Macbeth Themes & Motifs

Ambition: people may strive to become successful with their career and fulfill their goals.
An entrepreneur may start with a small local business, while over time expanding it into a larger, more recognizable company.
Students in school that wish to become athletes may have to not only work hard with sports, but also with academics in order to acquire scholarships that helps them take a step towards their dream.

A quote about ambition and persistence, stating that they are needed to reach success.

Fate and free will: individuals have an amount of influence over their lives, despite not being able to control everything.
An individual may not be appreciative of their facial structure derived from birth, and had no control over such (fate). However, the subject may undergo plastic surgery by their own choice in hopes of alleviating their problem (free will).
Some people are born into poverty, while others with a silver spoon in their mouth - both are uncontrollable (fate). That being said, the decisions made by these people throughout their lives can be a factor in them trading bank accounts (free will).
A look at the fate/free will debate involving genetics

Appearance and reality can influence how an individual interprets the themselves and the world around them.
In the working world, people often put on a persona that inflates their abilities and hides their weaknesses, making themselves appear more perfect than they are. If someone gets too used to their act, they may believe that they are in fact what they say they are - which can lead to disappointment once they are proven that they are not invincible, and do have flaws.
The media does not always cover their reports from all angles. Broadcasts are generally one-sided, in order to convey a single point of view or message to the public. The media has influence over how a large population of people view the world, even if it masquerades what it is actually addressing.

An image portraying the personas that people may mask themselves under.

Power in Macbeth and Lord of the Flies

     In both Macbeth and Lord of the Flies (LotF), hunger for power is an essential motive to drive the story, and there are similar ways in which this is illustrated. Macbeth from the play and Jack from LotF are comparable characters which can underline this. At the start of the plot, both characters seem rather tame and pure - Macbeth is highly regarded by his peers, while Jack is a normal schoolboy. However, this changes once a desire for power starts to grow within them - when Macbeth hears the witches' prophecy, while Jack is beaten by Ralph in the election to become leader of the boys. At this time, Macbeth is told about what could be, and this opens his eyes to the possibility of becoming king. On the other hand, Jack got a taste for a chance to become the leader, the strongest on the island. With their wishes in mind, Macbeth pushes the plot by killing king Duncan, while Jack turns a number of the boys against Ralph. marks the start of their hostility, and shows what they are capable of doing to gain power. Macbeth takes power from Duncan just like Jack took power from Ralph. In order to maintain their temporary power, they crossed more boundaries. Macbeth killed his friend Banquo and Macduff's family in hopes of establishing control, while Jack kills a pig as an offering to the beast - and to scare the boys into following him for longer. In both cases, a lust for power was needed in order for these events to happen, and without it Macbeth and Jack would likely have remained pure, without giving into bloodshed.

~~~

A blade through the heart represents betrayal in Macbeth, which was one

of the doings the character underwent to gain and keep his power.

 

The sow's head represents fear, and it was with this fear that Jack aimed

to manipulate the boys on the island to sustain his power.