Macbeth is Not Well-intentioned

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Macbeth is Not Well-intentioned

"Macbeth is a well-intentioned character whose downfall is caused solely by the evil advice and influence of other characters." To what extent do you consider this statement to be true?

In William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, Macbeth is a character whose downfall is caused by a number of factors. Despite Macbeth being portrayed as a brave, masculine soldier, he is easily persuaded by his wife, Lady Macbeth and the witches who deliver prophecies to Macbeth. Macbeth, while being a victim of this influence, constantly hides his inner ill-intentions and makes tragic and consequential decisions that result in his subsequent downfall. Macbeth is not well-intentioned and his downfall is not caused solely by the influence and evil advice of other characters. Thus, we can say that the opeing statement is not true.

Throughout the text, evidence that Macbeth is well-intentioned is far outweighed by contrasting evidence that Macbeth is ill-intentioned. Perhaps the sole example of Macbeth being well-intentioned is when he states, "I chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir." From perhaps only a brief moment in the text, Macbeth is displaying some good intent by stating that he hopes that without him having to force the prophecies to come true they will indeed eventuate. In blatant contrast however are clear examples of Macbeth's ill-intentions motivated by his fatal flaw, vaulting ambition. Macbeth surely reveals his true intent when he states, "Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires" and further convinces that he is ill-intentioned. Another definite example of Macbeth's inner struggle to deal with his ill-intentions that he must ...

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...hether or not they were influenced by other characters, were his decisions and the way he perceived and interpreted the prophecies was his error. Thus, Macbeth's downfall was not solely the evil advice and influence of other characters but the impact of his decisions and his perceptions of the witches' prophecies.

Macbeth is a tragic figure whose downfall is caused by a combination of his ill-intentions, the influence of other characters and his consequential decisions and interpretations. Therefore, one cannot say that Macbeth's downfall was caused solely by the evil advice and influence of other characters and that this reason for his downfall is only a small part of his eventual downfall. Thus, the statement, "Macbeth is a well-intentioned character whose downfall is caused solely by the evil advice and influence of other characters" is not true.

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