Is Macbeth Responcible For His Own Downfall

Essay, Research Paper

Was Macbeth responsible for his own downfall.

Eleventh century Scotland was a violent and troubled country. Feuding families and clans fought to control trade and territory. The castle was the powerbase for each warlord (Thane). Political murder and revenge killings were commonplace. Marauding Vikings and Norsemen raided constantly.

Macbeth was born in 1005, son of a great family that ruled Moray and Ross. Macbeths father was murdered by his own cousins. He then married Gruach, granddaughter to a high king of Scotland. They never had any children and there is no evidence of the influence that Lady Macbeth had over her husband.

Whilst the play is based loosely on fact, Shakespeare altered some of the events so that they fitted the play. For example, he invented Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking and death, the banquet scene and Banquo’s Ghost as well as most of the cauldron scene. Shakespeare also changed Duncan from an ineffectual king into an old and revered ruler and he also ignored Macbeth’s ten years of good rule.

The first major event in the play is Act 1 Scene 1 where the witches talk about meeting Macbeth on the heath. The appearance of the witches early on in the play immediately establishes the influence of the supernatural. My quote supporting this statement is below. It’s when the third witch says.

“There to meet with Macbeth”

This suggests that the witches knew that Macbeth was taking that route back to Duncan s castle and that they would be waiting for him on the way. How would the witches know where to meet Macbeth if he hadn t told them unless they were supernatural.

Secondly, the next event in the play is where the sergeant comes into the king s chamber reporting that the rebellion led by MacDonwald has been crushed. However, Sweno, king of Norway has launched an attack, which both Macbeth and Banquo are helping to repel. King Duncan then pronounces the death sentence over the treacherous Thane of Cawdor and says that Macbeth shall have his title. In this event, we first learn that Macbeth is going to be given more power as the Thane of Cawdor than he ever had when he was Thane of Glamis. The next quote shows Duncan deciding to give Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor.

And with his former title greet Macbeth

It will be this taste of power together with the promise of the witches prophecies, which eventually convinces Macbeth to murder King Duncan.

Overall, the characters that were most responsible for influencing Macbeth are the witches and Lady Macbeth. They both play on his fatal flaws (ambition and greed) in order to cause what they want i.e. chaos for the witches and becoming queen for Lady Macbeth.

If Macbeth can be called a tragic hero, he has to fulfil certain criteria. These criteria are shown below along with why Macbeth successfully fulfils them.

q That they have to be of high birth and position

Macbeth fulfils this criterion by being a kinsman of the king and also being Thane of Glamis.

“By Sinel’s death I know I am Thane of Glamis”

q Should have some good qualities

He does have some good qualities by being brave, honourable and heroic as demonstrated when the sergeant enters Duncan s court and says

For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name

And

Doubly redoubles strokes upon the foe

Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds

q Should have a tragic flaw that’s played on by circumstances. This flaw must bring about his downfall and bring about the sympathy of the audience

Macbeth fulfils the first part of this criterion by being greedy and ambitious. These flaws are exploited by the witch’s prophecies and his wife s lust for power. The two groups of people exploit his weaknesses and it results in him killing King Duncan. When killed by Macduff, his death was caused by him being king, which in turn was caused by his ambition and greed.

So, I believe that Macbeth was a tragic hero as he could have been a good king later in his life if, his ambition and greed hadn’t been played on by the witches, who first made him think of killing the king through their prophecies.

As to who else, other than Macbeth is responsible for what happened, the obvious choices are the witches and Lady Macbeth. For if the witches hadn’t met with Macbeth and hadn’t given him the prophecies (See the quote below) then he wouldn’t have even thought about murdering the king.

“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”

Lady Macbeth is also responsible for the turn of events, as it was she who finally convinced Macbeth that murdering King Duncan was the easiest way to fulfil the witch’s third and final prophecy of Macbeth being king. If Lady Macbeth hadn’t read Macbeth’s letter to her, then she wouldn’t have had the idea of calling up the demons, and therefore not have been able to convince Macbeth to murder the king.

Shakespeare wrote about the witches to inject an atmosphere of evil into the play. People around the time when he wrote Macbeth found witches objects of morbid and fevered fascination, so including them would help to add to the tension when the play was performed to an a

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