The Tragedy of Macbeth: A tale of Ambition, Power and Moral Corruption

Shakespeare of one of the finest, if not the finest, writer in English literature. He gave life to characters and spilled emotions all over his plays. Macbeth is his shortest play, but arguably one of his best after Hamlet. Macbeth became so popular and superstitious that uttering the name Macbeth in the middle of a play was believed to bring bad luck, possibly death, to the crew. Some events have occurred as mentioned, but they could be a coincidence. Its ‘protagonist’ is Macbeth, is a Scottish nobleman who, when informed by three witches of his prophecy, develops an insatiable hunger for power after one of the predictions comes true. This quest ultimately leads to his downfall. What I love about Shakespeare is his ability to write complex emotions in humans, be it Lady Macbeth’s relentlessness or Macbeth’s guilt underplayed by his desire for power. It’s not just all emotion also. The entirety of Act 2 has only 4 scenes, which is relatively short, and in that time frame, the action just keeps rising and the entire act is just written so intensely, excluding one part that is intended for comic relief. Shakespeare’s exploration of unregulated ambition and the guilt that pursues makes Macbeth one of the most compelling plays ever. Ultimately, Macbeth has and will stand the test of time as one of Shakespeare’s most influential tragedies, with his knack of probing into the depths of human psychology, fascinating readers time and again. 

As poet Ben Johnson said, “He (Shakespeare) was not of age, but for all time.”