Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

905 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Macbeth fate

A tragic play is a play where the main character starts from the top and has a tragic downfall after a series of events. Shakespeare often wrote tragic plays. One of his most famous of plays is about a man who throws himself into his own tragic downfall. Macbeth, the name of the play and the central character was in a high position in power, but his desire for power drove him to his tragic downfall, his free will being his downfall. Macbeth didn’t have a downfall all to himself. Others had contributed to his downfall with words of “wisdom”. The Witches were one of the main people to contribute to Macbeth’s downfall. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth was loyal to his country and killed with a valid reason. Macbeth met the Witches untimely …show more content…

Killing King Duncan was only the beginning of his downfall. Macbeth’s common sense slowly left him after the killing, and then anxiety and insanity filled Macbeth’s head. Macbeth started to see hallucinations before killing King Duncan, one of which was a floating dagger. “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee./ I have thee not, and yet I see thee still./ Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible/ To feeling as to sight? or art thou but/ A dagger of the mind, a false creation, (2.1.32-37).” This hallucination brought Macbeth to commit his first non-battle murder. Soon after, other murders committed by Macbeth followed out of his fear and insanity. He murdered the guards of King Duncan and ordered a murder against Banquo. Although Macbeth hides the evidence that he committed these god-forsaken crimes, the people of Scotland accuse him. This piece of evidence characterized Macbeth as a ruthless tyrant to the audience and the people of Scotland. Macbeth’s obsession for the power brought his downfall. Once Macbeth was King, he killed many people. This ensures to the audience that he is power greedy and that he would do anything to keep his

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    Lady Macbeth and the three witches are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. The three witches told Macbeth a prophecy, which led him to murder anyone in his way for more power. In page 18, When Macbeth heard that he became the new Thane of Cawdor, he thought, “If it’s my fate to be king, then fate might make me king, without me having to do anything”. This is ironic because he ended up murdering innocent people such as his best friend and Macduff’s family to stay as the King. Macbeth relied too much on the prophecies from the three witches to save him from fear. “Im determined to know the worst, by any means I can. I have to know, for my own good”(p.72). Lady Macbeth was also

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Downfall

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare created a character in Macbeth who is strongly influenced in his decision making throughout the drama of The Tragedy of Macbeth. This drama is a Tragedy, hence the title, and has a hero, in Macbeth, who has a downfall. Readers become aware of the aspects that lead up to this predicament. Macbeth’s downfall was contributed equally from Lady Macbeth, the three weird sisters, and Macbeth’s ambition.

    Read More

  • Downfall Of Macbeth's Downfall

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth, “A matchless soldier, kinsman to the king, wins the king’s battles and the king’s praise” however, “prompted by inner ambitions and external urgings”, he takes rash decisions conclusively ending in his atrophy of his title, power, and position (Bernad 49). Several factors contribute to the downfall of Macbeth, which produce a contagion effect; and ultimately end with his demise. The weird sisters disclose his prophecies which enlighten him about Duncan’s throne; Lady Macbeth abets Macbeth to realize his deep desires and come to the conclusion to murder Duncan; and Macbeth, the most significant contributor, makes his deep desires come to reality. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the weird sisters and Lady Macbeth are important contributors to Macbeth 's downfall, however, they are not mostly responsible. Unlike, the weird sisters and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is the most prominent contributor to his downfall; whose actions, decisions, and state of mind lead to his ruination.

    Read More

  • The Problem of Power in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth feeling this way convinces a pair of men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. By having Banquo and Fleance murdered, Macbeth believes that it will prevent Banquo's sons from becoming king. Macbeth also hires the murderers to kill Macduff's family. This demonstrates Macbeth's obsession because it indicates that Macbeth values his power over his friends. His obsession with power causes Macbeth to feel guilty and lose his sanity. Macbeth's guilt and loss of sanity is indicated in the hallucinations he experiences. His first hallucination occurs just before killing King Duncan. Macbeth sees "A dagger of the mind, a false creation" (act II, scene I, line 38).

    Read More

  • Mental Deterioration In Macbeth Essay

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads

    Read More

  • The Emotions of Ambition, Remorse, and Fear in 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare

    387 Words  | 1 Pages

    Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.

    Read More

  • To What Extent Are The Witches Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth , by William Shakespeare is a play about how Macbeth let his blind ambition to become King , lead to his downfall. This is shown in Act one when the witches predicted that he would become King which gave him a sense of false hope , Act two when he begins in his path of destruction and kills the King and realizes that what he did would haunt him forever , and in Act 5 when he dies by having his head cut off which is his downfall. In the start of the play three witches predict to Macbeth that he would become kings. This prediction led him to a path of destruction where he ended up killing many people and eventually led to his downfall in the end.

    Read More

  • MacBeth is Responsible for His Downfall

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    The witches played an undoubtedly large role in MacBeth, being the instigators of the entire plot. In act one scene three, the witches say: `all hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, thane of cawdor! ... All hail, MacBeth, that shalt be king hereafter!' (Line 47-50) these prophecies throw into his mind the possibility of further advancement to the highest level of the nobility. If the witches had not told MacBeth of their prophesies, there is little chance he would have thought about them himself, and even less chance he would have murdered king Duncan.

    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 truth. 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. '

    Read More

  • Witches: The Catalyst of Doom in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Powerful in nature and curious to the eye, the witches in Macbeth were hooks of fascination. One never knew what would come next when it came to the witches. They possessed a dark authority and supremacy unlike any other and the temptation to ignore them was unfeasible. They brought with them gloomy days and evil thoughts. The witches could draw you in and begin to almost play with your mind if you let them. This is what ultimately led to the down fall of Macbeth. Collectively, the witches in Macbeth acted as a catalyst for all of Macbeth’s actions.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Downfall Analysis

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although a combination of external forces and Macbeth’s own vaulting ambition doom the tragic hero (Macbeth) and result in his downfall, he is also doomed because of his own actions. This is because the tragic hero chooses to commit certain actions of his own free will which create a trail of destruction which leads to his eventual downfall. This may be seen in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth where the protagonist, a well-respected nobleman allows his ambition to cloud his better judgement. This causes him to listen to misleading advice which eventually causes him to commit many crimes which plunge his kingdom into chaos leading to his eventual demise.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.

    Read More

  • How Does The Witches Affect Macbeth

    1107 Words  | 3 Pages

    The witches influence Macbeth in his achievements and awaken his ambitions. They give him a false sense of security with their apportions of truths. The witches are the ones who made the idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth’s mind. They also told him that he would become thane of Cawdor and later would become king of Scotland. Macbeth wants to know more.

    Read More

  • Factors Contributing to Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    Factors Contributing to Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, there are many reasons for Macbeth's gradual downfall. Numerous factors contributed to Macbeth's ruin, such as his own character flaws and his demanding wife, Lady Macbeth. The Three Witches, however, caused Macbeth the most trouble. First, the sisters stirred up his dormant ambitions to be king.

    Read More

  • The Downfall of Macbeth's Character in William Shakespeare's Play

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    wants to be more. He was tired of being a 'loyal' and wants a title

    Read More

More about Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

Open Document