The Fall Of Macbeth

842 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of witches in macbeth

Losing one life can affect many others. The fall of Macbeth was a great one. Macbeth was a person who was high in ranks and well respected. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name” (Act 1 scene 2). In the beginning he was the Thane of Glamis. After the Thane of Cawdor was killed, Macbeth had inherited the title. On top of all of this, Macbeth was a respected warrior and he was in the King’s circle. Later in the play Macbeth will receive the title of king as well. With all of these titles and respects for one person it is obvious that their fall would have an impact. When Macbeth fell many people were affected causing a tragedy. The people lost a leader and Macbeth left behind a horrible legacy. Ambition drives many people. However, …show more content…

However, in acting upon it, Macbeth would only bring his downfall. When the witches would visit him they would tell him his future or his fortune. Macbeth would then seek to change his fate. Doing so only caused the witches’ fortunes to come true, both the good ones and the bad ones. This is something that appears throughout the play. However, as the play goes along the visions become darker. Macbeth did get the Thane of Cawdor, but the fortune of him becoming king only came true because he killed Duncan. He was trying to speed up his own fate. Macbeth remembered that the witches foretold about Banquo’s sons being kings. To try and avoid this, Macbeth kills his best friend, Banquo. Macbeth could have ignored the witches and continued on with his life, but he made the choice to kill his best friend so he wouldn’t lose the throne. Macbeth’s wife also caused Macbeth to use his free choice, but not in a good way. “Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ”Like the poor cat i' th' adage?” (Act 1 scene 7). She questioned his masculinity and this obviously made him angry. He used his free choice to kill the king and to prove his wife wrong. He also could have ignored what the witches were saying, but instead he let it go to his head and his ambition blinded his humanity. He killed many out of his own free will. Duncan, Banquo, and Lady

Show More
Related

  • The Triumph of the Witches in MacBeth by William Shakespeare

    293 Words  | 1 Pages

    MacBeth may have gotten what he was after in the beginning when he was crowned king, but afterwards of course he lost everything he had. First, he lost his wife, then he lost his friends, and finally he lost his life. The witches are the ones who put the idea into his head about being king, and actually caused him and his wife to kill the king. This is what started everything bad that he did. Even having his best friend, Banquo, killed.

    Read More

  • The Downward Spiral of Macbeth

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play Macbeth traces the character Macbeth's downward spiral from a brave, loyal soldier, to an ambitious, cold blooded murderer. Macbeth is the warrior hero in King Duncan's Scottish army. He is spoken of with great admiration. Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis because of his courage and valor. He is loved for his loyalty to King Duncan, and his bravery on the battlefield. Macbeth further proves his bravery and loyalty when he defeats the rebel, Macdonald. The King rewards Macbeth by naming him Thane of Cawdor. There are many factors which contribute to Macbeth's spiral downfall. The three main factors which contribute greatly to Macbeth's decline is the prophecies told to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth's influence and ability to manipulate Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's own ambition which drove his desire to be King.

    Read More

  • unit 2

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...onorable, and so loyal as Macbeth, it really is a tragedy to witness someone like him to go from being great to becoming a tragic hero. He let the witches and their predictions get the best of him, even though I think they were just a figment of his imagination. After the witches vanished after the first appearance, Banquo said, “Have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?” (1.3.86). Even if they were real, it doesn’t matter because Macbeth was acting on his own free will, unlike Oedipus who was playing into the oracle of the gods unknowingly. It is hard to say whether or not Macbeth would’ve killed Duncan and the others if it weren’t for the witches and his wife, who both influenced him at first. In the end, Macbeth rose to power by killing his king and ignoring the societal norms, and then fell flat on his face just like any other tragic hero.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Macbeth, Macbeth’s hallucination of the dagger and the witches’ prophecies provoke ambition. Macbeth’s subsequent hallucinations, Lady Macbeth’s nightmares, and blood exemplify the results. It is important to prevent strong ambition from consuming moral values and standards.

    Read More

  • Persuasion in Macbeth

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth is the story of a man who falls from his noble state. In the beginning, Macbeth was a courageous fighter for Scotland's King Duncan. Macbeth is soon overcome with greed for power, so he kills the king and crowns himself. He becomes worried of losing his newly gained power causing him to kill more people. In the end the lords and nobles join forces with the king's son, Malcolm, to destroy Macbeth. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character Macbeth was persuaded by the three witches to commit evil, leading to his tragic downfall.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The Not So Great Macbeth

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare the main character Macbeth is a general in the Scottish army. After Macbeth and Banquo another general return from battle they encounter three witches the witches give Macbeth and Banquo three Prophesies. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesy that Banquo will produce a line of Scottish kings although Banquo will never become king himself. King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has been named thane of Cawdor. The previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians and Duncan has condemned him to death. Macbeth’s wife Lady Macbeth hears about king Duncan coming to their castle and try’s to persuade Macbeth to murder king Duncan. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and a number of supernatural visions, including a vision of a bloody dagger. Macbeth now becomes king and Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his way to a royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes but kills Banquo. Lady Macbeth later kills herself while sleepwalking and Macbeth becomes depressed. Later Macduff comes with his army and beheads Macbeth. And Malcolm becomes king.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The Tragic Hero

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero who is constantly struggling with his fate. In the opening scene of the play Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches. They proclaim that he will be the thane of Cawdor. He responds by saying, “By Sinel’s death I know that I am thane of Glamis/ but how of Cawdor”(I, iii, 70-73)? At first, he does not realize to earn this title what he must do, but when he realizes he is taken aback. His bewilderment prefigures his perpetual struggle with his fate. Macbeth also is excessively ambitious which constantly affects him throughout the play. He is too determined to become king and will kill anyone to ensure that this will transpire. Macbeth’s struggle and ambition make him the quintessence of tragic hero.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Fate Vs Free Will Essay

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, Macbeth changes as he is told his prophecies, making him succumb to his ambitions and take fate into his own hands murdering Duncan in the process. These actions change his fate for the worst as he becomes paranoid, which even leads him to murder his best friend Banquo. This, however, doesn't satisfy his paranoia as he begins killing innocent women and children, not by his own hands however as he makes others do his dirty work. His free will in killing Duncan has led him to a fate of being an evil king by the end of the play, that ends up being killed by Macduff who fulfills the remaining prophecy because Macbeth murdered his family.

    Read More

  • Why Do We Have Power In Macbeth

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    The witches can not be the most powerful characters in the play or the catalyst to all of Macbeth’s crimes since he has the power of his free will to decide what he does. The witches did not force him to do anything, they only influenced what he did by bringing out his “dark side” and true ambitions. “And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, show’d like a rebel’s whore: But all’s too weak: for brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smoked with bloody execution,” (Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 16-20) The Captain says that Macbeth should have been killed in battle but he was stronger than his fate is. This means that Macbeth has no one to blame but himself for his own death, actions and crimes.

    Read More

  • Witches Effect in Macbeth

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    The witches have a strong effect on Macbeth's character; they highly influence him in his accomplishments and awake his ambitions. They give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths. They are the ones who plant the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man,' (Macbeth, Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 7) Lady Macbeth's constant harassment pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this evil. When you reason things out by yourself you tend to now what is right and what is wrong, a conscience. But with the outside influence from the witches he thinks that that is his destiny and he must do everything to fulfill it. One can wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. He is overthrown and killed. Through his own ambitions, the ambition of his wife and the witches' prophesies, Macbeth has caused his own destruction and downfall. We can now clearly see that ambition not achieved through our own ability leads to destruction. 'Hail Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor and shalt be King hereafter'. (Act 1 Scene 3) These prophecies from three strangers are taken without question and probably without good judgment. Just the thought that he may be King clouds his thoughts and ambition takes over. The witches can predict the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they cannot control his destiny.

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Macbeth

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his first interaction with the witches, a prophecy is told to him of his oncoming title as the Thane of Cawdor eventually the position of king, which is shown to be true with the gaining of the position of the Thane of Cawdor with the execution of the past Thane for treason. Inspired by this news, Macbeth mulled over the prospect of murdering the king for his position but does not partake that action until being persuaded by Lady Macbeth. Representing Macbeth’s evil side (or his Freudian id), Lady Macbeth acts as a motivator to commit the murders throughout the text, successfully persuading Macbeth to murder Duncan and take the crown. However, after this initial skirmish between the ideas of destiny manifesting through the witches and free-will through Lady Macbeth, Macbeth himself acts on his own, free of the constraints of destiny. With the witches, the influence of Hecate acts as a major shift in this duality, as the prophecies become ignored due to their interference with Macbeth’s agenda. In ignoring these prophecies, Macbeth believes he has overcome the constraints of faith, which is shown to be false by his death at the conclusion of the play. With his ignorance of the omens, Macbeth further sealed his fate, which ultimately results in his death to Macduff, a rival he felt no fear about. Shakespeare uses this struggle between following destiny and

    Read More

  • Witches of Doom

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth would never have thought seriously about killing Duncan without the witches. The witches are responsible for putting the idea and thought into Macbeth’s mind. As a brave leader of the king’s army, Macbeth’s main goal should be to serve and receive his reward in heaven. After his encounter with the witches, this is not the case anymore. Ambition is what drives Macbeth, and he only needs the suggestion of what could be his for him to go get it.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Seeking for greater power, Macbeth murders Duncan who is the king at that time, which caused a great pain for the kingdom. Duncan is a great king, but just not a so good human reader. He has never been aware of Macbeth. He never have a thought that Macbeth might be a danger, who is willing to kill him for the throne. On the other hand, Macbeth does not accept to be just a general for the rest of his life. He wants a greater power, higher position than he is having at the time. Because of the suggests from the trio witches: “ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”(1.2.49-50), Macbeth has the thinking about killing the king to take his throne. By calling Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor, they give Macbeth the thought that being a king is his fate. On the night Macbeth is planning to murder Duncan, the Old Man see many strange events: “And Duncan’s horses (a thing most strange and certain),/ Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, /Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out/ Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would/ Make war with mankind” (2.4.14-18). It creates a scary feeling in the kingdom, and means something bad will happen to the kingdom.

    Read More

  • Fate And Free Will In Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    The witches do not force him to kill Duncan, but they do plant the idea is his head. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth made the decision to murder the guards, making Macduff suspicious of him. He also chooses to kill Banquo, and Macduff’s family. His actions are the reason that his life ended in the way that it did. At the beginning of his moral conflict he says in an aside “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir” (1. 3. 143-144). Macbeth is thinking to himself that if he is meant to be king by fate, he should just sit back and let it happen. He does not want to betray his king. After some careful thought, Macbeth chooses to take matters into his own hands by murdering the king. He was not influenced by the witches when he makes the decision to have Macduff’s family murdered. In an attempt to scare Macduff and show that he does not fear the Thane of Fife, Macbeth seals his own fate and ensures his death. Shortly after the death of his children and wife, Macduff returns to Scotland for revenge.

    Read More

  • Macbeth As A Tragedy In Macbeth

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    His wife did nothing to discourage these bad ideas, infact, she encouraged them. Macbeth’s tragedies were one after another and if we control our fate, did Macbeth allow this to happen to him? He was set in his ways before he met the witches they just confirmed what he already felt. If he had just looked at life through a different perspective he might have ended up differently. The decisions he made and the thoughts he had controlled how he acted and in the end those decisions effected everyone in the story.

    Read More

More about The Fall Of Macbeth

Open Document