Power
and
Leadership
in
Macbeth
Power
and
Leadership
in
Macbeth
In Macbeth
the characters and their roles show how power and leadership has an impact
on the development of the play, audience and the readers.
Macbeth
is considered a courageous and strong character so that shows that he is
a leader and a senior in the play. Also he is spoken of more frequently
than Banquo so therefore in comparison to him he is considered more of
a leader. When Banquo was telling Duncan
about Macbeth and the first battle, Macbeth was represented as being won
by his personal powers. Another example
of when Macbeth showed his courage and strength was when he fought with
Young Siward and in the early part of his fight with Macduff.
Along
with Macbeth's courage he showed ambition in his character and that also
made him powerful. When the witches gave him a prophecy that encouraged
his ambition to be King. According to Lady Macbeth's speech (Act
1 sc.5) she revealed that Macbeth was a "very ordinary man whose ambition
was great and who wished to stand well in the world." In
addition, it is his unprincipled ambition to attain that ambition that
makes the theme of this tragedy. Due to his ambition he showed power
and leadership throughout the play.
Macbeth showed lack of power and leadership when his superstition, imagination
and cowardliness took over his mind and therefore had a different effect
on the outcome. His
superstition is shown by the influence of the witches. His imagination
was controlled not by moral considerations or by education. This
made his a ready and easy victim to the tempting prophecies of apparitions.
He
feared Banquo because he recognized moral courage in his character which
Macbeth lacked. Macduff was hated and feared by Macbeth because he
felt that his own intelligence was interrupted by Macduff's existence.
His cowardness proved that the power and leadership of Macbeth, the main
character was altered throughout the play.
Macbeth
can be compared to Oedipus because both of them were given prophecies in
their lives and they both basically destroyed their own lives and fates
because they believed other sources about their future rather than waiting
for the future to come to them.
Banquo
is brave and successful and that character trait shows the power and leadership
in him. At different instances in the play he shows more power than
Macbeth. Macduff is known as the "silent leader" in the play.
In Macbeth imagery was used to create imagination of the readers or the
audience studying Macbeth.
Imagery
was a special and essential device in the play Macbeth to show the power
and leadership of the play itself and the characters. Shakespear
showed imagery by making Macbeth appear to be a hero. Due
to the title of the play,Macbeth and because that is the name of the main
character in the play that portrays leadership and power.
This is easily imaginable for readers or the audience. Macbeth is
undoubtedly built on heroic proportions with possibilities. He is
great, courageous and ambitious and in imagination it is possible to feel
that and imagine his true character.
The
sound of echoing interested Shakespear so this is a device that was used
by him to create imagery vivid picture is
endured in the reader with the idea that light symbolizes light, goodness
and virtue. In contrast to that is darkness
for death and evil. "Angels are bright"(Act
1v Sc1.) and the witches are "Secret, black and midnight hags,"(Act iv
Sc1.)this line creates imagery of the
witches and how Shakespear wants the evil in them to be carried out through
the play.
Imagery was used in some cases to show who was the "most powerful" or who
was the "main leader".
Conclusion:
The
use of power and leadership in the play Macbeth was a tool used to represent
the characters and also the device imagery. The
characters showed how they each represented power and leadership and imagery
proved that what we the readers thought and imagined about the play itself,
setting,plot and characters actually happened in the end. Without
the different characters and their roles, or the imagery that was used
Macbeth written by Shakespear would probably turned out completely different.
This page by Lauren M.
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