Macbeth's Decision To Kill Duncan Essay

According to the cliché, every event happens for a reason. Although this common phrase has become cheesy, it does hold some truth: an event may seem purposeless, but actually, in the long run, it will have an effect on your life. Therefore, every event does have a purpose. In William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, Macbeth murders Duncan in order to claim the throne and become king. In the time leading up to the murder, the events seem to vary in terms of importance and relationship to the great deed. However, each event, no matter how large or small, contribute to Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan. Overall, many events are responsible for causing the murder of Duncan, but the most significant cause—the cause that starts all the madness—is the

The idea of killing Duncan scared Macbeth; however, Macbeth still wanted to kill Duncan. The only thing stopping him from committing this horrible deed was his fear of upsetting the natural order. But when Lady Macbeth, a greedy, dark soul, heard the prophecy that Macbeth would become king and that she would become queen, she decided that Macbeth must kill Duncan. She played an instrumental role in convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan. She was trying to play all of her cards to force Macbeth to kill Duncan. She used the tactic of teasing Macbeth and implying that he wasn’t “man enough” to kill Duncan, which goes against the gender roles in Elizabethan England that state that women are kind, pure and listen to their husbands. She mocks Macbeth when she

Wouldst thou have that

Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,

And live a coward in thine own esteem,

Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would” (I. vii. 43-48).

Lady Macbeth uses Macbeth’s pride against him and in the process convinces him to kill Duncan. She also makes the killing of Duncan easier on Macbeth by carrying out all the preparations for the murder except for the act itself. This gives Macbeth less to worry about and helps to convince him to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s persuasion and manipulation of Macbeth was the “last straw” factor, and it was the deciding factor that causes Macbeth to kill Duncan. All in all, many events are responsible for causing the murder of Duncan, but the most significant cause—the cause that starts all the madness—is the former Thane of Cawdor committing treason. However, that being said, the character of Lady Macbeth has the most influence on Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan. Of course, all of these causes contributed to Macbeth’s killing of Duncan, but soon the killing of Duncan will become the cause of a larger story. This serious and horrible act by Macbeth disrupts natural order, proving that each event happens for a reason and has a purpose in the