This also points to how unintelligent Macbeth really was. This is true for Lady Macbeth as well, as she convinced Macbeth to follow through with the plan, even with Macbeth doubting himself so much. I don’t think anyone could have predicted how Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both responded to Duncan’s murder. In committing the murder, Macbeth became king, but he would also become a nervous wreck that could be executed at any
3. Identify the various internal and external influences which affect Macbeth’s character in Act I. There are quite a few things that Macbeth’s character is influenced by: firstly, by the witches; they are the ones that have started the thoughts about the murder. His wife, Lady Macbeth was one of the major influences, if it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t have killed Duncan. 4.
The witches are being sneaky here to give Macbeth the illusion that he cannot be harmed. Macduff eventually kills Macduff. Does Macduff, who is not born of woman, (his mother passed before he was born) kill Macbeth because of fate? Maybe he does but why does Macduff want to kill Macbeth anyway? Macbeth killed the king and took the throne, so there is an apparent reason that it was Macbeth?s choice.
Lady Macbeth can only be held responsible for Macbeth becoming the king of Scotland to a very small extent. She definitely contributed to Duncan's death, but with the others she contributed very little if any. This is due to the fact that Macbeth was influenced by other sources for the sequence of murders. The Three Witches who with their prophecies planted thoughts in Macbeth's head about becoming king was one of those factors. The other person who of course was responsible for the murders was Macbeth himself.
His paranoia reached the point to where he was mentally unstable. One source of motivation for the killing of the king derives where most people would not most commonly suspect: his own wife. The idea of her becoming queen engulfed her mind; therefore, she urged Macbeth to proceed with the killing of King Duncan. Following Duncan’s murder, the only thing bothering Macbeth was the prophecy told by the witches about Banquou’s son becoming the king. Fearing the worst, he allowed his paranoia take over his thought process, by not it should be obvious that his paranoia played a big role in his decision making.
In part of the play, Macbeth even admits to his ambition, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other." As a result, many decisions were influenced negatively. His choice to kill the king was made too quickly, and had begun the snowballing effect of killing innocent people. After the witches had told Macbeth the four apparitions, he felt as though Banquo needed to be killed, since he was in the way of Macbeths becoming king. Other Characters in the play greatly influenced Macbeth.
Macbeth’s motive for murdering King Duncan was possibly based upon pleasing his wife as much as Macbeth’s desire to assume power. Macbeth committed the murder but Lady Macbeth was the strategist behind the plot. She was the one whom persuaded Macbeth, drugged the guards beforehand, calmed Macbeth down and instructed him what to then do afterwards. One would ponder as to why she did not murder King Duncan herself but the reason for this is revealed when she commented that she would have killed Duncan herself had he not resembled her father as he slept. This shows throughout all the meticulous planning of this cold hearted plot, deep down, Lady Macbeth had a level of morality that was not shown openly.
Therefore the witches could foretell Macbeth’s fate and his downfall. Although, the witches were not completely honest, Macbeths' actions were more ambitious and destructive than the witches, since Macbeth used violence to advance in the game of power taking harmful actions to the advance to the next. Proving, that Macbeths' actions fed his ambitions and led him to his downfall. Secondly, the witches told Macbeth the apparitions as if they were complete truths not just mere predictions. The witches mislead Macbeth into believe a certain fate that could possibly have been a false truth.
Macbeth’s Downfall Macbeth is at complete fault that lead to his downfall. Instead of waiting to see if the prophecies and apparitions came true, Macbeth decided to take fate into his own hands, and paid with his life. Although the witch’s prophecies and apparitions were quite startling, he could have waited to see if they were telling the truth or not; how far can you really trust a witch? One prophecy told Macbeth that he would be thane of Cawdor. He did not interfere with that prophecy.
Lady Macbeth is not satisfied with power, as soon as there is an additional opportunity for abundant power Lady Macbeth is committed to getting that power by any means necessary, moral or immoral. She desires for her husband to gutlessly murder King Duncan and expects him to be mentally stable after the murder. However, she is the one who is driven to complete insanity because of all the killing that Macbeth is doing and all the bloodshed that the pair has caused. This is essentially Lady Macbeths fault as she bestowed her corrupt morals onto Macbeth. She shaped the mindset that it was necessary to murder someone who trusts you for more power and accordingly she changed Macbeth’s way of thinking.