Topic > The dark side of human nature in Shakespeare Macbeth

How far are you willing to go to get what you want? One of the themes of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is greed. How a humble person can turn into a wild, uncontrollable beast just to want more. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows humanity as dark and immoral. Shakespeare shows the negative side of human nature through three of the main characters. Banquo who seems noble but cannot resist his desires. Secondly, Lady Macbeth reveals an ambition that leads to her own destruction. Finally, Macbeth becomes inundated with greed which leads him to do horrible things. Greed can lead you to do things you never thought you would do. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Banquo says "My noble partner, you greet with present grace and great foresight, of noble soul and real hope, who seems rapt. To me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time and tell which grain will grow and which no, speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear, your favors nor your hatred” (Act I, iii, 55-62) . Even Banquo, who appears to be a noble man, shows his greed by wanting to know a great one prediction just as Macbeth Banquo reveals his greed by committing the sin of omission. After Duncan's death, Banquo speaks to himself: "As the strange women promised: if from them come the truth/How about you, Macbeth, their speeches shine/so that, through the truths about you made exact,/they may be my oracles as well/And give me hope?” (Act III, i, 2-10). Banquo does not reveal the secret of the prophecies and his suspicions about Macbeth because he believes that his prophecy will not come true if he reveals this secret information. Although Banquo did not act on his greed, but his greed in keeping the secrets of the prophecies led to his own death. A promise between Macbeth and Banquo prevents him from revealing their secrets. Macbeth promises to honor him and this makes it even more difficult for Banquo to reveal the secret. There are some good qualities but also bad qualities in human nature which lead to their downfall. Shakespeare shows much stronger greed in Lady Macbeth. After learning of the witches' prophecies, Lady Macbeth reveals her true ambitions. In Shakespeare's time, Shakespeare showed a kind and obedient female character. However, Macbeth presents a very dark image of a female character who becomes evil in her desires for the future. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to act according to his desire and destiny. As he knows, Macbeth does not have the courage to do so, so he manipulates him: "Hope has been drunk from this moment / Such I consider your love, you are afraid / To be the same in your deeds and in your velvet / As you esteem" you are the ornament of life, / and live cowardly in your esteem, / letting you dare not serve him, / like the poor cat, I adage it? (Act I, vii, 35-44). In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth does not just perform her role but also provokes her husband to take an action to fulfill his wishes. Lady Macbeth's natural humanity is shown when she is unable to kill Duncan herself because he resembles her father. This shows that he is trying to suppress his human nature and allow his ambition to rule. However, even after achieving her goal, she is unhappy with the rest of the show. Lady Macbeth expresses her feelings, but not to Macbeth “Nothing has been, all has been spent. / Where our desire is obtained without content: / It is wiser to be what we destroy / Than with destruction, to dwell in doubtful joy / for you remain alone, / Of the saddest fantasies that yours.