A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events. The three witches introduced to the reader were the initial characters to plant the seed of greed in Macbeth’s mind. The prophecy they state reads that Macbeth will or has attained multiple levels of power, “All hail, Macbeth...Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor...that shalt be king hereafter.” (Act 1, Sc. 3, lines 51-53) While it was rather brief, this introduction lead to Macbeth essentially taking course and making these occurrences actually happen. Not only is the content of what the say alter Macbeth, it may also be their way of proclaiming the prophecy. The …show more content…
First off, Macbeth inevitably decided to kill Duncan. He may have been heavily influence, but he undoubtedly could have chosen not to and at times, he would contemplate whether he should or should not. The act of murdering Duncan sent him to a downward spiral. He ordered murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. []. While Fleance was able to escape, Banquo was not so lucky. The reason for his murder was because the witches say to Banquo that his sons will be king Macbeth is out of control, and it also led to his decision to kill Macduff’s family, as Macduff was considered a threat, having figured out his insanity. []. By the end of the play, Macbeth is lost in a pit of state. The crimes he committed had desensitized him. He essentially became his own worst enemy from his downward spiral, which led to decisions he made on his