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Downfall of macbeth
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Importance of ambition in macbeth
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The individual who is most responsible for Macbeth’s demise is Macbeth himself.
The first reason as to why Macbeth is responsible or his own demise is because his own ambition pressured him to kill an abundance of people. The witches told him his prophecy; however, Macbeth took it further by killing Banquo, Duncan and Lady Macduff. The witches never told Macbeth to kill those individuals; Macbeth selfish decision lead him to commit those crimes. His deep desire for the power pressured him to commit many murders, and that is what fueled his motivation. Furthermore, Macbeth had a strong urge for his family to carry the crown long after he was gone. However, that was not possible since he had no children, and that’s what lead Macbeth to his
In the play, Macbeth was responsible for his downfall and let his greed take over. He was always ambitious, but ended up abandoning his loyalty from King Duncan, the King of Scotland and slowly changed him from a trustworthy, brave and loyal soldier to a merciless tyrant. Lady Macbeth and the three witches are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. The prophecies changed Macbeth for the worst and is willing to remove any threats that stand in his way. Macbeth, although a loyal warrior, had always possessed ambitious motives that finally turned him into a murderer.
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.
Ambition is Macbeth’s primary flaw that causes the valiant soldier, who would die for the king, to murder his way to control the throne. Now, others could argue that the Witches are more responsible for Macbeth's downfall because they spoke prophetically to Macbeth and wanted to see the outcome of Macbeth’s endeavor to take the throne for their own amusement. The Witches did not commit the heinous crimes, Macbeth committed acts of treason and murder. The Witches did not tell Macbeth that he would need to murder King Duncan to become king, nor did they tell him to kill Banquo. Macbeth is the main character who is responsible for his downfall, because when Macbeth is first introduced in Act 1, he is a brave and honorable soldier, who is also the Thane of Glamis. He is labeled by King Duncan as “brave Macbeth,”: “For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name…” Before Macbeth met the Witches, he served the king with complete devotion. After the meeting the Witches, he begins to contemplate becoming King of Scotland. However, his ambition is not satisfied, when he finds out that Malcolm, King Duncan’s son is heir to his throne. Macbeth speaks of his ambition in Act 1, sc.7 line 25, “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other” (Shakespeare). Ambition leads him to murder King Duncan, start committing heinous crimes, and continue his path
“MACBETH!!” Lady Macbeth shriek. Lady Macbeth wasn’t the greatest wife after all. She pressured Macbeth to kill King Duncan to be able to take his place to become king. Macbeth didn’t want to kill Duncan because it would be on his conscience for the rest of his life. Lady Macbeth is responsible for King Duncan’s death for a couple reasons, but you can still argue that Macbeth was also responsible as well. Lady Macbeth is more responsible for the cause of Duncan’s death.
In consideration of Macbeth’s crimes, he alone cannot be blamed for his actions. The three witches do prophesy that he will become king which is the reason he does begin to kill; however, nowhere in their prophecy do they foresee the killing of the King. Therefore, the witches don’t direct any of his actions and are in no part liable. Much of the blame can be placed on Lady Macbeth because she has the initial plan to usurp the King’s throne by killing him in his sleep. Macbeth protests to this plan, yet after Lady Macbeth uses methods such as insults and temptation, he reluctantly agrees to murder the King. Macbeth is ultimately to blame for his own actions because every murder he commits is his choice alone. While influenced by Lady Macbeth to kill the King, he not only makes the choice himself, but he also kills many more people without Lady Macbeth’s knowledge.
After all of the conflict that happens throughout the play Macbeth, all these characters are to blame. Macbeth himself should be blamed because at the end of the day he did not have to go through with any of the things the witches or his wife Lady Macbeth told him. Lady Macbeth should have some blame because she was the one who persuaded Macbeth into doing all the evil things. Finally, the witches should also have blame because they make Macbeth feel too secure. After everything in this play is said and done, it is clearly shows that ambition, cruelty and greed are the main factors that lead to the tragic downfall of Macbeth.
Prior to the miniscule reign of Macbeth, countless people were murdered. This included everyone that threatened Macbeth emotionally and also everyone in relation to that character. For instance, when Macbeth had Duncan killed Malcolm and Donalbain (Duncan’s sons) fled. Likewise when he had the murderers kill Banquo, Banquo’s son Fleance managed to escape. The last person to worry about was Macduff. Although he could not kill Macduff, due to his conciliation in England, he did go after everyone that resided in his home. This concluded Macbeth’s “thought out” plan to become King. However, the blood from these innocent families brought only guilt to Macbeth’s conscience; so why did he do it? Many say that he was driven by Lady Macbeth, but no one can make you do the unthinkable; there had to have been a voluntary choice to kill. Everyday human beings are presented with situations that need his discretion. Whether he makes a decision based on evidence, outside influences, or impulsivity it is still his name that represents that choice. Why else would the title of this Shakespearean play be named Macbeth? Macbeth made these choices, thus creating his own destiny. However, his inability to make his own choices, without the voiced opinions of others, was what transformed him from a respected war hero to a power hungry monster.
...ophecies and the active role of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth cannot be considered solely responsible for his wrongdoing and ultimate tragic end. Although it was his tragic flaw that ultimately destroys him, Macbeth is deceived, tricked, and persuaded throughout the play into believing and doing a variety of things that would lead to this destruction. Because the witches spark Macbeth’s interest through the hopeful prophecies of his future, his natural reaction is to have more curiosity and to want to fulfill the prophecies by any means. Lady Macbeth’s blunt advice to just perform the action without thought is what numbs Macbeth to realizing how his ambition is affecting him. Finally, Macbeth does eventually face his death due to his tragic flaw, but his downfall involved many others who should also claim some responsibility regarding this downfall and Macbeth’s tragic end.
Macbeth’s visions and the prophecies of the witches cause Macbeth to make poor decisions, which lead him to his eventual downfall. Macbeth started off as a noble, virtuous man, he was loyal to the king and was well respected by the other noblemen. The prophecies and hallucinations corrupted Macbeth’s intentions and as a result, Macbeth became power hungry and overzealous. A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders.
MacBeth is Responsible for His Downfall. There were many wrongs committed in "MacBeth." But who should bear the major responsibility for these actions? The witches prophesying the truth? Lady MacBeth's scheming and persuasion?
We certainly know that the direct cause of Duncan’s death is Macbeth. However, this does not necessarily mean he is to blame, for his violent death is obviously the consequence of certain influences that forced Macbeth to perform his fatal deed. Furthermore, to unearth the truth about who is really the guilty for Duncan’s murder, we must explore the influences the different characters have on Macbeth’s impulses and the overall scenario of the slaying. Firstly, we shall consider Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, as they are the two who planned and performed the murder. Although after the witches told Macbeth that he was to be king and he was burning in desire to be so he, in first instance, decided that if fate had determined that he was to be the sovereign of Scotland he shouldn’t try to reach the throne by his own actions, that it would come eventually: “If Chance will have me king, why, Chance may crown me, / Without my stir”.
People tend to point fingers at people a lot. In this case, the question is “who is to blame for all the killings?” Most say Lady Macbeth because of her disturbing thoughts, words, and actions. But Macbeth is the one who murdered. Macbeth is ambitious in killing and is well enough to make his own decisions, so putting the blame on Lady Macbeth does not make sense. In Macbeth no one is to blame and he is truly the one at fault.
Though tentative at first, it is clear the Macbeth desires to be king. As explained by Hunt, his current, newly appointed title is not enough for him as “ the augmentation of titles cannot appease the insatiability of desire, which never rests content with the new title but continues to feel the pain of existential hunger, of mortal incompleteness.” (hunt), leading him to desire for greater power. While the witches mention Macbeth’s possible rise to kingship through the death of Duncan, it is Macbeth who jumps to the possibility of the king’s murder saying, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings. (1.3.138-142).” There are many ways that the king could die, yet it is his desire for power leads him to pick the speediest path to the king’s end. Macbeth does in fact end up killing the king, as well as his best friend to protect his claim to power. From there he quickly becomes drunk with his rule and starts to terrorize the land, forgetting his morals and saying that he’ll just do whatever he feels when ever he feels like it. These actions lead to his death along with the many others who starve or bleed under his rule. Because of his desire for power, Macbeth causes the destruction of his soul, the end of his life
While not the only contributing factor, Lady Macbeth does play a substantial role in the downfall of her husband. She is a like a catalyst for Macbeth and essentially pushes him to do what he would not have been able to do on his own. Macbeth himself highly ambitious and determined, but his wife is even more so. At first he refuses to kill Duncan but she persists and eventually gets him to do it. It is important to note here that Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth forward by manipulating him. In this sense, she can be related to Cathy Ames from East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Also, being a woman, she is confined by the conventions of society which prevent her from doing much. At what point she even wishes that she were 'unsexed' so she could commit the murder herself. Because of this, she pours her ambition and desire for power into Macbeth. Again she accomplishes this through manipulation. For example, at one point when Macbeth is disagreeing with her idea of killing Duncan, she questions his manhood:
People and ideas can greatly affect the outcome of a person's life, determining whether the outcome will be successful or disastrous. Decisions and actions can also influence outcome. This is the case in Macbeth. Many factors cause the ruin of Macbeth and for that reason, all the blame for his downfall cannot be placed on Macbeth himself, despite the fact that he is the one that commits or has people commit the murders which lead to his downfall. Lady Macbeth's encouragement and convincing lead Macbeth to take the first step towards his destruction. The witches and their prophecies are equally accountable, since the witches reveal their predictions to Macbeth, giving him a glimpse into his future. This glimpse represents the beginning of the end of his life. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as well as the witches and their prophecies are all responsible for Macbeth's downfall.