Macbeth Themes/Main Ideas

Unchecked Ambition and Morality

The central theme of Macbeth—the repercussions of ambition unchecked by moral constraints—is most powerfully exemplified by the play’s two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth is introduced to the audience as a brave warrior who enjoys his king’s favor. Initially, he does not seem inclined to commit terrible deeds. However, his encounter with the witches encourages his deep-seated ambition, which is further fanned on by Lady Macbeth. Confused by the witches’ claims, he initially tries to dismiss their prophecies, but, with some coaxing from Lady Macbeth, he eventually resolves to kill King Duncan.

After killing the king, he is crippled by guilt and paranoia. Lady Macbeth, who at first seems more capable of dealing with guilt, descends into sleepwalking and madness. As she later confesses in the play, “Where our desire is got without content. / ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy. / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.” Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are steeped in guilt, unable to enjoy the fruits of power they have labored for. They are eventually held accountable for the violent, treacherous means they employ to achieve their ambition. The Macbeths’ approach is in stark contrast with Banquo’s character. Though Banquo is tempted by the prophecy about his heirs ascending the throne, he chooses not to actively pursue the prophecy’s fruition on moral grounds.

Macbeth shows that when ambition is unchecked by morality, it mostly results in emotional and psychological ruin. In other words, violent means result in violent ends.

Kingship and Tyranny

The play is a powerful portrayal of the differences between kingship and tyranny. In the play, Duncan is mostly referred to as the “king.” When Macbeth ascends the throne, he is only called a “tyrant.” Macbeth shows that power doesn’t necessarily guarantee good reputation.

The conversation between Malcolm and Macduff in Act 4, Scene 3, when the two meet in England, features a deeper exploration of the subject of kingship: Malcolm states, “The king-becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temp’rance, stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness.” The ideal king should not only strive to bring order and justice to his kingdom but also be kind and considerate to his subjects. He should be generous, as indeed Duncan was when he made Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor after Macbeth’s military victories.

Benevolent kingship is also associated with the preservation of the natural order or divine kingship. Since the king was seen as God’s representative on Earth, any disruption to a king’s rule was believed to result in the disruption of the natural order as well. It is in this context that the audience must view the supernatural and unnatural events depicted in the play. Finally, the play suggests that a good king should ultimately be loyal to his kingdom, not to his own needs. Macbeth is deemed a “tyrant” because he is mainly driven by his own interests. In fact, his interests superseded the interests of his kingdom and subjects.

Gender and Cruelty

Macbeth explores gender roles by pitting societal expectations against individual passion. Lady Macbeth appears more determined, frightening, and driven than her husband. This is in stark contrast to the typical portrait of the Elizabethan woman, which inevitably involved giving birth to and raising children as well as maintaining a perfect household. However, Lady Macbeth desires the crown. Though she is more driven and scheming than her husband, she is held back because of her gender. She even longs to be “unsexed,” so that she can kill Duncan herself. In her speech, she repeatedly associates killing with masculinity.

Macbeth is awed by Lady Macbeth’s resolve. He tells her that it would be fitting for a strong woman such as herself to give birth only to sons. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill the king by questioning his ambitions and masculinity. Similarly, Macbeth, too, provokes the murderers he hires to kill Banquo by questioning their manhood. This shows that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth equate masculinity with aggression. Whenever the Macbeths discuss manhood, they inevitably discuss violence also.

Lady Macbeth is not the only female figure associated with violence. The witches also usher in chaos and violence. The play seems to suggest that women can be the source of great evil, and this has led many scholars to argue that Macbeth might be Shakespeare’s most misogynistic play. Arguably, the play reinforces the notion that it is in men’s nature to cause and pursue violence; this notion is problematic because it often absolves men for violent deeds since violence is typically cloaked in the garb of masculinity.

Though the play also suggests that women can be as ambitious as men, it is telling that Lady Macbeth cannot and does not kill Duncan herself. She has to manipulate and charm Macbeth into killing the king.

However, the play also presents a less destructive notion of masculinity toward the end. When Macduff learns about his family’s death, Malcolm urges him to avenge their death like a man, to which Macduff responds, “I shall do so. But I must also feel it as a man.” In doing so, Macduff suggests that masculinity and emotions are not mutually exclusive.