Just look at any state-induced acts of terrorism sponsored by a totalitarian government. Just as Macbeth has his political enemies murdered (Banquo, Macduff's wife and child), so too have despots killed and taken hostage political enemies of the state. Macbeth does not commit the murders himself, but he sponsors them. Most political "hits" are managed the same way. Macbeth represents a very modern, Machiavellian leader: vindictive, violent, controlling, and paranoid.
Look at how some of the descriptions of the following despots and autocrats:
Vladimir Putin: "As president he gained a reputation as a clever and ruthless political operator with a hunger for Russian power and not too much concern for the niceties of democracy or diplomacy."
Kim Jong-il: "the North Korean system became even more centralized and autocratic under Kim Jong-il than it had been under his father. Although Kim Il-sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless sought their advice in decision-making; Kim Jong-il demands absolute obedience and agreement, and views any deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty. According to Hwang, Kim Jong-il personally directs even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates."
Saddam Hussein: "On 5 November 2006, he was convicted of charges related to the 1982 killing of 148 Iraqi Shi'ites convicted of planning an assassination attempt against him, and was sentenced to death by hanging."
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