Causes Of The Inevitable Downfall Of Macbeth

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What caused the inevitable downfall of Macbeth? Was it caused by others influences throughout the drama, or simply by his own reactions to those outside forces? Some may believe that Macbeth was put into these situations by fate or solely from the influence of other characters. This however is not the case. In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth dealt his own casualty through his own conscious decisions, inattention to contradictory influences, and by his own blinding ambition. Near the beginning of this drama, Macbeth comes across the witches as he and Banquo are returning from battle. Upon seeing these creatures who are the witches, they begin prophesying about his future. The witches say “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (Shakespeare, 1.3, 50-53). Macbeth is very confused and wonders how this might happen, thus marking the start to his downfall. Soon after this occurrence begins a series of self fulfilled events that follow the witches prophesies. …show more content…

Macbeth quickly began to ponder on the act of murdering King Duncan in order to take over the throne. Through his motivation and greed he had continued to wander whether he would become king “without [his] stir” (Shakespeare, 1.3, 144). Even though the first prophesy had been fulfilled without his interference, his blinding ambition kept his initial thoughts of murdering Duncan alive. Macbeth continues to build murderous plans within himself unprovoked. All of these decisions are made consciously within the mind of Macbeth and therefore all by free

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