Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. The audience when the play was written and first performed compared to now have different views on the story itself. Themes such as unchecked ambition, guilt and the relationship between cruelty and masculinity are found in the text. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth as a tribute to King James, the new monarch of England at the time. He teaches audiences the importance of loyalty to their king, showing Macbeth’s punishment for his betrayal.
One of the main themes of Macbeth is unchecked ambition, found prominently in the two main characters; Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth achieves her goals with more determination than Macbeth, however, cannot withstand the repercussions of her immorality. She manipulates her husband to slaughter Duncan and urges him to be resilient in the murder’s aftermath while she is affected more by the aftermath of Macbeth’s rehashed bloodshed. For each situation, desire is the thing that drives them to horrendous barbarities. Macbeth is a Scottish general who does not seek to commit evil deeds, however, his desire for power is deep enough to force him to do so. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and later on lets his guilt and paranoia corrupt him. In each case, ambition, helped by the prophecies of the witches, is what drives the couple to terrible evil. The issue is that once the decision to use violence to further the quest for power is made, it is difficult to stop. It is tempting for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to use violence as a way of disposing of the potential threats to the throne.
Guilt is another theme that is quite prominent in Macbeth. Macbeth’s guilt about killing his king, Duncan, and ordering the murder of his friend, Banquo, makes him have hallucinations. Lady Macbeth also hallucinates and goes crazy from guilt and blame over her role in Duncan’s murder. The way that the two characters suffer torment because of their activities proves that neither Macbeth nor his significant other is entirely cutthroat. Despite the fact that they carry out horrendous violations, they know, in some capacity, that what they’ve done isn’t right. Their blame keeps them from completely enjoying the power they gained and once craved. In the first scene of Act Five, Lady Macbeth says, “What’s done/cannot be undone”, but her guilt continues to torment her. While Macbeth’s guilt causes him to commit further murders in an attempt to cover up his initial crimes, Lady Macbeth’s guilt drives her to insanity, and, finally, suicide.
Characters in Macbeth frequently dwell on issues of gender and the relationship between cruelty and masculinity. Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband by questioning his manhood, does not contradict Macbeth when he says that a woman like her should give birth only to boys and wishes that she could be “unsexed”. Macbeth provokes the murderers he hires to kill Banquo by questioning their manhood, in the same manner as his wife. This therefore shows that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth show equal amounts of ‘masculinity’ with their naked aggression, and whenever they converse about manhood, it ends in bloodshed. Lady Macbeth’s behaviour definitely shows that women can be as cruel as men. Whether because of the restriction she faced in her society or her lack of fearlessness to kill, Lady Macbeth relies on manipulation rather than violence to achieve her goals as do many women from previous eras, as well as in the present day. The witches’ prophecies encourage Macbeth’s violent behaviour and Lady Macbeth offers the brains and the will behind her husband’s plotting. Macbeth puts forth a revised and less destructive definition of manhood. In the scene where Macduff learns of the murders of his wife and child, Malcolm consoles him by telling him to take the news in “manly” fashion, by seeking revenge upon Macbeth. Macduff shows the young heir apparent that he does not understand the meaning of masculinity. When Malcolm says, “Dispute it like a man,” Macduff replies, “I shall do so. But I must also feel it as a man” (4.3.221–223).
To summarise, Macbeth explores themes such as guilt, unchecked ambition and the relationship between cruelty and masculinity that are still as relevant today as they were in the sixteenth century. Macbeth is seen to be Shakespeare’s most misogynistic play to date and he teaches audiences the importance of loyalty to their king, showing Macbeth’s punishment for his betrayal.