Theme Of Pride In Macbeth

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Known for his intricate and playful style, English author and poet William Shakespeare has been a cultural icon for four hundred years. Shakespeare’s plays are widely considered to be among the best pieces of literature ever written. Chief among his many stage plays is the tragedy Macbeth. In this story, the author emphasizes and explores the human capacity for depravity and ambition. Within this scope, Shakespeare uses his title character Macbeth and his bloody journey to the throne of Scotland, to show the consequences of vice in the human life. Although Macbeth exemplifies many different vices, the main character is consumed specifically by pride, which can be seen both through his nefarious plans, murderous actions, and mental struggle. …show more content…
Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, which explores vice and virtue in depth, defines pride as “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbor”. So, pride is not only a misapplied and overly strong love of oneself, but also contains a sense of hatred toward others. Echoing these same sentiments, Jonathan Edwards states “Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt.” This quote complements Dante’s definition of pride, as it continues to bring out the idea that pride seeks to build up ones own importance, while diminishing the importance of others. Typically, pride is seen as the most destructive of the vices, as it exposes and leads mankind to a wealth of other sins. Expounding on the idea of vice and how it applies to daily life, Rebecca DeYoung states, “vices are acquired moral qualities. We can cultivate habits or break them down over time through our repeated actions, and thus we are ultimately responsible for our character” (DeYoung 13). Pride, along with the other vices, is not a momentary glitch but a habitual way of life. For this reason, pride is extremely difficult to root out of one’s …show more content…
In various passages, Macbeth’s conscience wars against his pride. Arguing with himself about his plan to kill King Duncan, Macbeth states “But in these cases / We still have judgment here, that we but teach / Bloody instruction, which, being taught, return / To plague th’inventor: this even-handed justice / Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice / to our own lips” (1.7.7-12). In these lines, Macbeth’s conscience realizes that there will be adverse consequences to his murderous actions. Nevertheless, the title character’s pride overcomes his common sense and pushes him toward the throne. Pride prohibits Macbeth from ejecting himself from the murderous path he had concocted. Macbeth continues to choose vice over virtue, going against what he knows to be right. Eventually, the Thane of Glamis’s pride consumes him, overcoming his conscience, and causes him to loose his sanity and leading to the murder of the king and his servants and eventually a war that claimed a number of innocent
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