Strengths And Weaknesses In Macbeth

Undoubtedly, a good leader must be kind, decisive, generous, and brave among others characteristics. However, having them all does not guarantee a good leadership unless the person in office finds the necessary balance. In William Shakespeare´s Macbeth, three different kinds of leaders had the chance to rule Scotland. Each one of them showed different kinds of strengths and weaknesses. Unquestionably, certain excesses, even some associated to positive traits, led two of them to fail as leaders and to bring upon themselves their own destruction. By comparison, the only leader who was able to overcome weaknesses and develop strengths in order to find balance was the one who could finally rule Scotland in a morally strong way. Macbeth written …show more content…
Why? Because his gracious personality blinded him and did not aloud him to see other peoples machinations. Besides that, ambitious people like Macbeth, perceived him as a weak leader who was unable to courageously make decisions or stand his ground on the face of opposition. This weakness later led to his assassination. Throughout history, morally strong leaders such as Duncan have been assassinated because their moral values become an obstacle for other people´s ambitions. Duncan is far from imagining what Macbeth is planning for him and Macbeth knew this well when Macbeth mentions, “He is here in double trust” (1.7.12). Malcom guiltily reflected as he tried to give himself reasons not to continue with his ambitious plans to replace Duncan as the king of Scotland. The reason why Malcolm knew well about the devotion Duncan professed him, was that the king of Scotland never spared words of praise to show him his appreciation. Someone who knew well about that appreciation and profited from it, was Macbeth’s wife because Duncan directly told her what he felt for her husband: “We love him highly / and shall continue our graces towards him” (1.6.29-30). With these words, Duncan innocently told Lady Macbeth how much he trusted the person who was planning to kill him. To conclude, Duncan’s excessive kindness became his greatest weakness and, ultimately, the cause of his death and of the suffering that …show more content…
In these lines, Duncan expresses some of the decisions he is making to make Scotland stronger and more united by calling back the people who had escaped from the previous abuse of power. On the other hand, he also wants to deliver justice and punish Macbeth’s supporters. Once Malcolm has acquired the necessary self-confidence and knowledge, he becomes a balanced leader who tries to do his best for his nation: “That calls upon us, by the grace of Grace, / we will perform in measure, time and place” (5.8.74-75). He expresses that he is committed to lead his Scotland effectively under God’s guidance by doing what he is required to do at a given time and place. Given these points, it is possible to state that Malcolm was able to overcome his initial weaknesses in order to become a morally strong and decisive leader who could rule with