Macbeth Paper

Hi I had to do a Macbeth Paper. The Prompt was How did Secondary Desires corrupt Macbeth? I was to use quotes from Macbeth and Walden (Henry David Thoreau). I did a Outline which got checked by my teacher and then I corrected the mistakes and now I have a rough draft. I was wondering if someone could see how it is ^_^. I'm not the greatest at English (Honors) even though I have a A in the class. I'm more of a Math/Science Guy.

In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is a noble and brave man who served under King Duncan in Scotland. Macbeth was a nice and never did anything out of greed but then he met the three witches’ that told him three prophecies and from that moment forward Macbeth started to change into an entirely different person. Throughout the course of the play, secondary desires corrupt Macbeth. Secondary Desires such as the witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and Macbeth’s obsession of power lead Macbeth to become a tyrannical and corrupted leader.
Secondary desires such as an obsession or ambition for power slowly corrupted Macbeth when he became King of Scotland that resulted in a tyrannical rule. As Malcolm and Macduff were discussing about the situation in Scotland, Malcolm emphasizes about Macbeth as a king: “This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues,/Was once thought honest. You have loved him well./He hath not touched you yet.” (Shakespeare 4.3,12-14). Malcolm explains that he used to think Macbeth as a honest man before Macbeth became King. Macbeth became a tyrant after being corrupted by secondary desires such as the witch’s prophecies and obtaining the title of King. Macbeth doesn’t care about the people in his kingdom and Macbeth ultimately creates a totalitarianism society because of his corruption. All these secondary desires such as prophecies and obsession of power make Macbeth a cruel tyrannical king who the people of Scotland hate.
Macbeth’s ambition of power is caused by the witch’s prophecies that lead him into this curiosity of becoming King and having all this power. Macbeth keeps this ambition of power as King and wants to have even more power as King. Thoreau exclaims that, “In most books the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained; that, in respect to egotism, is the main difference. We commonly don’t remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking. In should not talk to much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.” (Thoreau, par. 2) . When relating Thoreau’s quotation to Macbeth, the reader knows that Macbeth only thought about himself and nobody else. Macbeth has a big ego and thinks of himself as a God or godlike character. Thoreau tells the reader to get away from an egotistic mind that can corrupt you. Thoreau’s idea doesn’t want to be like Macbeth who was egotistic and thought of himself as a God. Macbeth’s egotistic lifestyle leads Macbeth into wanting more power because he is corrupted by secondary desires that completely change Macbeth as a character.
Macbeth’s ambition or obsession for power and complete authority is caused by the secondary desires such as the witch’s prophecies and his own experience as King. Macbeth mutters, “I have no spur/To *** the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/And falls on th’other” (Shakespeare 1.7, 25-28) before proceeding to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s ambition to become King drives or motivates Macbeth into killing Duncan. Macbeth’s intent of killing Duncan is nothing but personal gain in order to become King and have all this power and supreme authority over the people. The witch’s prophecies stir Macbeth into curiosity and gives him is ambition to be king and not only that, Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and motivation gives him his ambition as well proving that these secondary desires indeed corrupt and change Macbeth. Macbeth was once a noble man who didn’t care about becoming king until secondary desires corrupted him. Ambition is a resulting cause of the secondary desires corrupting him.
Macbeth’s ambition as King and for complete authority and power lead to his overconfidence. “Tis better thee without than he within,” (Shakespeare 3.4, 12-14) Macbeth replies to the murderer as they discuss about the death of Banquo. Macbeth thought Banquo was a threat and then he killed him order to feel safer which shows extreme selfishness of Macbeth. Macbeth is overconfident that he can kill anyone and get all the power he wants. Macbeth’s ambition makes Macbeth more overconfident that he is all godlike and can do anything he wants shows how Macbeth is corrupted by power. These changes make Macbeth into a paranoid, harsh and insane man.
Secondary desires finally corrupt Macbeth by making him more overconfident and acting godlike. During the battle of Macbeth against Macduff, Macbeth screams, “Thou losest labor./As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air/With thy keen sword impress as make me bleed./Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests;/I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield/To one of woman born.” (Shakespeare 5.8, 8-13). The three apparitions Macbeth gets from the witches later in the play turn on Macbeth’s overconfidence. These apparitions make Macbeth think that no one can kill him and think himself as immortal. Macbeth taunts Macduff saying that he shouldn’t waste time fighting Macbeth and that he should go fight someone who can be harmed. From this the reader can learn that Macbeth has turn into this overconfident and ambitious person. Macbeth thinks of himself as a God who can’t be harmed by anyone. This mindset is caused by the witches apparitions that corrupt him and give him a confidence boost that proves that ultimately Macbeth’s godlike mindset and overconfidence is the cause of secondary desires corrupting him.
Macbeth’s changes by secondary desires all lead to one another which turn him into a tyrannical evil person. Macbeth is corrupted by secondary desires that change the way he is. Thoreau tells the reader that, “Most men lead quiet lives of desperation” (Thoreau, par. 9). Thoreau tells that most people in society have busy lives involved with secondary desires. When Macbeth became king, he lead a life of desperation where he was involved with secondary desires that change him into a new, evil person compared to who Macbeth was before his corruption. Macbeth had this kind of life when he was corrupted by secondary desires.
Macbeth was a noble and honorable man in the beginning of Macbeth. As the play progressed, Macbeth heard the prophecies and was manipulated by Lady Macbeth. These outside influences led to Macbeth’s evil. Secondary desires corrupt Macbeth into an entirely different person. Macbeth became a tyrant when he became king of Scotland and didn’t care about the people of Scotland. This leads to Macbeth’s ambition for power where he would do anything in order to keep his title as King and did whatever it took to become King of Scotland. This then leads to Macbeth’s hubris where Macbeth he was immortal or godlike and that no one could stop him and only believed in the prophecies of the witches. Macbeth turned into an ambitious, overconfident, tyrant because of the degeneration caused by secondary desires. The result of this immorality leads to Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth’s character was deeply altered by the demoralization or corruption of these secondary desires and turned him from a noble man to an evil tyrant. Macbeth was an innocent victim to fall towards these secondary desires and could also be considered a tragic hero demoralized by secondary desires.