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Essay / The dark side of human nature in Shakespeare's play 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 for wanting 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. Second, Lady Macbeth reveals an ambition that leads her to her own destruction. Finally, Macbeth is overcome by greed which leads him to commit horrible acts. Greed can lead you to do things you never thought you would. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Banquo said: “My noble partner, you greet him with present grace and great prediction, to have noble and royal hope, that he seems delighted. You're not talking to me. If you can look into the seeds of time and tell which grain will grow and which will not, then speak to me, who neither asks nor fears, your favor nor your hatred” (Act I, iii, 55-62). Banquo, who appears to be a noble man, also displays his greed by wanting to know a great 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 have promised: If the truth comes from them/As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine/Why, by the truths about thee confirmed ,/May they be my oracles like 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 exposes this secret information. Even though Banquo did not act to satisfy his greed, his greed to keep the secrets of the prophecies led him to his own death. A promise between Macbeth and Banquo prevents him from revealing their secrets. Macbeth promises to honor him, making 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 hearing about 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 picture 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 she knows, Macbeth doesn't have the courage to do it so she manipulates him "Has hope been drunk from this moment/As I consider your love, Are you afraid/To be the same in your own deed and velvet/As you esteem it 'is the ornament of life,/And live loosely in your own esteem,/Let I dare not wait, I would,/As the poor cat, as the saying goes? (Act I, VII, 35-44), Lady Macbeth not only plays her own role, but she also incites her husband to act to fulfill her desires. Lady Macbeth's natural humanity is shown when she is not able to kill Duncan herself because he resembles her father. This shows that she is trying to suppress her human nature and let her ambition reign. even after achieving her goal, she is unhappy throughout the play Lady Macbeth expresses her feelings, but not to Macbeth: "There was nothing, all was spent/Where our desire is obtained without content: /It's safer to be what we.