Rooted in Power

Trees are complex and take the right conditions to grow into large prosperous organisms that take root in fertile soil. Macbeth’s soil was fertilized with his victories in battle but tainted with the poison of entitlement, so justly placed within his foundation of being by his lovely wife. Macbeth’s roots began to rot as his entitlement seeps deeper into his being intertwining itself with the core of his morality. The larger and more intense the flame the more it consumes and faster it burns out, the bigger the tree the more extensive the damage the roots do when it topples over. Macbeth uproots his society’s set of beliefs and challenges what authority and power mean if they can be claimed by someone who does not hold them through birthright. Tragedy is greatest when the innocent are caught in the crossfire that they had no way of avoiding; the only contributing factor they played was existing. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth give it no thought that the king and his sons played no part in gaining their own power, born scepter hand at the ready never knowing empathy towards other classes besides their own. Macbeth has killed and had others kill for his power, he fought for what he had but showed that no matter the means you used to achieve your power humans are still easily corrupted. Even the most morally rigid of us would compromise a belief or two if any want or desire could be theirs. Anyone who associates with the powerful whether they play active roles in the consumption of power or those who just retain it are targets. Lady Macduff was a bystander in a war she didn’t initiate but was slaughtered along with her children based solely off of association. Tragedy is fighting for what you think is right and then having everything you were fighting for taken, leaving you to self-serving motives like revenge that is backed by emotion or pride.