The lust to control the uncontrollable is a never-ending vicious cycle, and worry is only fueled by this need. There are only so many things that one can constantly control such as your attitude and how one reacts to situations. At his core, Macbeth was an honest man who was admired as a loyal and noble soldier. The heroic Macbeth's need to control the uncontrollable was the pivotal flaw that led to his tragic downfall. Unfortunately, he was put into extraneous circumstances that caused him to be in a constant state of worry which ultimately led to his desire to control which he could not control. The situation that Macbeth was in was impacted by his encounter with the witches, the pressure he received from his wife, and his reaction.
The witches
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"All hail, Macbeth!" the witches exclaim as they foretell Macbeth's future. Salutations to you, Thane of Cawdor! Hence, Macbeth is left feeling very perplexed by this encounter: "All hail, Macbeth, that thou shalt be king hereafter!"(1.3.49). Macbeth served the king as a brave and devoted soldier. He was left in deep troubling contemplation when the first prophecy came true, unsure of what to do. Before his encounter with the witches, Macbeth's character had no ambition of becoming king; nevertheless, once the witches intervened in his life, Macbeth started to worry about matters beyond his control. As a result, Macbeth decided to control his destiny by killing King Duncan. The witches took advantage of Macbeth's weakness—his desire to control the uncontrollable—and once he became king, he began to instill a false sense of confidence in the witches and their prophecies. Macbeth's admirable traits were being stripped away by his decision to murder. As Macbeth started to lose himself more and more pushing away anyone who will do what is just he turns to the witches again for reassurance. They remark "Something evil this way coming"(4.1.45)as soon as Macbeth reaches the room where he will meet the witches to learn more about …show more content…
People decide their behaviors, attitudes, and reactions to circumstances. Macbeth was placed into a situation in which he had a lot of external contributing factors but he was still the person who acted upon the ideas that were planted in his head. Macbeth's inability to let destiny take its course is ultimately what leads to his downfall. Macbeth couldn't just simply not take action because he had such a compelling urge to control something that he should not have been in control of, death. According to Jennifer Litner, Ph.D., LMFT, CST, “The desire for control may be rooted in a fear of uncertainty’’( Emma Dibdin), which is certainly something that Macbeth exhibited. Macbeth's need to be in control stemmed from a place of worry. Worried that he was going to disappoint his wife and worried about the prophecies of the witches. Even after Macbeth kills the king this same worry of the prophecy is what drove Macbeth to kill his best friend. Macbeth's attitude was something that he was in control of, and yet he let other people's opinions take control. The attitude and reactions of Macbeth are opposites at the beginning of the book as opposed to the end. By the end of the novel “ Some say he’s mad, others that lesser hate him Do call it valiant fury. But, for certain, He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule.”(5.2.14) was the common opinion of his character. Macbeth, even when