Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

William Shakespeare's MACBETH, also know as THE SCOTTISH PLAY is a play thought to be first

performed in 1606. The play showcases the effects of ambition, guilt, and disorder caused by the desire

of power for one's own benefits. The play centres around a Scottish general named Macbeth who is told by

three witches that he will one day be the King of Scotland, this combined with his ambition and his wife's

manipulation leads to him killing King Duncan, he then spirals into guilt and obsession, leading to his

eventual death. For the most part, Macbeth is responsible for his downfall, but the three witches and Lady

Macbeth are also large forces in contributing to his downfall.

The three witches were influential and in part responsible for the downfall

of Macbeth. The witches
prophecies plant the initial idea of taking the crown and killing King Duncan. This is demonstrated in the text
when the witches say "all hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter." This quote shows the witches planting
thoughts into Macbeth's head.

At first, Macbeth did not believe the witches but when he was named Thane of

Cawdor something promised by them, it sparked his ambition and drove him towards the crown. The witches

also give Macbeth false security as the second set of prophecies they give him gets him thinking that he is

invincible. This is evidenced in the text when facing Macduff, Macbeth says "I bare a charmed life which must

not yield to one of woman born." This comes after receiving the prophecy from the witches "none of women

born Shall harm Macbeth." These quotes show that the witches prophecies gave Macbeth false hope as they

didn't truly explain them to him. Together these examples prove that although the weird sisters didn't tell him

to kill King Duncan, and didn't lie in their prophecies, they share intentionally ambiguous information with him

which escalated and contributed to his downfall.

Lady Macbeth also plays a role in Macbeth's downfall. Throughout the play, she is portrayed as an ambitious

woman who is able to manipulate Macbeth easily. It's obvious that Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth

lacks
the wickedness to carry out the murder. This is apparent when she says, "too full o' the milk of human
kindness", which means she thinks he is naturally a kind hearted person. Lady Macbeth then uses her
control of Macbeth to goad him into committing the murder. This is clear in the line "When you durst do it,
then you are a man".

This shows Lady Macbeth intentionally damaging his self-esteem by questioning his

manliness and bravery. These quotes showcase Lady Macbeth's ability to influence Macbeth's actions as

she challenges his courage. Together these examples prove that Lady Macbeth had a significant influence

on Macbeth resulting in him killing King Duncan, and in the end bringing about his own downfall.

Macbeth himself played the largest role in his own downfall. Although both the witches and Lady Macbeth

play a part in it, Macbeth ultimately takes action and commits the murder of King Duncan and then everyone

who is a threat to his crown. Despite being described as a courageous and noble war hero by the injured

captain in Act 1, evil thoughts were prevalent in his mind. This is visible by his quote "Stars, hide your fires;

Let not light see my black and deep desires". This shows he is ashamed of his evil thoughts, and proves he

had these thoughts before Lady Macbeth's interference. This is further proven when he sees the vision of a

dagger in his mind and then quotes "Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going; and such an instrument I

was to use". This shows that he was already going to kill King Duncan with a dagger. Macbeth also fails

to
listen to his conscience multiple times before he murders King Duncan and thus his ambition takes over and
he no longer sees the evil in his actions. This is demonstrated by his quote "To be thus is nothing, but to be
safely thus, our fears in Banquo stick deep". This quote shows that even after killing King Duncan and being
named as the King of Scotland, Macbeth was still worried about Banquo, and without thinking twice he hires
murderers to kill his once friend and companion to protect his ambition. These quotes show that Macbeth is
the main force behind his own downfall as he fails to predict or understand the consequences of his actions.
Together these examples prove that Macbeth himself through pushing aside his conscience and instead
thinking of his evil ambitions contributed to his ultimate downfall.
Macbeth is a tragic hero, and his downfall can be attributed to the Three Weird Sisters prophecies, Lady
Macbeth's Manipulation, and ultimately Macbeth's over-ambition and inability to listen to his conscience.
Macbeth's downfall is one which is beautifully tragic as it shows him from being a noble general, to a tyrant
King, and then finally a defeated man overcome by his own ambitions.