Was Macbeth a Traitor
“Macbeth deserved to die because he was totally responsible for the betraying the Scottish king, Duncan, and the Scottish people”. Write an analytical essay in which you explore the forces behind Macbeth’s murdering ways. Macbeth deserved to die for betraying the Scottish king, Duncan, and the Scottish people; however, he was not totally responsible for his actions. Lady Macbeth and the three Witches also played a major role. They were responsible for convincing Macbeth to begin the series of events, which eventually led to the destruction of order in Scotland. Once she had received news of the three Witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth was intent that she would eventually become Queen of Scotland. Initially, Macbeth had decided not to murder Duncan, “We will proceed no further in this business” (Macbeth, Act I, scene vii). However, Lady Macbeth was determined to continue with her original plan. She repeatedly insulted Macbeth’s manhood, provoking him to continue with the plans to murder Duncan, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (Lady Macbeth, Act I, scene vii). She appealed to Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” so as to intensify the effect that the Witches’ prophecies had on him, “Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor! Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter” (Lady Macbeth, Act I, scene v). She convinced Macbeth that the rewards of the murder would far outweigh the drawbacks and clear their conscience, “A little water clears us of this deed” (Lady Macbeth, Act I, scene ii). Although Macbeth dearly loved his king, Lady Macbeth yielded such a persuasive power over him that he was convinced the Witches’ prophecies of Duncan’s murder and the resulting kingship were his rightful fate. The three Witches deceived Macbeth by proclaiming ambiguous prophecies, which led him to