Are murder and betrayal really worth the power? Macbeth is one of the most tragic, powerful, and horrifying plays that William Shakespeare ever wrote. Shakespeare is the father of tragedies. More importantly, for every tragedy he wrote, he based it on a moral or lesson that should be learned after the completion of the work. This being the case, in the play Macbeth, Shakespeare proposes the idea that by betraying others one in turn betrays oneself. Shakespeare demonstrates this by showing that at the conclusion of each murder Macbeth commits, he gradually moves down the ladder of respect and nobility. Macbeth begins as a noble and respected leader. He is kind and a brave fighter. But after three witches give him a prophecy, he begins to betray the other characters and becomes an evil, evil man. Therefore, by betraying others, he behaves scurrilously towards his sense of humanity and how others see him. Macbeth's betrayal of Duncan is the first major form of betrayal depicted in the play. In short, Duncan trusts Macbeth blindly, and Macbeth stabs him in the back. He does this because he is too unhappy with how he currently lives and is attracted by the thought of what Duncan has: power. After the witches tell Macbeth his prophecy and Lady Macbeth plots Duncan's murder, Macbeth reflects on why he is killing Duncan. He realizes that it would most likely be a grave mistake, as he says, “…Not carrying the knife myself. Furthermore, Duncan / has borne his faculties so mildly, has been / so clear in his great office, that his virtues / will plead like angels, with trumpet voice, against / the deep damnation of his take-off" (1 ,7, 16-20). That said, not only does he understand the consequences of killing Du... middle of paper... himself. Macbeth is a perfect example of the fact that by betraying others he also betrays himself themselves pay for what he does in many ways, such as hallucinations, hearing and death. Is power really worth all this? 'man gives his life by manifesting his powers. “ This idea fits perfectly with Macbeth because it explains that a person's life is his choice. If an individual decides to use his power to do evil, his life will become slowly evil and will pay the price. Macbeth uses his power for evil acts and betrays others. Eventually it all comes back to him when he realizes that he has betrayed himself. We must be careful how they use their power. Will it be used for evil purposes? Or forever? And the price of evil is truly worth it??