Unlike Oedipus, after realizing the accuracy of his prophecy, instead of avoiding all possible negative actions, Macbeth devises a plan with the help of his wife to murder Duncan in order to fulfil the dark prophecy. However Macbeth’s weak character becomes provoked by a disappearing dagger, which he hallucinates before the murder of Duncan. The further Macbeth travels the path of corruption, the further he travels from reality, and illusions become his truth. Macbeth acts upon his illusions and as he hears the Lady Macbeth’s bell he questions whether Duncan will go to heaven or to hell, a choice Macbeth lost (Shakespeare 2.1.75-77). Throughout the play Shakespeare illuminates Macbeth’s escape from reality.
The murders that Macbeth committed not only showed his brutality and ruthlessness but it also showed how twisted is soul is. These murders indicate the darkness of Macbeth because he not only kills the king, but he kills those who love and respect him. It could also be because of how selfish and corrupt Macbeth became from the thirst of power that could never be quenched. Once becoming the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth enjoyed having a title to his name. Sadly, this title was not enough for him so Macbeth’s imagination had the “witches” prophecy be that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor (which he already knew) and a king.
In the play Macbeth, Macbeth’s fate is what drives him to his decisions for both power and greed. This is portrayed when Macbeth when he kills Banquo and his son because his greed sees them as a threat to his throne, killing the king for power above all mortals, and his fate ultimately leading to his death and freeing time. Macbeth has done countless sins in order to keep his rightful position as king, though his greed for power has led to him killing his best friend Banquo because the witches have predicted that Banquo’s descendants will be king. “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” (I,iii,68) this quote that the witches say is their prediction that Macbeth will be king but Banquo’s descendants will be granted King after Macbeth. This leads Macbeth to hire henchmen in order to take out Banquo and his son in order to keep his power above all.
Also, Macbeth’s faith in the three witches is a big reason he decides to do and they are why Lady Macbeth created the idea to kill the King. Macbeth believes that since the witches first prediction of him becoming Thane of Cawdor rang true, perhaps him becoming King of Scotland will as well. Therefore, through an apprehensively cautious tone, figurative language, and appeals to logos Macbeth catalogs arguments on why he should not kill King Duncan which is effective, but is eventually foiled due to Lady Macbeth’s manipulations. To begin, Macbeth uses a apprehensively cautious tone while expressing all the reasons he should not be the one to end Duncan’s life. First, he very clearly voices is concern of being caught or punished for killing the King.
By playing on Macbeth’s deepest ambition, it brought forth thoughts of evil and as a result, it leads Macbeth down a violent path. Lady Macbeth also has a part to play as she is the driving force, who plotted and urged Macbeth into committing the hideous act. Lady Macbeth attacked qualities of Macbeth’s manhood, telling him when he commits the murder then he “[is] a man”. Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth lacks the strength of character, but through manipulation of his ambitions, he gains the strength to carry out the act. Straight after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is shaken by what he has committed and says will all “great Neptune’s ocean, wash this blood/clean from my hands”, reveals that he is now regretting his decision and is making an attempt to get rid of the evidence.
After the vision of the three witches, Lady Macbeth had persuaded Macbeth to go against fate and kill Duncan. She calls him a “coward” and says “[w]hen you durst do it, then you were a man;/And to be more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the
Macbeth 's downfall Prompt one Fair is foul and foul is fair. The whole theme to Macbeth everything that’s good end up being bad, and anything good ends up not being as great as Macbeth thought. As he had everyone else handle his problems he slowly started to become mad, and here 's how. One, when he got the three witches prophecies when he wrote that letter to his wife he corrupted his and hers innocence and got filled with greed, disparage, heinous behavior. Once Lady Macbeth got the letter she told to the spirits to unsex her and fill her with malevolent evil.
At first, he is a loyal and courageous Thane for Duncan; however, he becomes deceitful once he decides to kill the king. He becomes blinded by the prophecy and persuasion by his wife, Lady Macbeth. As a result, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth act accordingly to gain and maintain power. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare proves unchecked ambitions are not worth seeking as they can cause an individual to sacrifice themselves and their morals. Macbeth attempts to immorally control his own fate by ignoring his conscience to pursue his ambition.
Banquo, King Duncan and Lady Macbeth all influence Macbeth to pursue the path of evil. In the very beginning of the play, Duncan gives the position of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth. This in itself causes Macbeth to have his initial urge for power. Once he receives the position, he desperately wants to hold the position of king. After hearing the prophecy of the witches, Macbeth wishes to kill anyone standing in his way: “I dare do all that may become a
Throwing Moralities to the Wind “Set within reach of triumph, who is not tempted to reach?”(Low). Macbeth is a character from The Tragedy of Macbeth who defines what it means to be influenced by the temptation of power. Upon the arrival of the three witches, Macbeth learns that he will soon become king of Scotland. Heavily influenced by the prophecy, Macbeth takes actions in order to fulfill his prophecy of gaining power over the entire nation. His ambition for power soon conflicts with his morals as Macbeth does an incorrigible act of killing the current king of Scotland and taking over the throne.