Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition
The main theme of Macbeth—the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral
constraints—finds its most powerful expression in the play’s two main characters. Macbeth is a
courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply
desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward
stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play he descends into a kind of frantic,
boastful madness. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater
determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immoral acts. One
of Shakespeare’s most forcefully drawn female characters, she spurs her husband mercilessly to
kill Duncan and urges him to be strong in the murder’s aftermath, but she is eventually driven to
distraction by the effect of Macbeth’s repeated bloodshed on her conscience. In each case,
ambition—helped, of course, by the malign prophecies of the witches—is what drives the couple
to ever more terrible atrocities. The problem, the play suggests, is that once one decides to use
violence to further one’s quest for power, it is difficult to stop. There are always potential threats
to the throne—Banquo, Fleance, Macduff—and it is always tempting to use violent means to
dispose of them.
The Relationship Between Cruelty and Masculinity
Characters in Macbeth frequently dwell on issues of gender. Lady Macbeth manipulates her
husband by questioning his manhood, wishes that she herself could be “unsexed,” and does not
contradict Macbeth when he says that a woman like her should give birth only to boys. In the
same manner that Lady Macbeth goads her husband on to murder, Macbeth provokes the
murderers he hires to kill Banquo by questioning their manhood. Such acts show that both
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth equate masculinity with naked aggression, and whenever they
converse about manhood, violence soon follows. Their understanding of manhood allows the
political order depicted in the play to descend into chaos.
At the same time, however, the audience cannot help noticing that women are also sources of
violence and evil. The witches’ prophecies spark Macbeth’s ambitions and then encourage his
violent behavior; Lady Macbeth provides the brains and the will behind her husband’s plotting;
and the only divine being to appear is Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.
Arguably, Macbeth traces the root of chaos and evil to women, which has led some critics to
argue that this is Shakespeare’s most misogynistic play. While the male characters are just as
violent and prone to evil as the women, the aggression of the female characters is more striking
because it goes against prevailing expectations of how women ought to behave. Lady Macbeth’s
behavior certainly shows that women can be as ambitious and cruel as men. Whether because of
the constraints of her society or because she is not fearless enough to kill, Lady Macbeth relies
on deception and manipulation rather than violence to achieve her ends.
Ultimately, the play does put forth a revised and less destructive definition of manhood. In the
scene where Macduff learns of the murders of his wife and child, Malcolm consoles him by
encouraging him to take the news in “manly” fashion, by seeking revenge upon Macbeth.
Macduff shows the young heir apparent that he has a mistaken understanding of masculinity. To
Malcolm’s suggestion, “Dispute it like a man,” Macduff replies, “I shall do so. But I must also
feel it as a man” (4.3.221–223). At the end of the play, Siward receives news of his son’s death
rather complacently. Malcolm responds: “He’s worth more sorrow [than you have expressed] /
And that I’ll spend for him” (5.11.16–17). Malcolm’s comment shows that he has learned the
lesson Macduff gave him on the sentient nature of true masculinity. It also suggests that, with
Malcolm’s coronation, order will be restored to the Kingdom of Scotland.

The Difference Between Kingship and Tyranny

In the play, Duncan is always referred to as a “king,” while Macbeth soon becomes known as the
“tyrant.” The difference between the two types of rulers seems to be expressed in a conversation
that occurs in Act 4, scene 3, when Macduff meets Malcolm in England. In order to test
Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland, Malcolm pretends that he would make an even worse king than
Macbeth. He tells Macduff of his reproachable qualities—among them a thirst for personal
power and a violent temperament, both of which seem to characterize Macbeth perfectly. On the
other hand, Malcolm says, “The king-becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temp’rance,
stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness” (4.3.92–93). The model king, then,
offers the kingdom an embodiment of order and justice, but also comfort and affection. Under
him, subjects are rewarded according to their merits, as when Duncan makes Macbeth thane of
Cawdor after Macbeth’s victory over the invaders. Most important, the king must be loyal to
Scotland above his own interests. Macbeth, by contrast, brings only chaos to Scotland—
symbolized in the bad weather and bizarre supernatural events—and offers no real justice, only a
habit of capriciously murdering those he sees as a threat. As the embodiment of tyranny, he must
be overcome by Malcolm so that Scotland can have a true king once more.

Ambition
Although he is encouraged by the Witches, Macbeth’s true downfall is his own ambition. Lady
Macbeth is as ambitious as her husband, encouraging him to commit murder to achieve their
goals. Both Macbeths fail to see how their ambition makes them cross moral lines and will lead
to their downfall. Once Macbeth kills Duncan, his ambition to hold on to his title as king
becomes intertwined with his paranoia. Rather than being able to enjoy the fruits of his ambition,
he becomes obsessed with maintaining the power he’s won. Macbeth’s blind pursuit of power
can be contrasted with other ambitious characters in the play like Banquo. Banquo also hears the
Witches’ prophesies, and similarly has ambition for his sons. But ulike Macbeth, Banquo’s
morality prevents him from pursuing his goal at any cost. At the end of the play, Macbeth has
achieved all he wanted, but has nothing. With his wife gone and no hope of producing a prince,
Macbeth sees what his unchecked ambition has cost him: the loss of all he holds dear.

Guilt
Macbeth’s guilt about murdering his king, Duncan, and ordering the murder of his friend,
Banquo, causes him to have guilty hallucinations. Lady Macbeth also hallucinates and eventually
goes insane from guilt over her role in Duncan’s death. The fact that both characters suffer
torment as a result of their actions suggests neither Macbeth nor his wife is entirely cold-
blooded. Although they commit terrible crimes, they know, on some level, that what they’ve
 done is wrong. Their guilt prevents them from fully enjoying the power they craved. Lady
Macbeth says “What’s done/ cannot be undone” in Act Five scene one, but her guilt continues to
torment her. While Macbeth’s guilt causes him to commit further murders in an attempt to cover
up his initial crimes, Lady Macbeth’s guilt drives her to insanity, and, finally, suicide.

Children
The loss of children is a complex and intriguing theme in the play. For both Macbeth and
Banquo, children represent the idea of the continuation of a family line. Macbeth has Banquo
murdered in hopes of thwarting the Witches’ prophecy that Banquo will sire a long line of kings.
However, Fleance is able to escape being killed, leaving open the possibility he will one day take
over the throne. Macbeth and his wife have no heirs, although Lady Macbeth references having
been a mother once, saying, “I have given suck, and know / How tender ‘tis to love the babe that
milks me. “ This line suggests the Macbeths may have lost a child. Similarly, Macduff mourns
the children Macbeth ordered killed and uses their memory to spur him on to victory against their
killer; and Siward laments the loss of his son in the play’s closing battle, but is proud to have
fathered such a brave soldier who fought in a noble cause.

Symbols
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MAIN IDEAS SYMBOLS
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts.
Blood
Blood is everywhere in Macbeth, beginning with the opening battle between the Scots and the
Norwegian invaders, which is described in harrowing terms by the wounded captain in Act 1,
scene 2. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their murderous journey, blood comes
to symbolize their guilt, and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that
cannot be washed clean. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my
hand?” Macbeth cries after he has killed Duncan, even as his wife scolds him and says that a
little water will do the job (2.2.58–59). Later, though, she comes to share his horrified sense of
being stained: “Out, damned spot; out, I say . . . who would have thought the old man to have
had so much blood in him?” she asks as she wanders through the halls of their castle near the
close of the play (5.1.30–34). Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the
consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves.
The Weather
As in other Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth’s grotesque murder spree is accompanied by a
number of unnatural occurrences in the natural realm. From the thunder and lightning that
accompany the witches’ appearances to the terrible storms that rage on the night of Duncan’s
murder, these violations of the natural order reflect corruption in the moral and political orders.