Desire, Power, and Self-Disintegration

Abstract

This paper compares two classics of English literature separated by two hundred years: Macbeth (1623) by William Shakespeare and Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley.  Both follow a remarkably similar trajectory of self-devastation through desire. This study has taken insights from the Freudian concepts of id, ego, and superego, as well as Lacanian paradigms of lack, symbolic order, and objet petit a. It suggests that in both texts, the unchecked desire progressively weakens rational self-control. Macbeth’s ambition for leadership and Victor Frankenstein’s desire to create life are both interpreted as psychological voids the characters can never satisfy. This leads them to increasing guilt, loneliness, and ethical decay. The analysis also treats Lady Macbeth and the Creature as externalized versions of the protagonists’ suppressed desires and fears. Moreover, it situates both works within a broader theoretical context of the tragic hero. The paper also examines the rhetorical devices the protagonists use to justify or mask their desires, as well as the feminine and masculine aspects of ambition and creation that permeate both stories. The paper also reflects on the relevance of these two texts today, as they still speak to issues of scientific responsibility and political authoritarianism; however, it has also highlighted the contemporary relevance of AI and digital platforms, and the responsible use of them. Ultimately, the study shows that although Macbeth’s and Victor’s desires differ, both characters’ trajectories lead to a similar psychological and social breakdown: lonely, self-disintegrated individuals who portray the universal psychological force of desire and its absence.