Diagnostic Misconceptions - Power

There is a lot of debate over what exactly motivates Macbeth to murder King Duncan. However, it is clear that Macbeth wants power. The Great Chain of Being was an idea that God set out an order for everything in the universe. At the top was God, then his angels, then chosen by God would be the king or queen of the country. A Jacobean audience believed that this gave the king or queen the ability to speak directly to God and that disobeying the king or queen was a sin.

For Macbeth, stealing the throne by killing King Duncan was a great risk and a terrible sin, but he was willing to commit this sin if it meant taking power. He’s not trying to be closer to God, as he would be committing a great sin against the natural order of society.