Was Macbeth Responsible For Killing Duncan

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Macbeth is solely responsible for the murder of Duncan. However, his decision to kill the king may have been influenced by others. There are various characters that I feel could have induced Macbeth into killing the king. At the beginning of the play, three witches arrange to meet Macbeth, upon the heath, after battle. Macbeth and Banquo went to battle intent on winning. Macbeth confronted Macdonwald successfully. The battle had been won and the witches appeared, hailing Macbeth as “Thane of Glamis”, “Thane of Cawdor” and “king hereafter”. Macbeth bemused by these new titles: receives news from a messenger that he had been appointed the new “Thane of Cawdor”. King Duncan had reached this decision on hearing that the initial “Thane of Cawdor” was traitorous to Scotland during battle.…show more content…
Macbeth struggled with this concept, contemplating whether he should carry out the evil deed. He conjured up a list of reasons to avoid killing King Duncan. Lady Macbeth then challenged Macbeth’s manhood, referring to him as a coward. Only then did he take it upon himself to kill the king. Although, Macbeth takes the dagger and kills King Duncan, Lady Macbeth was the one who planned to kill him that night and frame his guards. I believe that Lady Macbeth played a huge part in the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth was ambitious about becoming King, yet, at moments he felt uneasy about the idea of murdering Duncan. Lady Macbeth convinced him otherwise challenging his manhood and planning the murder to the finer details. Lady Macbeth went to great measures to make sure Duncan was killed; she even called upon the evil spirits to aid her. If Lady Macbeth had not been in the play, Macbeth mostly likely would have continued to serve the King honourably even if he had some doubts. Shakespeare, W 1994, Macbeth, London, Penguin

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