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Eiichiro Oda has crafted theOne Pieceworld so intricately that fans can’t help but come up with countless theories behind every instance. The fact that Oda loves playing with dramatic twists and foreshadowing makes fans even more eager to figure out easter eggs.
But rarely do you come across a fan theory that will blow your mind. However, a crazyOne Piecefan theory draws parallels between Blackbeard and Shakespeare’s playMacbethto explain Blackbeard’s future conquests.
Consequently, it also explains several of Blackbeard’s character traits, like his consumption of more than one Devil Fruit and his inability to sleep.
Blackbeard is the Macbeth ofOne Piece
Before understanding why Blackbeard never sleeps, you must knowhis correlation with Macbeth. The major points in Macbeth’s tale include being instigated by three witches that he will be the King of Scotland. He was a trusted thane of the king before he tried to usurp power. Similarly, Blackbeard was with the Whitebeard Pirates for 26 years before he betrayed them. He chose to lie in wait for the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit).
This prophecy coupled with Lady Macbeth’s call to action and Macbeth’s own ambitions, lead him to murdering King Duncan, and taking his place. Macbeth then loses his sleep, almost as if he had murdered it with Duncan. Macbeth chose to murder Duncan when he was asleep in the middle of the night. In the same vein, Blackbeard murdered Whitebeard only when he was at his weakest.
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Macbeth’s companion Banquo, on the other hand, was prophesied to beget a line of kings but would not be one himself. In this case, Ace could be called the Banquo toBlackbeardas both of them were nakama. Macbeth ultimately ends up killing Banquo to preserve his position, and Blackbeard does the same to Ace.
Next, Macbeth is murdered by Macduff, who seeks revenge for his family. The seat of the king is inherited by Malcolm who is Banquo’s son. Luffy can embody both Malcolm and Macduff, asOne Piecemight have taken inspiration fromMacbeth, but it is not a complete copy.
Why does Blackbeard never sleep?
One Piecehas frequently revealed that Blackbeard never sleeps, but how is it possible for a severe insomniac to stay sane like this? TheMacbeththeory has an answer to that as well; in fact, there are two theories that can explain Blackbeard’s condition via Shakespeare’s play.
A very famous quote in Macbeth presents the character’s insomnia after killing Duncan:
“Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!”
Macbeth not only suffers from guilt for killing his king, but he can no longer fall asleep because he killed Duncan in his sleep. Thus, Macbeth thinks he must always stay alert if he wants to keep his position.
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The next theory is regarding the absence of a Lady Macbeth equivalence inOne Piece. It is possible that Blackbeard himself containstwo personalities, which is further proved by his ability to hold the powers of two Devil Fruits in his body. Thus, his personalities take turns to handle the body, leaving Blackbeard no time to sleep.
The theory also suggests that Blackbeard has an evil personality that pushed him to murder Thatch, Whitebeard, and other characters. His good personality was in control before, but is slowly getting overpowered.
Why will Blackbeard become the King of Pirates?
If you follow the parallels between Macbeth and Blackbeard, you will realize that both of them have to reach the highest position before they can have a fall. Macbeth became the King of Scotland and went on a murderous rampage. Blackbeard is currently doing the same after disposing of Whitebeard. Next, he must become the King of Pirates to set the stage for his downfall.
However, in order to motivate Macduff’s revenge, Macbeth needed to kill his family. Similarly, Blackbeard needs to kill someone close to Luffy to drive him to desperation. This is where Shanks enters. His closeness with Luffy mighteventually get him killedto serve as Luffy’s motive.
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The theory also suggests that at one point, Eiichiro Oda willintroduce characters equivalent to the three witchesin Macbeth. After all, Blackbeard has been shown to have very strong ambitions since he was a teenager, which seems farfetched if he was not being guided by someone.
You can read theOne Piecemanga on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1557
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
