Responsibility for the Downfall of Macbeth Essay - 783 Words

The tragic downfall of Macbeth can be contributed to several key factors. Macbeth’s downfall can be attributed to his blind ambition, the influence of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s own insecurities and misgivings. Blind ambition combined with immoral goals, with Lady Macbeth’s influence and Macbeth’s personal doubts all lead to his inevitable downfall. The greatest factor to Macbeth’s downfall should be attributed to his blind, uncontrollable ambition. This factor is first seen with the second appearance of the witches, upon which they meet Macbeth. Macbeth’s first thought to the prophecy â€Å"All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!† (1.3.63) is he must murder the king. This thought provides the groundwork in which Macbeth can seed his†¦show more content†¦Macbeth needed Lady Macbeth to do this, for without her, he would have continued to see the horrible act as something he shouldn’t do. In this regard, Lady Macbeth does this very well, she makes Macbeth see things in a different light, tells him how he is erroneous in his thinking and gets him to think how she wants him to. The following quote shows these domineering and manipulating qualities of hers quite well: â€Å"Art thou afeard/To be the same in thine own act and valor/As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that†¦/And live a coward in thine own esteem,/Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’/Like the poor cat I’ the adage?† (1.7.43-49) This passage of Lady Macbeth also sums up her thoughts quite nicely: â€Å"What beast was’t it then/†¦ made you break this enterprise†¦/when you durst do it, then you were a man,/†¦to be more than what you were, you would/Be so much more the man.† (1.7.53-57) Both of these quotations display Lady Macbeth’s thoughts about Macbeth: he is weak, and he must be a man, while she is strong and would do the murder without a thought. These thoughts clearly show how ambitious she is, and how determined she wants to influence Macbeth’s actions. The third, most contributing factor that leads to Macbeth’s downfall is his own insecurities, including his active imagination and his experiences with the supernatural. Macbeth’s first meeting with the witches, and theShow MoreRelatedWitches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeths Responsibility for Macbeth’s Downfall1490 Words   |  6 PagesWitches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeths Responsibility for Macbeth’s Downfall Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth shows the downfall of a wrongfully crowned king. But his downfall is not solely due to himself. There are other characters in the play that are part of his downfall. If it weren’t for them, the play would not work. They are part of a chain, one leading to another. 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