The determining factor in the greatness of a work of literature is whether or not it has a powerful impact on the audience. John Hersey once said, "The final test of a work of art, is not whether it has beauty, but whether it has power." William Shakespeare's Macbeth and Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird are both literary classics that prove Hersey's statement to be true. Much of the power of these books comes from the strong development of timeless themes and characters, and use of effective imagery and symbolism.
Macbeth's themes are much of what make the play the classic it is. One of these themes is that too much ambition can have disastrous consequences. In his attempt to gain more power, he killed his good friends King Duncan and Banquo, as well as MacDuff's family. Macbeth became increasingly cruel and ruthless as a ruler, until he was beheaded MacDuff. Macbeth was once a good and loyal servant to his kingdom, but his greed led to his evil end. This theme of how people's greed can lead to their downfall is still very relevant today. The theme of fate's role in life is also present in Macbeth. Macbeth visited the three Weird Sisters, who prophesied that Macbeth would become the king of Scotland. They could have truly known the future and that Macbeth would become king. They could have also just merely influenced Macbeth and set him in the proper path for him to become king, with Macbeth having a choice over his destiny. The play leaves this open for interpretation. This theme adds to the play's power because the question of fate is still debated today.
Shakespeare's frequent use of imagery in Macbeth also adds to its power. The image of Banquo's ghost is very strong because it allows the reader to imagine seeing the hallucination as Macbeth did, making the expression of his guilt more effective. Being able to better picture the scene allows the reader to understand better what Macbeth is feeling.
