Macbeth Turning Point Essay

959 Words2 Pages

Bear Grylls once said, “A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance” (brainyquote.com). Throughout Macbeth by William Shakespeare, there exists contributing factors which lead to the occurring events. The aforementioned quote discusses the idea that one’s unchecked ambition leads to cause hardship throughout life. Moreover, it symbolizes this novel as Macbeth senses a driven motivation for pride along with the influences around him which in turn lead to the tragedies that occur. In Macbeth, even though Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to take such barbarous actions, Macbeth remains at fault. The turning point in the novel occurs when King Duncan dies: the event that initiates the entire plot. Both characters in the play stay accountable for this event, but Macbeth goes over the top by initiating the action. For instance, Lady Macbeth psychologically affects Macbeth by stripping him of his confidence in order to persuade him to go through with the murder. When Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to go through with the plan she states “Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life / And live a coward in thine own esteem…” (1.7.46-47). Lady Macbeth fully understands the flaws present amongst her husband and strives to complete his ambitions and dreams by investing herself in this plan. Although, she understands his dreams of becoming king, she also understands that Macbeth represents a coward as he lacks the ability to commit such a sin. Due to this, Lady Macbeth decides to culminate him by challenging him mentally away from his hesitant action. Nevertheless, Macbeth, a character easy to influence, goes through with the execution of King Duncan. Moreover, Macbeth... ... middle of paper ... ...death as well as the war. All things considered, Macbeth remains accountable for the events in the play rather than the minimal influence Lady Macbeth presents. Within Scotland, Macbeth plays a substantial role as his tyrannical influence drags the country into the ground. The actions of Macbeth overcome the words of Lady Macbeth. Specifically, Macbeth murders King Duncan while Lady Macbeth only subtly influences him. Afterwards, his own ambition drives him insane which then leads him to plot the murder of Banquo and Fleance. Lastly, Macbeth remains responsible for the murder of the family of Macduff as he tries to secure his power as the king. All in all, Macbeth turns to the wrong people for guidance when he needs it and his unchecked ambition leads to his collapse. People who strictly follow their ambitions wish to face a series of unfortunate events.

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