s character traits ultimately hold the most power over his own actions. While Macbeth is tasking the murderers with killing Banquo, he reasoned that “though I could with barefaced power sweep him from my sight and bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, for certain friends that are both his and mine, whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall who I myself struck down. And thence it is, That I to your assistance do make love, masking the business from the common eye for sundry weighty reasons” (3.1.136-142). Despite …show more content…
He stated that he “must not” do the deed himself so he “may not drop,” or to sever, the connections with “certain friends that are both [Banquo’s] and [his]” that would be more useful to him as friends rather than enemies, while “masking the business from the common eye,” or hiding his involvement from the public, both of which are achieved by letting the murderers carry out the murder in his place while Macbeth “wail his fall” as he pretends to be innocent. He finishes off with stating that there are “sundry weighty reasons,” or various different important reasons, for this, but they are mainly to avert the consequences of losing the common friends of him and Banquo and facing outcry from the public, either of which would severely damage his reputation and position as …show more content…
Rebellious dead, rise never till the wood of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath to time and mortal custom” (4.1.98-105). When he receives the prophecy, he honestly believes that such a phenomenon “will never be” while asking what he thinks is a rhetorical question of “who can impress the forest unfix its earthbound root” in a sarcastic tone, emphasising that he truly believes that there is no way such thing will happen. One of the two critical parts that is explicitly mentioned by the apparition earlier (Won’t be defeated and until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill) has been completely dismissed to make the prophecy more convenient for him. This belief of his is further reinforced as he prematurely celebrates by exclaiming “sweet bodement” as if this prophecy is simply a sweet blessing of “Macbeth will never lose.” This twisted interpretation leads him to ratify the “fact” that the “rebellious dead” he produces by unjustly killing everyone in his way will never “rise,” or come back to haunt him, while he the “high-placed” and therefore untouchable Macbeth will live and be king until “the lease of nature” is over (meaning that he dies naturally of aging), further reinforcing his belief that he would not face the negative consequences of his actions, which empowers him to commit more of his ruthless deeds, such as murdering Macduff’s whole family while thinking that he can get away