1 Question One The Causes of Macbeth’s Downfall “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” – Lord Acton (Lazarski, and Allshouse 6) Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s darkest works. It is a tragedy that tells the story of Macbeth, a gallant Scottish soldier who is overcome with greed for power, after receiving a prophecy from three witches that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Essentially, Macbeth's downfall was influenced by his wife and the three witches. He also contributed to his own ill fate by allowing them to manipulate him; thus, playing into their plan. The evidence of Macbeth’s greed for power is clear through his brutal treatment of anyone who threatened his ascencion to the throne. Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from ace-myhomework.com
2
(Macbeth’s downfall begins when he received two prophecies from the three evil witches. The first prophecy was that he would be made the Thane of Cawdor and the second part of the prophecy was that he would become the King of Scotland. Soon after the prophecy, he receives news from the king’s messengers that he has been crowned the Thane of Cawdor. With the first part of the witches’ prophecies fulfilled within a short time, he begins to wonder if the second part of the prophecy was indeed true – that he would become the King of Scotland. Later that evening, he has dinner with King Duncan, who tells him that he intends for his son is the heir to the throne. with the encouragement of his wife, he murders King Duncan and anyone else he considers to be an obstacle in order to become the King of Scotland.
Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is the catalyst that ignites Macbeth’s wickedness. She is a domineering and cunning influence over Macbeth who uses her position in her husband’s life negatively. She becomes greedy and ambitious to become Queen when she learns about the witches’ prophecies from Macbeth’s letter about the witches’ prophecies. On reading the letter, the devices a crafty plan to ensure that Macbeth becomes the king. She convinces him to murder King Duncan by telling him: “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep –Whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey. Soundly invite him – his two chamberlains ill I with wine and wassail so convince that memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason. A limbeck only: when in swinish sleep. Their drenchèd natures lied as in a death, what cannot you and I perform upon the unguarded Duncan? What not put upon his spongy officers, who shall bear
3 the guilt of our great quell?” (Shakespeare I.viii.8). She insinuates to him that he lacks ambition and is too kind-hearted to become king, and he needs to be more cunning and cruel. She turned Macbeth from a kind, well-liked man to a ruthless killer who would be feared and hated by many. She is the one who hatches the plot to kill King Duncan, and when Macbeth seems hesitant to do it, she manipulates him by telling him that he needs to get his courage up. Even after the murder, she calls Macbeth a coward for getting affected by the crime. It is through her influence that Macbeth continues to murder anyone who is a threat to his kingship. Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in determining Macbeth's fate because she is the one who instills in him the greed to be king, and each time Macbeth is doubtful about murdering someone; she manipulatively convinces him to do it. She is aware that she has a lot of power over him and uses it to convince him to commit evil. Macbeth desired to be the king of Scotland, but initially, he did not want to go to the lengths that he did to achieve it. His wife manipulates him by emasculating him. She also urges him to be a tyrannical king. Throughout the play, it is evident that Lady Macbeth is a domineering negative influence over her husband. Macbeth had no intention of killing King Duncan, but Lady Macbeth planted the seed in his mind, and craftily persuaded him to do it by questioning his manliness. She cajoles him into committing the murder because she knows that Macbeth would go to any length to prove to her that he is neither ambitionless nor a coward. The Three Witches In the play, the witches contributed significantly to Macbeth’s eventual destruction. They prophesy; ‘All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!’ (Shakespeare I.iii.3). It is clear that they led to his downfall because prior to meeting them, Macbeth seemed to be an honorable man who fought bravely for his country and was moving up the ranks in his
4 profession. The witches were known to be conniving nature; they were evil and prayed to evil spirits. Their intention was to make prophecies that would cause Macbeth’s destruction by planting in him the idea that he could be the King of Scotland. While Macbeth had control over his actions, they are the root of the problem because their prophecies poisoned his mind and brought out the evil in his soul. His Own Actions Macbeth is also responsible for his own downfall. His wife and the evil witches might have negatively influenced him, but ultimately, he had the choice to do the right thing. The extent of his cruelty is clearly revealed when he says: “[...] From this moment he very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand. And even now, to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: 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 that trace him in his line” (Shakespeare IV.i.166-174) He could have chosen not to become greedy and murderous. Despite being a brave soldier, Macbeth did not have control over his own heart and mind; thus, he was very easy to manipulate. Lady Macbeth and the witches cannot be entirely blamed for Macbeth's actions because ultimately, he had control over his decisions. Banquo provides an example of what Macbeth should have done because he received a prophecy from the witches but did not let himself become obsessed with the idea of power. Spurred by the prophecies and the influence of his wife, Macbeth became so greedy that he could not wait to become king in the usual manner (Shakespeare, 2018). He was willing to assassinate anyone who was an obstacle to his kingship. When the first prophecy of the witches is fulfilled, he becomes confident that the second part is also true. However, instead of waiting for it to happen naturally, he becomes lustful for power.
5 Conclusion The tragedy of Macbeth shows how the lust for power can cause one’s failure. It also outlines the importance of being in control of one’s own thoughts and actions. It depicts the transformation of an individual from a valiant, well-respected soldier to a corrupt and tyrannical king. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is depicted to be an honorable man whose career is on an upward trajectory. However, the desire to succeed overtakes him, and by the end of the play, he is a completely different man. His wrongful actions drive him to complete destruction. The moral of the play is that one should make the distinction between ambition and greed. Ambition is a positive trait and can propel one forward. However, greed is a deterrent to one’s potential. Greed for power corrupts and causes the downfall of even the most honorable people. The play also shows that people have control over their lives and their actions, and should be cautious about letting people influence them.
6 Works Cited Lazarski, C. and Allshouse, S., 2012. Power Tends To Corrupt. DeKalb, Illinois: NIU Press. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Floating Press, 2008.