Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

In stories where a character experiences a downfall, there is always something or someone who is to blame. Readers may wonder whenever these kinds of incidents happen. In the William Shakespeare play, Macbeth, the character Macbeth has an incredibly horrible downfall that progresses from the beginning to the end of the play. He starts out a normal man whom the audience would never expect to change in the way he does. As his wife, Lady Macbeth, urges him to kill king Duncan so he can become king, his urge for killing only grows and transforms him into a serial killer.

(3.1.9-10). This means that Banquo will not act upon what the witches are telling him. What the witches are telling Macbeth would also never be coming true if he hadn’t acted upon it. As Banquo puts it in the play, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s/ In deepest consequence.”

Macbeth come across the three witches, there they state, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” (Act 1, Scene 3). In reply to the three witches, Macbeth demanded “stay you imperfect speakers! Tell me more”. With just these few statements announced, Macbeth’s thirst for power and glory arises and is clearly seen.

Cody A. Thompson Vanessa Dean British Literature 12 6 January 2016 What Was the Cause of Lady Macbeth’s Downfall? Lady Macbeth is one strange character. In the beginning of the play, the readers experience a very blood-thirsty, power-hungry woman.

Banquo. ... To me, you ask not. If you can look into the seeds of time and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear your favors nor your hate.(1.3.57-61). This quote explains how fate is being decided by the three witches to make Macbeth believe he will become king soon and Banquo long generation of royalty.

Since Macbeth does not have any children, he thinks even though he becomes a king, he has no offspring to continue his kingship. Based on that reason Macbeth thinks he will get threatened by Banquo in the future. Macbeth takes the witches’ advices seriously, and he decides to tell the prophecies to Lady Macbeth. This action taken by Macbeth eventually gives misled ambitions to Lady Macbeth. In contrast to Macbeth, Banquo did not take witches’ prophecies seriously as Macbeth did.

Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (Shakespeare Act I Scene III) The Witches call Macbeth by his title thane of Glamis, but then they also call him thane of Cawdor and king. He knew that he wasn’t the thane of Cawdor and he certainly wasn’t king, so at first he

Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.50-53). After this conversation, the statements from the witches essentially “give Macbeth the most power, and certainly confidence from the witches, [giving] Macbeth a tremendous amount of self-assurance boost and [becoming] arrogant and completely corrupt” (Kesur).

Macbeth is presented as a gallant nobleman in The Chronicles, similar to Shakespeare’s noble Macbeth, whom King Duncan sends to destroy the rebellion steered by the Thane of Cawdor. The role of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the death of Holinshed’s Mackdonwald is modified for Macbeth to be heroic. “Macbeth found the carcasse of Mackdonwald lying dead amongst the residue of the slain bodies, he caused the head to be cut off (Chronicles 264).” In contrast, Shakespeare’s Macbeth does not merely find the body of Thane of Cawdor, but intrepidly slays him during the battle to elevate Macbeth as a hero.

Often times, people go through rises and downfalls in their lives that they themselves are responsible for. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, both main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, himself, are responsible for the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed. However, Shakespeare accomplishes in showing that Macbeth is more responsible for his own downfall than Lady Macbeth because he listens to the witches and follows his ambition rather than his conscience. To begin, Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed by insulting him when he changes his mind.

Macbeth started off as a valiant and courageous soldier, who would do anything for the king. By the end of the play, Macbeth was a tyrant and a horrible leader who killed those who trusted him to maintain the throne. It takes many factors to take a strong man and transform him into an evil monster. Macbeth’s downfall was caused by the deception and temptation of the witches and their prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s greed and aspirations for her husband to be king, and Macbeth’s own greed, jealousy and ambition.

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth! Thou shalt be king hereafter!

To what extent does Shakespeare present Macbeth as the reason behind Macbeth’s downfall? It is clear that Macbeth is responsible for his own actions which ultimately led to his downfall; mentally and in society. His mild intentions strongly encouraged by Lady Macbeth led to inevitable consequences which one may find difficult to bare and forget. His wife, Lady Macbeth was a courageous, fearless woman willing to do what necessary to fulfill her burning ambition, even if it means manipulating ones close to do what she desires.

In the play of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character, Macbeth, is told by three witches that he was to become a king. This information prompts him to murder King Duncan which in turn makes him face constant pressure from multiple sides. His desire to receive and maintain power forces him to make questionable decisions as well as to turn to others in the story, including, for example, the witches and Lady Macbeth. The question that arises as a result is whether Macbeth’s downfall was caused by himself or those around him. What becomes evident as time goes on is that however true it may be that outside influences had played a role in how things would turn out, in the end, Macbeth’s decisions play the largest role in his downfall.