Power Dynamics in MacBeth

Power is something many people search for.  They want to be able to lead and become the one in charge.  But when people achieve this power they don’t know how to use it and usually abuse it.  Many leaders are good but in most cases leaders will abuse their power and use it poorly.  In the Play MacBeth by William Shakespeare MacBeth is a Thane that kills a good friend named Duncan so he can become king.  His wife Lady MacBeth and himself both gained the power they believed they wanted but in reality, they did not want.  They both became so obsessed with power that it began to deteriorate their life and killed all of their relationships.  Even though power can gain one more connections, when one becomes obsessed with power it will destroy their relationships because it causes people to become oblivious of their surroundings.

In the Play, there was one character that used his power for the better and grew relationships.  Duncan the king at the beginning of the play was nice and thoughtful and actually gained new friendships by being king.  This was because he did not abuse his power.  Duncan was kind and wanted to congratulate MacBeth on becoming Thane of Cawdor he went to MacBeth’s house for a feast and he said “See, see, our honored hostess! The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, which still we thank as love” (1.6.13-15).  Duncan was so nice to his host and made new friends with Lady MacBeth even though she had other plans.  But Duncan was not obsessed with power he used it properly and that gained and grew his relationships.  One way being obsessed with power destroys relationships is it makes one become uncaring.  In the play, MacBeth learns that his wife died after all the trauma that they both went through after killing Duncan.  They both were facing extremely traumatizing events and struggled to stay sane.  After learning about his wife’s death he said “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word” (5.5.20-21).  This shows that MacBeth was not even very mad or sad about her death.  He just said she would have died anyway.  Husband and wife are supposed to have the strongest bond relationship to anyone else and MacBeth did not even care.  The power MacBeth obtained destroyed his relationship with his wife and the power they obtained killed them in the end.  MacBeth lost all of his life because of his greed and anxiousness for power.  Power destroys relationships and causes people to become uncaring of their loved ones.

Another reason why power destroys relationships is because it distracts one from reality.  When one becomes obsessed with power all they care about is obtaining more power.  They lose sight of what is actually happening around them and they begin making rash decisions.  MacBeth began figuring out that his good old friend Banquo was starting to figure out what happened to Duncan.  MacBeth began talking to three murders telling them to kill Banquo because he is “a bad man.”  MacBeth then stated, “So is he mine; and in such bloody distance that every minute of his being thrusts against my near’st of life“ (3.1.119-121).  This shows how MacBeth did not really want to kill his best friend but made a rash decision because he believed that Banquo stood in the way of his growing in power.  MacBeth became so obsessed with power that he killed his best friend who he fought in battle with.  In this scene, MacBeth kept saying how bad Banquo was because he believed if he said something enough he would believe it.  Power destroyed his relationship with his wife and his best friend.  All of his relationships were gone,  The power got to his head and caused his relationships to deteriorate. 
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In conclusion, power is a thing many people believe they want.  They believe that the power will bring them happiness. This thought causes them to become obsessed and lose all of their relationships.  The relationships will be destroyed because of how much one is distracted more reality and how uncaring they have become.   Obsession over power causes destroyed relationships and ruins bonds that can never be formed again.  ​