Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

1st paragraph) done-ish

The witches’ prophecies are a huge part of the downfall of Macbeth. Macbeth and the prophecies said by the witches are a result of Macbeth’s ambition for the throne. When Macbeth first sees the weird sisters they address him by three names, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor. All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3, 51-53) the witches go on to notify Banquo that his children will become kings even though he himself won’t become one. At first Macbeth dismisses these claims, and Banquo suggests that they were just hallucinating. The idea of Macbeth becoming Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland is frightening and Macbeth fully believes he will

Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane, And thou opposed, being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, And damned be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”” (5.8, 27-34). Macbeth knows how much pain and suffering he caused and he knows he can’t back down at the last second so he goes all out with a battle of death with Macduff. It was Macbeth’s own choice to murder Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. He allowed himself to believe that he was still unbeatable even after seeing that the witches’ prophecies were clearly deceiving. The witches’ prophecies were nothing but a catalyst to bring Macbeth down and make him the ultimate puppet. He chose to kill the king in order to become the new one, he chose to kill his friend to keep the kingdom in his family name, and he chose to believe that he could not be stopped. All of these things were believed to be the witches’ doing but it was really Macbeth carrying on with his devious plans. There’s clear proof when Macbeth takes the moment to think about whether to kill Banquo or not, "To be thus [king] is nothing;/ But to be safely thus.—Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep" (3.1, 52-54). In this quote, we see Macbeth having already accomplished his goal but still deciding to kill more because of his own safety and to leave no witnesses. This is obviously his own choice and not the witches’ prophecies. Macbeth may be convinced to be a noble warrior everyone looks up when the play starts -- but once he murders Duncan, he's prepared to keep his power. It gets easier for Macbeth to commit heinous crimes. Killing multiple grown people is one thing, but then he orders the murders of Macduff's family, including his children. But he's just looking out for his own