Macbeth by William Shakespeare

With a promising prophesy upon him, a once loyal man turns to a dark road all for power. This is the story of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. A Scottish solider, Macbeth, and his friend, Banquo, are approached by three weird sisters who play in the dark arts. The sisters, the witches, tell them that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and then king. In order for him to do this, something would need to happen to the current king of Scotland, Duncan. When informed of the prophecy, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, manipulates Macbeth into following through with the murder plans by questioning his manhood. The rest of the story is follows a once loyal soldier into the darkness of doing whatever it takes to become king. The death of Duncan does not rest solely on Macbeth’s shoulders, but rather the weird sisters and Lady Macbeth share the burden with the blood-stained king.

The weird sisters tell Macbeth he is destined to become king so Macbeth kills Duncan to fulfill their prophecy. The third witch says that Macbeth will become king. Banquo and Macbeth are talking to the weird sisters when she says this, “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!”(1.3.49). The witch tells Macbeth he is destined to be king and this is a game changer for Macbeth. All claws are out. The prophecy plants a seed in Macbeth’s head that would have otherwise wilted. The very fact that there is even the slightest chance that Macbeth could be king brings out the flight or fight response, and Macbeth chooses to fight. This instinct is only enhanced when the first part of the witches’ prophecy becomes true. Before this, it was a bit like reading a horoscope: entertaining, but not realistic. However, after Macbeth becomes the Thane of Cawdor the prophecy is ...

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...ped the dagger, the force of the blow was not his alone. Macbeth was influenced by both the three weird sisters and also his wife, Lady Macbeth. The prophecy, once glimmering with the promise of a better life, was soon a dull weight pressing down upon Macbeth and those he knew. Lady Macbeth could not stand the burden and committed suicide shortly after the murder. Macbeth was a man who was forced to choose between good and evil, but alas the lines were blurred. Evil meant happiness; evil meant greater nobility than Macbeth or his wife had ever experienced. Good meant mediocrity; good meant being stuck in the life he had earned. Macbeth was promised a life much grander than the one he was leading; he was coerced into killing the King. His life was destroyed so Macbeth could be reborn. Though Macbeth held the blade, the blood stained the hands of more than just one.