Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

616 Words3 Pages

Now, there are many elements to Shakespeare's Macbeth, but this is the most interesting part. Now, Macbeth is an emotional rollercoaster about the rise and fall of King Macbeth. When three witches tell Macbeth that he will be “king hereafter” (1. 3. 50) as well as “less than Macbeth, yet greater” (1. 3. 65), Macbeth realises that he might have to act on his own to fulfill this prophecy. So he reluctantly kills his first victim, King Duncan. As the play progresses (and more people are killed), we see Macbeth transform from this honorable warrior into a cruel and wicked monarch. This ultimately leads to his downfall, as some of his own men lead a revolution against him. Macbeth’s head is put on a stake, all of Scotland is free from his tyranny, and the prophecy has come true. Yet, you can’t help but wonder how Macbeth’s kingdom fell. He was a warrior after all, so wouldn’t he know some battle tactics to defend himself? There are a few things that affected Macbeth’s downfall. The witches had a hand in his death, as Macbeth’s mental state and Macduff’s revenge. First of all, the witches had a good hand in Macbeth’s death. They were the ones who at the beginning cursed Macbeth to become this …show more content…

After that, it was Macbeth’s questionable leadership and Macduff’s revenge that ended Macbeth’s Kingdom. It’s sad that Macbeth couldn’t have ended with redemption instead of revenge. Yes, Macbeth did turn evil and ruin the Kingdom of Scotland, but you can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Macbeth had truly felt guilty in the end. We might have seen a story about true forgiveness. As it is, though, Macbeth truly stands out from the rest of Shakespeare’s plays. It shows a tale about the dangerous methods of rising to power, and how that can affect one’s mind. Interestingly enough, it even set the stereotypes of how witches are portrayed today. Macbeth is a literary wonder in today's