Jealousy In Macbeth

Three witches prophesied that Macbeth would acquire the Scottish throne as well as two other titles. After his encounter with the witches, Macbeth who was once honorable and loyal, begins to sink into the depths of despair as he seeks the crown regardless of the consequences. Macbeth killed the king in order to get the crown for himself. His wife, Lady Macbeth, was his main influence. It was Lady Macbeth who actually convinced Macbeth to kill Duncan. Without her untraditional role in the play, one could argue that Macbeth may have never become king. However, one could also argue that Macbeth would have become king regardless of his wife because his jealousy would have driven him to kill Duncan in order to get the crown. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth was against killing Duncan in order to become king. He said to himself in an aside that his, “thought,
One could argue that Macbeth’s jealousy towards Banquo would have driven him to kill anyway. The three witches told Banquo and Macbeth that Macbeth would become king, but that Banquo’s descendants would rule the throne after Macbeth. Overcome with jealously, Macbeth kills Banquo and attempts to kill his son. This decision was driven by both jealously and greed. His decision to kill Banquo and his son was driven by his own personal fear and jealousy. After killing Duncan he says, “ ...For them the gracious Duncan have I Murdered”. He realizes that his actions were in vain and Banquo’s children will become king regardless of Macbeth’s actions. Therefore, he would attempt to do anything in his power to keep Banquo from becoming king. If Lady Macbeth had never convinced Macbeth to kill Duncan, his own personal greed may have still driven him to do it. His extreme jealousy and greed are seen by how he reacts to Banquo’s