He even murdered his beloved friend Banquo. But although Luther initially lacked such a support structure, Luther eventually won supporters because people believed in his sincerity. They also realized that they too supported his objections to Catholic doctrine and the corruption of some of the officers of the church. Luther acted as a model, an example of Christian honor and fortitude that resonated with past examples of men who suffered for God in the Bible. Macbeth began his play more supported by friends and institutional authorities than Luther, but by the fourth and fifth acts of the tragedy, he was virtually alone, because the fact that he had acted only in his self-interest, not out of philosophical conviction or to advance the good of society. Soon, this self-interest became manifestly clear to everyone in Scotland.
Despite the purity of his convictions, Luther's actions spawned many bloody disputes. Although Luther believed what he was doing was right, his actions also created a fundamental lack of unity between Christians in Europe. His creation of a rival Christian sect meant that there would no longer be a single, unifying force and belief structure for all Christians. Good intentions...
However, Macbeth's example suggests that selfish actions almost invariably have evil results. Lady Macbeth, for example, lost her mind because she was so haunted by what she had urged her husband to do. Macbeth did not die by his own hand in the play, but he ended the play with a sense of utter despair and solitude, as evidenced in the "Tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy.
For Luther, life never lacked meaning, because life was in service to God, and every action he took was to do honor to what he saw as God's intention in revealing his word to the world. He willingly resisted against a more politically powerful authority figure without regard to personal consequences, because he believed he could do nothing else and still call himself a good Christian. Macbeth revolted against the decision of Duncan to make Malcolm heir, and his own horror at committing regicide because of his own
ambition, not because of any obligation to a higher moral cause. His own desire to advance himself, and to please his wife were the only reasons he acted, and the bloodshed that resulted tormented him, because he knew he could have acted otherwise. Although he told himself he was doing 'right' in listening to his wife, his inner
moral compass was revolted, and immediately upon committing murder he wailed that the knocking at the door could wake up Duncan and undo what had been done. Luther was not guilt-ridden like Macbeth at the bloody revolts around him, not because he did not regret the political and emotional fallout that resulted from his questioning of the Church hierarchy and practice, but because he always genuinely believed he could not act otherwise, and still call himself a good man.
