Cultural Response: Macbeth, Murder and Motive

I think many of Shakespeare’s’ plays like Macbeth deal with the issues of power, temptation and moral conscience. This goes hand and hand with a passage of scripture from the Bible; For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. Another translation says it like this; For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. I think the focus can point to the desires or lust of the characters just as it can be for people in real life. When I watch a Dateline or 48 Hours murder mystery I’m amazed at how some people can kill others with no conscience or remorse for a desire to be with someone else or because they can’t have that person. Macbeth killed for power, which was the pride that he desired to be greatly admired as king. Although Lady Macbeth conspires and influences him to commit this crime, later her conscience begins to plague her and she is sorrowful for this great transgression unlike Macbeth.