Explain The Key Events That Led To The Downfall Of Macbeth

Macbeth’s Fall According to the author John C. Maxwell, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” This quote can be related to the choices that Macbeth makes that eventually lead to his tragic downfall. In the tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 1623, the main character is on a journey to his downfall. He starts as a man eager to be the King of Scotland. At the very beginning of the play, three witches are shown in the middle of the dark woods predicting several key events that influence the course of the story. They predict such things as that Macbeth will end up as king and that Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne. These predictions plant the seed of ambition in Macbeth’s mind. Throughout

He arranges the murder of Banquo and wants to eliminate any threat to his position as king, showing him as a tyrant and ruthless. Finally, in Act IV, Macbeth becomes a friend. In this act, Macbeth visits the three witches to seek more predictions. He demands to know more about his future and this shows his obsession with power and that he will do anything to keep the throne. During the third stage of Macbeth’s journey, Act V, Macbeth begins to lose everything he has built upon. Lady Macbeth hallucinates and sleepwalks due to her guilt over committing the murders. She eventually dies, unknowingly to Macbeth at this point. Also, Macbeth knows that a siege is coming, so he waits inside the castle. As armies advance towards him, he still believes in the witches’ prophecies. Malcolm, the son of King Duncan, and Macduff, loyal to King Duncan, move toward the castle disguised as a forest. Macbeth learns of his wife’s death and decides to fight. Macduff kills Macbeth in battle since he was not “born of a woman.” Malcolm takes the throne and all order is restored. Clearly, the choices Macbeth made during his reign as King of Scotland heavily affected the way his reign