Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

1041 Words5 Pages

In the beginning, Macbeth is introduced as a noble fighter of Scotland and is portrayed as a courageous character who doesn't appear to have ill intentions for anyone in particular. However, as the novel progressed, Macbeth transformed into a ruthless murderer who cared for practically no one but himself. The onset of Macbeth’s abnormal behavior appears to have begun when the witches, or “weird sisters” proclaimed his destiny. In unison, the three women revealed to Macbeth that he would be named the Thane of Glamis, the Thane of Cawdor, as well as the king. Immediately following the witches’ revelation, Macbeth became engulfed with interest, which was evident when he stated, “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more!” Despite Macbeth’s request …show more content…

The witches revealing his fate prior to it happening had somewhat of a role in his downfall, however it is what Macbeth did with that information that caused him to spiral out of control. The decision to initially assassinate Duncan was one that involved no influence from the witches. Him and Lady Macbeth came upon that agreement together. However, this does not mean that Lady Macbeth was at fault over Macbeth and his free will. Perhaps in the beginning, she had influenced him to make certain choices, but towards the end of the novel, Macbeth made all decisions alone without even consulting Lady Macbeth. This specifically occurred when Macbeth hired murderers to kill both Banquo and Fleance. At that point in the novel, his ambition was shining through and his free will was the only thing causing him to make those decisions. Perhaps the witches’ prophecy would have still come true had Macbeth not murdered several people. If it was truly fate it would have happened regardless; meaning Macbeth did not have to make his fate occur by committing such terrible actions. However, because Macbeth had free will, he chose to take that specific route with little influence over anyone else. His actions were extremely bold and people surrounding him eventually caught on to what he was doing, which is the reason why he did not succeed in the