Are Murder and Betrayal Really Worth Power? Macbeth is one of the most tragic, powerful and horrific plays William Shakespeare ever wrote. Shakespeare is the father of tragedies. More importantly, for every tragedy he wrote, he based it on a moral or lesson that should be learned after the play ended. Thus, in the play Macbeth, Shakespeare puts forward the idea that by betraying others, we in turn betray ourselves. Shakespeare proves this by showing that at the end of each murder Macbeth commits, he gradually moves down the ladder of respect and nobility. Macbeth begins as a noble and respected leader. He is kind and a brave fighter. But after three witches give him a prophecy, he begins to betray other characters and becomes an evil and malicious man. Therefore, by betraying others, he undermines his sense of humanity and how others perceive him. Macbeth's betrayal of Duncan is the first major form of betrayal depicted in the play. In short, Duncan trusts Macbeth completely, and Macbeth stabs him in the back. He does this because he is too unhappy with the way he currently lives and is seduced by the idea of ​​what Duncan has: power. After the witches tell Macbeth his prophecy and Lady Macbeth plans Duncan's murder, Macbeth thinks about why he kills Duncan. He realizes that this would most likely be a blatant mistake, as he says: "...Not carrying the knife myself." Moreover, Duncan / Has carried his faculties so gently, has been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, with the tongue of the trumpet, against / The deep damnation of his taking off" (1, 7, 16-20). That being said, not only does he understand the consequences of killing Du...... middle of paper ...... betraying himself. Macbeth is a perfect example of the fact that when you betray others, you also betray yourself. Macbeth pays for what he does in many ways, such as hallucinations, hearings, and death. Is power really worth all this? A man named Erich Fromm once said: “There is no meaning in life except that which man gives to his life by deploying his powers.” “This idea fits perfectly with Macbeth because it explains that a person's life is their own choice. If an individual decides to use their power for evil, their life will slowly become evil and they will pay the price. Macbeth uses his power to commit evil acts and he betrays others. Everything finally comes back to him when he realizes that he betrayed himself. You have to be careful how they use their power. Will it be used for evil? Or for good? And is the price of evil really worth it??