Macbeth and Martin Luther: Conviction vs. Ambition

Origins of Action: Conviction Versus Temptation

Both the historical Martin Luther and Shakespeare's Macbeth were men who took action rather than thrived on reflection. At the beginning of their respective narratives, they had won great acclaim from the predominant authorities within their societies. Macbeth had just become the Thane of Cawdor because of the honors he had won for King Duncan. Martin Luther was a monk within the Roman Catholic Church, the most important ecclesiastical body in Europe at the time. However, both men were torn apart by the conviction that the way they were living their lives was wrong, and ultimately they moved heaven and earth to achieve their ambitions to do what they thought was right.

Yet here the comparison truly ends, for Martin Luther's convictions were based in how Luther personally read and interpreted the Bible, while Macbeth's questioning of the fairness of Malcolm rather than his own succession to the English throne came from without, in the persona of his own wife and the temptations presented by the prophesying witches. Regardless of whether one agrees with Martin Luther's reading of the Bible, Luther clearly believed that he had to speak out to honor the word of God. He believed that the practice of selling indulgences was theologically incorrect, and that faith alone, rather than works, justified a soul before Christ.

The Sources of Moral Authority

Macbeth, in contrast, only developed a sense of disquiet about his place in the world after the three witches hailed him as king. This destabilized Macbeth's sense of contentment with his current king and position. At first, when confronted with the men who hailed him as the new Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth asked why they dressed him in borrowed robes, indicating that he did not expect to receive such a title in recompense for his efforts to protect Duncan. However, after being tempted with the prospect of more titles from the witches and being urged on by the sexual taunting of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth no longer found being the Thane of Cawdor adequate compensation.

This fundamental difference in motivation is crucial to understanding how the two men's lives unfolded. Luther's actions emerged from inner conviction—a personal relationship with God that compelled him to act regardless of worldly consequences. Macbeth's actions emerged from external pressure and internal weakness, a susceptibility to flattery and manipulation that overrode his better judgment. Where Luther could not act otherwise and remain true to his faith, Macbeth knew even as he acted that he could have chosen differently.

Suffering and Response

Both Luther and Macbeth eventually experienced terrible suffering because of their actions. Luther was excommunicated from the Church and shunned. The stunningly revolutionary quality of Luther's decision must not be underestimated, given how Catholicism dominated the political, social, and artistic aspects of Christendom. But Luther found strength to defend himself against the hatred and the punishments he was subject to from others from within his own character. He derived comfort and conviction from his sense of a personal relationship with God and believed that he was duty-bound as a Christian to submit himself to suffering to speak the truth.

Macbeth was likewise shunned and despised, as his regime became increasingly bloody. To hold onto his title without a viable and loyal external support structure required a regime of terror. 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.