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Macbeth's Mental Deterioration Analysis

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The Savagery Without Ethics; Power of Suggestion Human behavior is greatly influenced by a combination of personal morals and external occurrences. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, is heavily influenced by external factors that when also paired with his own personal flaws ultimately lead to his corrupted mentality. The key external factors that ultimately led to Macbeth's mental deterioration are his wife; Lady Macbeth, the witch’s prophecies and his paranoia.
Lady Macbeth is one of the factors that lead to his mental deterioration because she influences his immoral decisions that helped create his negative mental state. While Macbeth is contemplating why he shouldn’t kill the king, Lady Macbeth, pressures him …show more content…

The witches ‘ignite’ his ambition, which is what eventually turns into greed. The three weird sisters decide to meet Macbeth right after the battle so the idea of violence is fresh in his mind. The witches and their seductive prophecies tap into Macbeths ambition making him crave the throne. After Macbeth becomes the thane of Cawdor; one of the prophecies, he realizes that the possibility of him becoming the king grows greater. Macbeth contemplates killing the king; “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature?” (1.3.134-137) It is evident that Macbeth’s ambition is getting the best of him because he is already considering committing regicide to get what he wants. “The Macbeth witches are essential to the plot of Macbeth because they provide Macbeth’s ‘call to action’. Their prophesies drive his thirst for power and enable Lady Macbeth to pursue her own ambitions.” (Jamieson n.p) As outlined in this quote, the witches are the ‘fuel to the fire’ and directly use his susceptibility to suggestion to drive his motive to be king. The witches take advantage of Macbeth’s character and uses his flaws to lead to his death. Although the three weird sisters do not explicitly tell Macbeth to kill the king, they tempt him in a non direct way. By implanting this idea of ‘destiny’ into Macbeths head, the witches guide him on the path to his mental destruction. By ‘planting the seed within him,’ the witches have a major influence on Macbeth and his journey to

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