Open Prompt #2

2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.

            A power struggle is a common reoccurring event in literature, whether it be a character trying to escape someone else’s power, gain power for themselves, or both. Macbeth from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is one such character. Macbeth’s struggle to gain power is the main focus of the play and the event that defines his character.

            The first instance when Macbeth shows his intention for power is when he and his wife plot to kill the present King of Scotland, King Duncan, so that Macbeth can be king. They invite the King to their house and Macbeth stabs him to death that night and frames the servants, who he then also kills to make sure his bloody acts aren’t found out.  Now that he is King and has gained all the power, one would think that he would stop the murder acts. However, now that he has power, he is so paranoid about losing it, that he continues with the murdering.

            In order to maintain his power, he wants to kill everyone who could potentially take his thrown away from him. The power has gone to his head so much that he orders his best friend Banquo and Banquo’s son Fleance to be killed. He doesn’t stop there, he finds out that Macduff, a Scottish noble, is against him, and orders him and his entire family to be killed. Macduff is gone when the hitmen arrive, so his entire family is killed. Now, he’s committing cruel acts that don’t have anything to do with maintaining power. For instance, there was no need to kill Macduff’s family, but Macbeth goes through with it anyway, to show his power.

            This constant struggle for Macbeth’s power enhances the meaning of the work, because every time Macbeth commits an act that has to do with guarding his power or getting more power, we can see the effect it has on him and his wife. The entire play is based on the how the effects of his greed lead to his downfall. The cruel acts cause his wife, Lady Macbeth, to go insane and kill herself, and cause Macbeth to go insane as well and be defeated and beheaded in the end.

            Overall, Macbeth’s struggle for power is what defines his character and leads to his eventual death. Since this was the main focus of the play, it seems to show that nothing good can come of greed for power.