"We have self-centred minds which get us into plenty of trouble. If we do not come to understand the error in the way we think, our self-awareness, which is our greatest blessing, is also our downfall."-Joko Beck. This is shown in the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare. Macbeth experiences a very tragic downfall caused by his gullibility, cowardice, and his extensive pride.
Macbeth's tragic downfall is caused by his gullibility with regards to the witches because he believes their prophecies and puts his faith in them. When Macbeth first hears the prophecies, he is doubtful but when the first part of the prophecy comes true, he trusts the witches. When this part-being named the Thane of Cawdor-occurs, Macbeth states,"Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: The
…show more content…
When she finds out about the prophecies, she pressures Macbeth to take action. She challenges his manhood, and being the coward that he is, Macbeth surcomes Lady Macbeth's pressure and agrees to do whatever it takes to achieve victory. His response to Lady Macbeth challenging his masculinity is; "Prithee peace. I dare to do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none." Rather than advocating for himself, he allows Lady Macbeth to accomplish her ambitions. Then, once Macbeth becomes King, he allows Lady Macbeth to hide any evidence of his actions, and allows her to convince him to carry on when he is doubtful. When Macbeth is plotting to kill Banquo and Fleance, he tells Lady Macbeth that he is worried and feels like his mind is full of scorpions. Lady Macbeth answers, "You must leave this," (3.2.36) and "But in them nature's copy's not externe." Once again, Macbeth capitulates and carries out with the plan. He is constantly exhibiting his cowardice by surcoming to all of Lady Macbeth's arguments. If Macbeth could advocate for himself and not act so cowardly, he could avoid a lot of