The Downfall of Macbeth Essay

The Downfall of Macbeth

Ever since the times of the ancient Greeks, there have been plays described as tragedies. They are much different from the stories with happy endings that people love so much today. Tragedies involve a tragic hero with a serious character flaw. This fatal flaw leads to their downfall, and usually their death. Shakespeares tragedy Macbeth is no different. This play is centered around a man who starts out as a well respected thane. However, after 3 witches prophesize that he shall one day be king, he shows his fatal flaw. His flaw is one seen in many tragedies, ambition. His desire for power causes him to murder the king of Scotland, Duncan, who he had great respect for. After Macbeth is crowned king, his ambition leads him to kill anyone who might stand in his way including his former good friend Banquo. Even though his ambition is his fatal flaw other factors play a part in his downfall. In William Shakespeares tragedy, Macbeth, Macbeths downfall is caused by his obsession with the witches prophecies, his ability to be influenced by his wife, and his transformation into a harsh and violent man.

To begin, Macbeths obsession with the witches prophecies causes him to make strange decisions and do strange things. From the moment Macbeth realizes that the witches first prediction has come true his life revolves around the words of the witches. Every time Macbeth hears a prediction, the superstitious awe and breathless suspense into which the communications of the Weird Sisters throw him, is hurried on with daring impatience to verify their predictions (Hazlitt 170). In other words, whenever Macbeth hears a prediction from the witches he immediately runs out to try to make the prediction come true instead of just letting it happen naturally. For example, when the witches predict that Macbeth will be king, he gets very impatient. Things probably would turn out better if Macbeth just sat back and waited for the crown to come to him, but he panics when Malcolm is named heir to the throne. He then murders Duncan to fulfill the witches prophecy. Macbeth should have just let fate run its course and not taken matters into his own hands. These predictions also give him a false sense of accomplishment, specifically the predictions that no man born of woman can harm Macbeth and that Macbeth shall not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth does not spend any time preparing himself for an attack because he does not believe that anyone can harm him. When his castle is being invaded he is prepared to fight every soldier on his own. After he defeats young Siward he exclaims, Thou wast born of woman. / But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn / Brandished by thats of woman born (Shakespeare.V.vii .421). Macbeth believes that nobody can kill him because everyone is born of woman. He is proved wrong, however, when Macduff reveals that he is born of Caesarean. The predictions of the witches give Macbeth a dangerous false sense of security, which eventually leads to him being killed in battle by Macbeth.

Secondly, Lady Macbeths great influence over her husband plays a major role in his downfall. Macbeths letter about the witches prediction to his wife gives her a great lust for power. She decides that she wants to be the Queen of Scotland and nothing is going to keep her from the throne. She is very strong willed and she gets what she wants. It is Lady Macbeths plan from the start to murder Duncan. She cannot do it herself because she claims Duncan looks like her father, but she does what it takes to convince Macbeth to kill him for her. Macbeth begins to have second thoughts, but Lady Macbeth convinces him to go through with the murder plot saying, Art thou afeared / to be the same in thine own act and valor / as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that / which thou esteemst the ornament of life / and live a coward in thine own esteem (Shakespeare.I.vii.357). Macbeth begins to realize that maybe it is not right to kill Duncan, a very good king who has done great things for Macbeth. However, Lady Macbeths conscience is nowhere to be found and she calls him a coward for having second thoughts about murdering a good, innocent man over greed and ambition. Lady Macbeth never hesitates and she at once seizes on the opportunity that offers for the accomplishment of all their wished for greatness, and never flinches from her object till all is over (Hazlitt 171). Lady Macbeth is possibly even more evil than her husband. Her influence causes Macbeth to kill Duncan, beginning the gradual downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth puts the thoughts in her husbands head that it is acceptable to kill to advance in the world. She plays a major role in turning Macbeth into the monster he becomes by the end of the play. Lady Macbeth does kill herself in Act V, so one could argue that because Macbeth is still evil after his wifes death that she did not always influence him. However, she got Macbeth started with his killing so her influence lives on even after her death.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Macbeths downfall is caused by his transformation into a harsh and violent man. The Macbeth seen in Act I and the Macbeth who is decapitated by Macduff at the end of the play are seemingly to different people. At the opening of the play Macbeth is thought of very highly in Scotland. He is the Thane of Glamis and after fighting bravely for King Duncan he also becomes Thane of Cawdor. However, he undergoes a terrible change and he becomes a very evil man. It all begins with his murder of Duncan. Prior to the murder he seems to be a good man, But when his hands are dyed in blood he hardly cares to withdraw them; and the same fears which had tended to hold him back from murder now urge him on to double and treble murders, until slaughter, almost reckless, becomes the habit of his reign (Dowden 174). Once Macbeth gets his first taste of killing someone he stops looking at murder as an evil action and begins looking at it as a useful tool to help him get the power that he desires so much. Several times Macbeth uses murder to try and assure that he will maintain power. One of the witches first predictions was that sons of Banquo shall be kings so that naturally made Banquo and his son Fleance enemies of King Macbeth even though Macbeth and Banquo were very close friends in Act I. Macbeth hires two murderers to go out and kill Banquo and Fleance in an attempt to assure that no sons of Banquo ever reaches the throne. Fleance escapes, but Macbeth is successful in having his former friend Banquo murdered over a desire for power. Macbeth shows how evil he truly can be after the witches warn him to beware of Macduff. Macduff fled to England to ensure his safety, but that did not stop Macbeth from having his wife and children murdered in cold blood. After Macbeth hears the witches warning he says, The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th edge o th sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls(Shakespeare.IV.i.403 ). After this Macduff vows to avenge his murdered family and kill Macbeth, which he eventually does. Plus, only a truly evil person could order the slaughter of women and children for no apparent reason. Macbeths transformation from a decent man to a very violent and evil man causes him to be killed by Macduff.

In conclusion the downfall of Macbeth is caused by his constant attempts to fulfill the witches prophecies, Lady Macbeths influence over him, and his change to a very cruel and evil human being. Macbeths efforts to take fate into his own hands and make the predictions of the witches come true causes him to lose focus on everything and lulls him into a false sense of security. Lady Macbeths influence gives Macbeth his first taste of murder and makes him realize that killing can be useful to him. His transformation into an evil man creates him enemies and leads to him being killed by Macduff. Many different arguments can be made for why Macbeths downfall occurred. The only thing about it that every critic can agree on is that people will be arguing it for a long, long time.