How Does Macbeth Ruin Himself

The Tragedy of Macbeth, By William Shakespeare is great example of how one man can divide his kingdom and ruin himself. As Macbeth develops throughout the play we can see the motivation behind his actions tend to be both internal and external. His wife Lady Macbeth, three witches, and his own ambition send him into his downward spiral of impulsive arrogant mistakes which leads to his fall as king.

In the beginning Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches who told him he would be Thane of Cawdor and then king. Macbeth is unsure of what he should do with the fate he has been given for his future destiny. These prophecies led him to make the decision of taking action against a man who is loved by the town and who was a great ruler in the eyes of his townsmen, this man being King Duncan.

When Macbeths wife Lady Macbeth learns of the witch’s prophesies she creates a plan for Macbeth to kill King Duncan. At first Macbeth is unsure of her plan and is scared of being caught for murder, but he soon takes initiative to kill King Duncan in his sleep. Lady Macbeth then plants the dagger used to kill the king on his guard who she had drugged in the mist of the night, thus making them look guilty for the king’s murder instead of Macbeth and herself. This setting off the first of several murders by Macbeth hand.

He wants to rule with a firm hand and makes sure anyone who could potentially get in his way is taken care of so they are no longer an issue. The witches who has gave Macbeth his initial destiny also told his friend Banquo he would birth future kings. Once that realization hit that his throne could be taken, Macbeth he had Banquo killed as well as an attempt on his son. Banquo’s son was able to escape but in Macbeths eyes the real issue is resolved, no more future kings could be born by Banquo, making Macbeths reign