As the play continues, with the foreseeing witches and the deceptive lady Macbeth, he quickly turns from a courageous strong hearted man, to a tyrant king who is willing to commit the unthinkable to withhold his royal status. In Macbeth, the prophecies foretold by the three witches about future events enflame our protagonist, driving him to make treacherous decisions that impact severely on his downfall. He is immediately taken in as the witches reveal the royal titles. Eager to unlock the secrets of these prophecies, Macbeth questions the witches, demanding them to speak. "And often to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths."
Is Macbeth Responsible For His Downfall? Who is responsible for the downfall of Macbeth? He is manipulated by the witches, encouraged by his wife, but ultimately he chooses to act. His first conference with the witches, Macbeth’s ambition was planted and his mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of murder and betrayal. It fair to say, in addition, that if his betrayal caused this extensive pain that clouded him after he murders Duncan, Banquo and the Macduff’s that it wasn’t a case of fate and was his own doing.
Banquo states, “That, trusted home, might yet enkindle you unto the crown, besides the Thane of Cawdor. But ‘tis strange: And of oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles to betrays In deepest consequence.” (1.3.121-224). Banquo tells Macbeth that the witches predictions are evil and they must not assume that such prophecies of power, and greatness tell are true. Some say it is the fault of Lady Macbeth that Macbeth is sent to his death. However, he could have easily not listened to her at all.
A clear example of how power and ambition corrupts is demonstrated in the fictional tragedy of the Scottish ruler, Macbeth. Macbeth starts out a wise and noble general. He is loyal to his king. He has integrity, and the respect of all. However, once the notion of royal power is introduced by the Witches, the dam is broken and a cascade of corruption follows.
It was Lady Macbeth who had planned King Duncan’s murder and the framing of the guards because Macbeth was too worried about the consequences. However, the greed for power corrupted and changed Macbeth. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed.” (Act 3: II, line 50-51) Macbeth consoled Lady Macbeth about the necessity of the terrible things planned. The desire for power drove Macbeth to planning a second murder so he could feel secure. “I am in blood stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (Act 3: IV, line 167-169) After committing the murders of Duncan and Banquo, Macbeth had decided that he had already gone so far to get
This is ironic because right after this Duncan puts all his trust in Macbeth who ends up killing him – the king appears to have his vision clouded by the “fog” which prevents him from singling out betrayal (he is a poor judge of character). However, unlike their father Donaldbain and Malcolm sense deceit, after their father is announced dead they decide to flee Scotland in fear of murder. As Donaldbain says: “There’s daggers in men’s smiles; the nea’er in blood, /The nearer bloody.” They notice the concept of deceptive appearances and know that if the murderer had no problem with killing the king then they will be murdered without a second thought – as long as they are close to murder, theirs is inevitable. Donaldbain associates daggers with blood which is connected to the first scene in this Act where a dagger appears to Macbeth. This association may also suggest that the two brothers subconsciously know that Macbeth killed their father – this relates to Freud’s iceberg metaphor which is that the fully conscious
Ambition is a common downfall for those who seek power. In literature, authors use characters to demonstrate the harmful effects of ambition. Shakespeare, in his play Macbeth, develops the character of Macbeth, who changes from a good-hearted person to evil because of his corrupting power and unchecked ambition. In Act I, Macbeth debates with himself on whether or not to kill Duncan. He considers that, even if Duncan’s murder could be completed without any negative consequences, like getting caught, he still would have to live with guilt.
Greed is the sin that causes Macbeth to commit murder; killing Duncan to secure the crown for his taking. Macbeth continues to make decisions based on what the witches tell him will come true. The witches’ prediction that Banquo will father a line of kings for Scotland motivates Macbeth to kill him for the same reasons at Duncan, to secure the crown. These actions played out by Macbeth are due to prophesy’s he has been told, but he is still responsible for the actions he has made. Along with greed, Macbeth’s actions are caused from his fear of losing the
• Macbeth’s insecurity drives him to see the Witches, which in turn divert his psychological state. He feels even more insecure. • Order is restored when Macbeth is defeated and killed by Macduff. • The Ghost of Banquo is a sign that Macbeth has disrupted
Macbeth is the real villain and Lady Macbeth is just a partner in crime, egging him on because of her desire to be Queen. Macbeth was loyal to his King and was an excellent soldier. However his wife, Lady Macbeth could see a better future for Macbeth as King after Macbeth tells her about the witches and their prophesies in a letter. Despite these conflicting ideas, it was Macbeth himself who decided to murder Duncan and the others. It seems that most people believe that Macbeth is the real villain of the play, after firstly killing the King but then Banquo and Macduff’s family but through Macbeth’s own ambition and desire for power, Lady Macbeth was able to manipulate and evoke weaknesses in Macbeth’s character to cause his respectable needs as a loyal solider, to turn into evil motivations.