And then there were none

  1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

            In the play Macbeth, Macbeth’s downfall is his desire for power. At the beginning of the play, he is a war hero, highly esteemed by the Scottish king, when he encounters three witches. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane of Cawdor and eventually the king of Scotland. As Macbeth starts to see these prophesies come true, his desire to have power conflicts with his duties as thane and as king.

            After winning a war for Scotland, Macbeth finds out King Duncan has named him thane of Cawdor. As thane, he constantly thinks about the prophesy three witches told him: he will be king of Scotland. When King Duncan comes to his house that night, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth conspire to kill the king in order to obtain kingship for themselves. As king, Macbeth spends a majority of his time worrying about his old friend, Banquo, and his son, Fleance. Along with the witches’ prophesy that Macbeth would be king came the prophesy that Banquo would father a line of kings. Because of this, Macbeth has Banquo murdered and tries to kill Fleance. The more Macbeth feels his power is in danger, the more he tries to prevent it from being taken from him, even killing an innocent man’s family out of fear. This prevents him from completing his duties as King because he fails to protect his people, intentionally harming some them instead.

            Macbeth’s need for power and the murders he commits because of it leave him insane, and eventually lead to his death. After Banquo is killed, his ghost appears to Macbeth, along with three other apparitions. Seeing these ghosts, Macbeth raves and appears to his guests to be talking to himself. As his castle is under attack, and Macbeth realizes his end, he still fights, unable to give up his power willingly.

            Macbeth’s struggle between his desire for power and his responsibilities as king provides for most of the action in the play. Had he been able to stand up to his wife and not kill King Duncan, Macbeth never would have had any issues, and Macbeth never would have been written. His inability to mediate between private passion and responsibility not only provides for his inevitable downfall, but also the meaning of the play as a whole: power left unchecked ultimately results in destruction. Macbeth’s power as king is left unchecked, and his inability to balance that power with his duties leads to the destruction of himself, his friends, and the throne of Scotland.