There are an abundant amount of accounts in Shakespeare’s poem, Macbeth, which depict Macbeth as being morally ambiguous. Throughout the story, Macbeth is seen as heroic, evil, and misfortunate. Ultimately, Macbeth is tragic hero insofar as he was once a hero; however, he allowed for his ambition to get the best of him and lead him to his downfall. First of all, the beginning of the poem, the Sergeant glorifies Macbeth by notifying King Duncan of his heroic actions in battle. “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name) disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like Valour’s minion carved out his passage, till he faced the slave, which never shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, till he unseamed
Upon hearing of his families’ death, Macduff returns to Scotland to confront Macbeth, who is slain. The horrid acts performed by Macbeth were brought to justice through his death, and power was restored with the crowning of King Malcolm. Lady Macbeth was the driving force that kept pushing Macbeth to his terrible crimes. One crucial statement she made to her husband directly insulted Macbeth’s manhood, and manipulated him into committing heinous crimes, “What beast was't then, When you durst do it then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man..."(Shakespeare, 1.7, 47-49). In this statement Lady Macbeth resorted to
/ Or have we eaten on the insane root/ that takes the reason prisoner? (1.2.84-86)” This shows that he is not sure if he is delusional and seeing things. While Macbeth believes the witches are real and wish to know more about his prophecy. He said to the witches, “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more. (1.3.71)” Banquo also doubts the intension of the witches, he believes that evil always tells one part of the truth in order to earn one’s trust and lead him to destruction.
Lady Macbeth challenges him, saying that he is not a man. Macbeth becomes defensive, and to defend himself, he kills Duncan. So, in the end both are to blame. Macbeth had committed the actual murder, and Lady Macbeth made the plan and convinced her husband to commit the
Macbeth’s ambition to become king, which is a position of great control over scotland’s affairs, causes him to lose control in his own life. In order to attain the throne, Macbeth commits murder, and the resulting guilt overwhelms and takes over his life. He becomes paranoid, and as he attempts to secure his throne by removing anyone whom he suspects to be a threat, he neglects Lady Macbeth, who had ultimate control over him so that he lost control in his life when Lady Macbeth distanced from him and died. Even at the beginning of the play, Macbeth had become submissive to the fate that the witches had prophesized for him, such that he did not account for the choices that he makes in life anymore and lost control. Macbeth becomes victim to guilt when he kills Duncan for the throne, and guilt then takes over his life, leaving him without control of his own behaviors.
It was his fatal flaw, ambition, that ultimately led to his downfall. Macbeth was a man who could want for nothing. He was happily married, and an owner of lands, titles and respect. However, even that was not enough when a prophetic greeting from a trio of witches ignited something inside him, his fatal flaw: ambition. When the witches greet him as “...Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” [Act 1, Scene 3, Line 48] he begins to strive toward a larger goal: the throne.
The truth is that many of these decisions that Macbeth makes or follows is based on what the witches told him. One example of this is when Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill Duncan in order to become king. She specifically says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature / … / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, / and chastise with the valor of my tongue” (1.5.16-17, 27-28). In this quote Lady Macbeth is thinking about the witches prophecy and how she can make it come true.
After Macbeth kills the king, a bell rings and he says, “I go and it is done: the bell invites me. / Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven, or to hell” (2.1.62-64). Macbeth and Lady Macbeth also frame the guards for the dirty deed he has done. Malcolm and Donalbaine are so scared for their lives that they decide to stay with separate relatives. Separating where no one knows where they are will better insure their safety.
Macbeth himself was always yearning for power. It is first shown when he is made thane of Cawdor, and is jealous of Malcolm for becoming heir of the throne. “As Macbeth hears the title given to Malcolm, he shows again the conflict within him between ambition and fear.” (Campbell 216) His greed and ambition for more gets the better of him, as he plots with Lady Macbeth to kill King Duncan and become the heir to the throne. This was a very selfish act in his position; by killing Duncan and becoming king, Macbeth disrupted the chain of being and doomed all of society as a whole. “The Great Chain of Being was supposed to keep the Earth in a stable condition and order.
Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the Thane of Fife.” In quite literally the next scene, Macbeth sends hired murderers to slaughter Macduff. Although unsuccessful (only Lady Macduff and her son were killed), it proved that Macbeth was willing to go as far as it took to keep himself on the throne.