The Tragedy of Macbeth

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Who is ultimately responsible for the tragedy of Macbeth?

It could be said that Macbeth´s strive for power affects every aspect of his life, and this motivation eventually leads to his demise. Many different factors play a pivotal role in deciding his ill-fated future. With his wife´s cajoling, and the three witches´ foretelling of his future, Macbeth, will stop at nothing to gain position as King of Scotland.

It could be said that Lady Macbeth is responsible. She bullies him, emotionally blackmails him and knows he is morally sensitive so he must be pushed. She mocks his bravery and knows he is a warrior and will be insulted. When Macbeth is having doubts she says:

'When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man.
Act I, Scene VII

What she means by this is if he does the deed, he will be more of a man. She also organises the fine details of the murder. The main part is when she goes to put the daggers back. Macbeth has returned from the murder scene and brought the daggers with him. She is annoyed with him because he is being careless and is too scared to go back after the murder. She goes and puts them back herself. Lady Macbeth plays a key role as she removes her fe...

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