Macbeth desire to be king causes him to believe the witches for their prophesies have come true before. He is unable to see the witches as the most dangerous characters in the play. Without the witches playing upon Macbeth’s ambitions, it is doubtful that Macbeth would have committed the murders. The witches play the part of the instigators, and help Macbeth to continue his acts of violence. Even though they are able to see that his acts will lead him to his downfall, they continue to let him kill others.
The Witches' prophecies for Banquo was what led to his death. They prophesied that Banquo would be live happier than Macbeth. They also stated that Banquo's descendants would become king but he would not be. When Macbeth became king this prophecy became a potential threat and led him onto murdering Banquo. Lady Macbeth had no responsibility in this murder.
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.
i. 102-104). The illusions are saying that he needs to watch out for Macduff because he is the main enemy, nobody that came from a woman's wound can harm him and that he will never be defeated until the woods come to life. This is important because the witches are betraying Macbeth by not telling him the complete truth but Macbeth leaves there confident because of the
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.
When Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth he says, “I will, to the weird sisters: / More shall they speak,” (3.5.134-135). In this context Macbeth is anxious to go to the witches to see if he should fear anyone taking his newfound power from him. This shows that he has acquired what he wanted however he doesn’t feel secure, this shows that he relies on the witches for support and cannot think without first taking into consideration what the witches say. Before this
Throughout the play, Macbeth is illustrated as a cruel and brutal villain who murdered people without hesitation to achieve the throne by his fully ignited ambition. Even though Macbeth did revealed his malicious characteristics, I believe that his personality would have been kept innocent and loyal when there were no interference by the women in the play, which are the three Witches, Hecate, and Lady Macbeth. In the first place, Macbeth would not have even thought of being a king if the three Witches have not told him the prophecies. Macbeth was only a brave and courageous noble who fought for his country and King Duncan; however the prophecies by the Witches started to shift Macbeth’s personality. First two of the Witches’ prophecies, also considered as two truths, “All hail, Macbeth!
English – Macbeth Essay Brayden Schroeder “All Hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (Act 1, Scene 3, Page 3, Line 51) Who knew this one measly prediction would cause so much turmoil? The three witches are undoubtedly the most influential figures in what is possibly Shakespeare’s greatest playwright. The death of King Duncan came as a direct result of the witches’ prediction that Macbeth would one day be king whilst Macbeth’s superstition killed both Macduff’s family and Banquo. A result of his manipulable mind and arrogance, the witches also made him believe himself to be invincible, a mistake that would ultimately cost him his life. Although others played a role in turning Macbeth into the tyrant he became, it can be argued that this never would’ve panned out the way it did if the witches had never appeared.
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.
Because of this, he decides he must kill Banquo, so that there will be no heir. “Macbeth plots the murder of Banquo, out of jealousy and insecurity.” (Hompi 1) This is obviously an absurd idea, and prior to Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan he never would have considered it as a solution. Shakespeare uses this to show how power corrupts even the best of people. It is obvious that this is still a problem in society today, as people start off with good intentions but slowly get sidetracked. Before long, their objectives have changed completely.