Preview

Macbeths Downfall

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1691 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Macbeths Downfall
Macbeths Downfall In the beginning of the play Macbeth, Macbeth is a successful and noble Thane of Glamis. The witches tell Macbeth prophecies that guide him to his downfall, but in the end it was his own selfish decisions that caused his demise. The other person that is blamed for Macbeth’s destruction was his wife Lady Macbeth because she was able to manipulate and control his self-esteem by playing with his courage and bravery. However, Macbeth was only guided by his wife; he chose to play out his own outcome. Overall, Macbeth’s own ambitions, greed and self control were the main problems that caused his downfall. In the play these factors have some influence on Macbeth; however he is still responsible for his own destiny. The influences of the witches prophecies, and Lady Macbeths desires play a small part towards Macbeth’s demise; it is Macbeth’s selfish ambitions that are the main reasons which lead to his downfall and destruction. In the play Macbeth, the three witches prophesized to Macbeth future events that lead him to make destructive decisions causing his downfall. The three witches reveal to Macbeth that they foresee him becoming Thane of Cawdor and then becoming King of Scotland. The second witch says to Macbeth “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor” (1, III, 49). The third witch then says “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king here after!” (1, III, 50). Macbeth has a hard time believing that he will receive these titles that the witches foresee. However once Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor he starts wondering about other predictions that the witches revealed to him and Banquo. The witches’ prophecy leads Macbeth to decide his own outcome that causes his downfall. The witches disclose to Macbeth prophecies that come true which leads him to think about killing the king, but Macbeth decides for himself whether or not he will kill him. Macbeth then says to himself “Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the


Cited: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Printed in the United States: Bantam Books. 1980.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Downfall

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As the story opens Macbeth is seen to be a noble fellow of Scotland, but after meeting three witches his great image begins to fade. The witches are introduced in the story as Macbeth and his good friend Banquo are walking through the woods. While meeting these three witches he hears their prophecies; the most important one saying he will become King. The third witch says, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (Shakespeare 1.3.52). The glimpses of the future the witches have shown awaken many thoughts of greatness for Macbeth. To be a King is something any man would think twice about. After the second prophecy,” All hail Macbeth Thane of Cawdor!” comes true, Macbeth becomes fueled to make this prophecy about him becoming King come true (Shakespeare 1.3.50). One critic says “Macbeth is a victim of external circumstances; he falls into a trap set by the witches, who tempt him with prophecies that stimulate his excessive pride and ambition” (Shanley). This might be true but overall this tragedy is due to Macbeth and only Macbeth.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Shakespeare’s masterpiece of a play, ‘Macbeth’, carefully depicts that Macbeth’s character was not ruined by fate but rather by damaging errors in his personality. Macbeth’s dangerous quality of ambition brings about his downfall as well as his treachery against his king, his tyranny and also his imaginativeness that eventually lures him into the murder. Although Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth’s decisions were greatly influenced by other characters in his text, it was Macbeth that ultimately decided to listen to these influences due to the many faults in his character.…

    • 88 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin, the witches’ manipulate Macbeth early in the play by strongly influencing his decisions. The witches scheme to tell Macbeth his fate after a battle has is lost and won. While traveling to King Duncan’s castle Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon the three witches. The first witch greets Macbeth with his current title as the Thane of Glamis, the second witch greets Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor, and the last witch greets Macbeth as, “All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter” (1.iii.53). The greetings are prophecies that plant a negative seed of blind ambition in Macbeth’s thoughts and the predictions are an approach on the witches’ behalf to establish trust. Soon after the witches’ disappear, two Scottish Nobles – Angus and Ross – inform Macbeth of his new title as the Thane of Cawdor in addition to his current title as Thane of Glamis. The news makes Macbeth hopeful and invokes blind ambition, that he may become king. The prediction may come true easily as the Thane of Cawdor title did without causing harm to anyone. Once Macbeth actually becomes King, the pressure and guilt of his actions start to build. He starts to worry and is insecure about his throne because the witches also predict that Banquo’s descendants will become king.…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Macbeth is one of the greatest plays and most valuable lessons there is for the people who are overly ambitious. Macbeth’s downfall was all because of weakness, he didn’t believe in himself and he did not realize that he did not have to submit to his wife to be considered a man. Phony prophecies, overly ambitious wife, weak mind, insecurities and overall half of the ambition on his part was unwanted lead to all the atrocious acts done in the play. His wife was quite the manipulator and got him to do just about anything, many would say it is her fault for his downfall, although it may not be entirely her fault or the witches because somewhere deep inside of him he already had the burning sensation to be powerful, she played a big role in his…

    • 176 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeths Downfall

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is a manipulative woman. She is a dark character and is ruthless and cunning. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is to blame for Macbeth’s downfall and insanity.…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare is based on a thane in whom is corrupted by greed and a negative ambition. The character Macbeth contradicts his moral responsibility in this play a great deal; many moral questions are brought forth to Macbeth. He questions himself and whether or not he should follow through with the evil deeds that he does. Macbeths ambition causes him to compromise his honour, he doesn't take into consideration that he is being trusted and that every action that he takes will have a reaction. Macbeth attains his position as king unjustly. As is evident by the conclusion, justice prevails as usual and Macbeths demise is a result of his evil deeds.…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The witches predict that Macbeth will be King and Thane of Cawdor, this was taken lightly until Macbeth was given title of Thane of Cawdor, much to his disbelief; “All Hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!” Directly after this scene, the unlikely odds of it becoming true happens, this foreshadows early on that the witch’s other predictions will come true.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Curse of Macbeth

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people believe that there is a terrible curse that has been put upon Shakespeare’s Macbeth. But the question is; are they right? We believe that it is all a matter of whether or not one is superstitious.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeths Downfall

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the play Macbeth, The character of Macbeth is introduced as a brave, loyal man. As the play progresses, Macbeth starts to degenerate into a murderous tyrant. The factor that led to his degeneration of character was his ability to be easily influenced by others. This intensified his drive and ambition to become King of Scotland. This flaw led to his downfall and later, death.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The three witches revealed to Macbeth that he will soon become the Thane of Cawdor, and later onwards, the King. You see the plot slowly advancing when Macbeth is pronounced Thane of Cawdor by Ross and Angus, Kind Duncan's messengers, ("happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme" Act 1, Scene 3, lines 129-130) Thus, with the first prophecy coming true, Macbeth's trust for the witches becomes slightly stronger as he starts to believe that "If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me".…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Downfall of Macbeth

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare is based on a thane who is corrupted by greed and a negative ambition. He questions himself and whether or not he should follow through with the evil deeds that he does. Macbeth’s ambition causes him to compromise his honour, he doesn’t take into consideration that he is being trusted and that every action that he takes will have a reaction. Macbeth attains his position as king unjustly. As is evident by the conclusion, justice prevails as usual and Macbeth’s demise is a result of his evil deeds.…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Macbeth first encounters the Witches, they inform him of his prophecy to become the Thane of Cawdor, and soon to be King of Scotland. He is also with Banquo, and he is informed that his kids will be kings, but not him. The Witches say to Macbeth, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii.51-53). At first, he becomes shocked and surprised by this, but he soon realizes after being crowned Thane of Cawdor, that this prophecy will most likely come true. As soon as Macbeth learns of his prophecy, he…

    • 1428 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lady Macbeth's Downfall

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to feel a tremendous weight on your chest, or a dark, malformed figure standing at the foot of your bed. You can’t move or yell for help, you’re stuck in a nightmare even though you’re awake. Now imagine the inability to sleep altogether, the nightmares of your actions haunt your dreams to the point where you can no longer sleep at all. All of the scenarios stated are symptoms of a condition called narcolepsy, a disease in which sleep becomes a difficult task to complete, causing unrest, excessive daytime sleepiness, hallucinations, sleepwalking, and many other dangerous symptoms. These characteristics match that of Lady MacBeth from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of MacBeth. In the play, the…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the play, Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth is viewed as a hero. He saves Scotland from a traitor and secures King Duncan’s kingdom. The King rewards Macbeth and gains tremendous respect for him. However, as the play goes on, Macbeth’s character takes a twist. Ironically, Macbeth becomes the traitor and antagonist of the play. The question then asked is, who is to blame for the downfall of Macbeth; the witches, Lady Macbeth, or Macbeth himself? Even though both the witches and Lady Macbeth factor in to the person Macbeth becomes, Macbeth is the ultimate one to blame. In the play, Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth is the one to blame for his own downfall because of his ambition, mental weakness, and his recklessness.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Downfall Of Macbeth

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Throughout Macbeth by William Shakespeare many characters go through a dramatic change. One of the most notable is the main character Macbeth. Macbeth started the play as an honorable loyal Thane, after the first meeting with the Witches his mental health begins to spiral out of control and he becomes a ruthless king that only cares for himself. From beginning to end Macbeth goes through a series of changes where he fights with his own conscious to win the battle of good and evil.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays