Great power is required to control the fate of a man. There is only one source as strong as needed to cause Macbeth’s ultimate death. Now, who may hold this power in deciding Macbeth’s destiny? Both Lady Macbeth and the Weïrd Sisters play their own parts in Macbeth’s journey into madness but they alone are not responsible for his fate. Macbeth himself is the one who is in the most control. Lady Macbeth has a greater control on Macbeth’s actions than any other character in Macbeth apart from the Weïrd Sisters. She is well known for her persuading speeches to her husband, convincing him to fulfill the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth’s manly qualities, and informs him that only when he follows through with the murder that …show more content…
The Weïrd Sisters were thoughtful in their mind-tricking prophecies, compelling Macbeth to take action to make their predictions become true. A little truth in the prophecies convinced him that the rest of the predictions would come true and gives him the ideas of “[his] black and deep desires” to kill his king (Doc A). The Weïrd Sisters’ apparitions tell of important factors that will lead to Macbeth’s defeat. However, Macbeth overlooks many of the details in understanding their importance such as when the Third Apparition tells that he will not be defeated unless “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill/Shall come against him.” Macbeth believes that he will never face defeat because “That will never be” (Doc D). This deceit is also demonstrated when Macbeth is about to face Macduff in battle and learns from him that “Macduff was from his mother’s womb/Untimely ripp’d…” (Doc E). At this point, Macbeth realizes his misguidedness and accepts his …show more content…
The underlying cause of Macbeth’s fate was his own actions and ambitions. He possesses his own free-will and kills King Duncan despite the deed being so cruel and nothing forcing his hand (Doc C). Lady Macbeth has no power over his actions. She may only influence thoughts and opinions. The Weïrd Sisters too, while highly convincing to him, have no physical power over Macbeth’s actions. After acquiring his title of Thane of Cawdor, he recognizes that if these predictions were absolute, then “chance may crown [him],/Without [his] stir.” (Doc A). If the predictions were truly ultimate, then action would not be required. However, because he still felt the need to ensure his position as king, he tempts fate and pays the price. There was no outer force controlling Macbeth’s actions and he is fully
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.
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.
Lady Macbeth plays an important part in Macbeth’s spiral downwards into becoming a butcher by persuading him to commit his first murder. Macbeth doesn’t want to kill Duncan and has strong doubts about what he should do, as shown by what he says in act I, scene vii,’He’s in double trust here…..i am his kinsman strong against the deed , then as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife himself’
Lady Macbeth was overall the biggest bully in the Macbeth play. She exerted control over her husband. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth made a plan to kill King Duncan following The Three Witches prophecy where they foretold he would be king. In Act 1 Scene 7 Macbeth decides not to King Duncan because he was “his kinsman and his subject” and because Duncan “Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been...So clear in his great office”. When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he won’t kill King Duncan, she calls him a coward saying "When you durst do it, then you were a man". By calling him a coward and questioning his manliness she pushed him to murder King Duncan.
...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.
Upon hearing that Malcom is officially heir to the throne, Macbeth displays shame for his thoughts of murder by explaining “Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Document A) At this point, Macbeth reveals his fear of the very idea that has taken hold inside of him, suggesting that he has the capacity to resist the witches’ temptation. Unlike Lady Macbeth, who immediately starts planning to murder King Duncan and eventually convinces Macbeth to join her, Macbeth remains hesitant to commit the murder. Macbeth’s initial hesitance reveals the possibility that he allows the evil thoughts to take over him due to the persuasion of Lady Macbeth or on his own, as opposed to those thoughts forcing their way into reality against his will. If this is the case, the murder of King Duncan was entirely in Macbeth’s control. A short while later, Macbeth explains to his wife that he “ha[s] done the deed” (Document C). Unlike Lady Macbeth, who is unable to murder the king herself, Macbeth reveals that only he has the power to murder King Duncan. After murdering him, Macbeth moves to take more control of the events around him. Out of a fear instilled in him by the weïrd sisters, Macbeth murders Banquo. Now, Macbeth is trying to free himself from the control exerted on him by the weïrd sisters. Unfortunately, by trying to free himself, Macbeh finds himself further entangled in the strings of the powerful weïrd sisters. The dominance of the sisters is not complete, since they allow Macbeth the choice of how to act on their prophecies. By allowing him some choice, the weïrd sisters give Macbeth the ability to control how the prophecy comes true; however, they never allow him to alter the end result. No matter how Macbeth acts, the prophecies of the witches will ultimately come true. Unlike Lady Macbeth, though, Macbeth brings his fate upon himself, and by
After struggling with the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth is reprimanded by Lady Macbeth for his lack of courage. She informs him that killing the king will make him a man, insinuating that he isn’t a man if he doesn’t go through with the murder. This develops Lady Macbeth as a merciless, nasty, and selfish woman. She will say, or do anything to get what she desires, even if it means harming others. It is this selfishness that makes it hard for the reader to be empathetic towards her later in the play, as it is evident in this scene that her hardships were brought on by herself. If she hadn’t insisted on the murder, she would not be driven in...
When Macbeth is confronted and chided by Lady Macbeth for his cowardice, he reluctantly agrees to kill Duncan. It is evident that Lady Macbeth is hunger for power Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and dominance over her husband is evident when she demands Macbeth to prove his ‘masculinity by killing Duncan.
Lady Macbeth is a very loving wife to Macbeth and she wants to do anything she can for him to achieve his goals. She just takes it a little too far, and she puts too much pressure on Macbeth to commit crimes that he is not sure he wants to do. After Macbeth sends her a letter about the witches’ premonitions, Lady Macbeth is no longer the sweet innocent lady we expect her to be. She turns into a person who is just as ambitious as her husband and she wants to do whatever it takes to help him get Duncan out of the way. She even goes to the point of calling Macbeth a coward, and mocking his bravery when he fails to complete the job. She is even willing to do it herself (plant the bloody knife with the guard). Lady Macbeth is constantly putting the pressure on Macbeth to do things that he is not sure about. She almost turns into a bully who dares Macbeth to go out and do evil things. She even says in a soliloquy that she wants to be released of all her morals and values so that she can help him commit these crimes.
Lady Macbeth negatively guides lots of Macbeth’s behaviour, for instance, when Macbeth hesitates to commit murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he has to do it to prove himself as the man that Lady Macbeth always mentioned; it is also one of the reasons that lead to Macbeth’s downfall, as well as the deaths of the other innocent characters in the text. “[Macbeth does] Like the poor cat i' th' adage? ”(1.7.46) says Lady Macbeth, when Macbeth is hesitating whether kill Duncan or not while he’s in Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth describes Macbeth as a poor cat from old stories to satire Macbeth’s indecision. She degrades Macbeth’s manhood as he doesn’t have the dare to act the way he desires, to pursue the power and glory that he wants. Macbeth replies that he only dares to do what is proper for a man to do. However later in the text, Macbeth’s actions go crazy, he cares his family no more, as well as his friends and subordinates. Lady Macbeth seems to know that she needs to push Macbeth into committing murder, or Macbeth will just let nature take its course. At some points, she wishes that she was not a woman so that she could do the things that man could do by herself, such as the murder, so she won’t see Macbeth lacks in the power of decision and his overtaken by misgivings and fear. In addition, Julia encourages
Lady Macbeth was a small but very important part of the play Macbeth. She is always on the side of Macbeth telling him what she thinks he should do. When Macbeth was off at war, and told lady Macbeth that the witches greeted him as Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland before he received those titles, she was probably scheming no how to fulfill those before he returned home. Once home, they had King Duncan stay at Dunsinane. Lady Macbeth then b-tches at her husband and ridicules his masculinity in order to make him commit murder (Friedlander). Macbeth reluctantly murders Duncan, even though he wanted to wait and have it all play out without killing anyone. When he went to the well to wash off his hands he speaks of his remorse, and lady Macbeth finds out that he did not implicate the guards, so she tells him to go do it. But he wont, so she insults him more, and goes to do it herself.
Another influential power of the Weird Sisters was their ability to create visions and apparitions. Early in the murder scene of Duncan, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger and in a phantasmagoric state, remarks, "Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going, / And such an instrument I was to use,"(II, i, 51). Macbeth also states, "Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's offerings,"(II, i, 60). Both of these statements may suggest a supernatural force in the affair. The witches' powers also extend to the summoning of apparitions that foretell future events. The three apparitions tell Macbeth, "Beware the Thane of Fife,"(IV, i, 81), "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth," (IV, i, 91), and "Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him,"(IV, i, 106). These visions and apparitions, as seen later on, have a profound effect on Macbeth's actions.
Lady Macbeth says and does many things to get Macbeth to do as she says which in the end lead to his downfall. Lady Macbeth seems to want Macbeth to have power more than he wants it himself. She says to her husband, “yet I do fear thy nature; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness”(200). Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth that he is too feminine because he is not sure if he wants to kill Duncan in the beginning. Lady Macbeth knows how easily Macbeth can be persuaded so she knows what to say. She says “hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear” (200). Lady Macbeth says she will do whatever she has to do to make Macbeth kill Duncan. Literary critic Stephanie Chamberlin says “Scholars have traditionally read this as well as her earlier "unsex me here" (1.5.39) invocation as evidence of Lady Macbeth's attempt to seize a masculine power to further Macbeth's political goals” (72). Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to do what she won’t do and Macbeth’s flaw of being easily persuaded leads to his
Lady Macbeth is the first to strategize a way to kill Duncan. As a character foil to Macbeth she juxtaposes their possession of guilt and ruthlessness, which creates irony and excitement to the play. Originally, she is very power hungry and wants to utilize her husband’s position in status to become queen. Macbeth objects to the plan to kill Duncan because he believes Duncan is Macbeth’s kinsman, host, and an overall virtuous ruler (Act. 1 Scene. 7) and thus feels very guilty for taking advantage of Duncan’s trusting quality towards the Macbeth family. She refers to Macbeth as weak and rebukes his manhood (Act 1. Scene 7.) . As the play progresses, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a character role reversal of their possession of guilt and ruthlessness. The character foil is extant, however Macbeth’s ruthlessness overcomes his guilt, and Lady Macbeth’s guilt vanquishes her drive for power. In addition to an alteration in character foils, Shakespeare introduces situational irony because now Lady Macbeth succumbs to the weakness Macbeth once possessed and Macbeth is the one who is formidable and ambitious. Macbeth’s ability to transcend his guilt exemplifies his struggle for power and reinforces the theme of evil ambition because Macbeth is able to secure the throne and power only by mass
Although his plan to become the king and fulfill the Weird Sisters’ prophecies comes true, Macbeth does not think beyond his short-term goals and does not recognize the results of his actions. The consequences result in Macbeth’s desperate attempt to remain in power and more murders of well-respected nobility. One death especially comes to haunt him in the form of his late friend Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth appears mad and tortured when addressing Banquo and admits his guilt to those present: “[To the Ghost] Avaunt and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee. Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold; thou hast no speculation in those eyes which thou dost glare with” (III.iv. 113-116). Instead of heeding Banquo’s message, Macbeth ignores them instead to continue to murder more people to secure his kingship. The mission to conserve Macbeth’s title concludes with his death which both the Weird Sisters and Banquo had foreshadowed. Shakespeare uses Banquo to represent Macbeth’s self-conscience and warn Macbeth of the actions he may take in the future. The Weird Sisters show Macbeth the future in riddles, however Macbeth becomes arrogant and cocky in response and continues on to war as soon as they depart: “The Castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon the Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate