The Decline Of Macbeth In Shakespeare's Play

In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is faced with the decision to kill King Duncan to become king or not. He first is told by the witches that it is his destiny that he will become king, but he brushes it off as nothing. This vision of him as king becomes brighter when his wife says that he should kill the king. Macbeth has many internal struggles over what he should do. Should he be morally sound and not kill the King or take the chance and do it.

Macbeth began to turn evil when he decides to commit regicide on King Duncan, and all he could think about was finishing him off for good, when he said, “If it were done, when ’tis done, then ’twere well / it were done quickly” (Shakespeare 1.7.1-2). Macbeth’s mind was full of ambition to make his last prophecy of becoming King of Scotland come true, that instead of celebrating himself as Thane of Cawdor, he consumes himself with the witches and his ambitions that he became one of the nature of evil itself. Furthermore, Macbeth’s act of evil continues and became darker after he became King of Scotland. After becoming King, he went on a murdering rampage for those who got in his way of trying to strip him of his leadership, and that even meant killing his best friend Banquo and Banquo’s son Fleance. Before Banquo died, he spoke, “O, treachery!

To let something else control you, you first must give up all control of your own. By killing Duncan in a self-fulfilling prophecy, he hands some of his self-control over to the witches and the prophecy itself. However, Macbeth’s ambition extends farther than just present power.“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown / And put a barren scepter in my grip” (3.1.66-67). Macbeth is worried about his lineage. Because the prophecy decreed Banquo’s sons kings, Macbeth is worried about his legacy not being carried on, and Duncan’s death being for nothing.

Lady Macbeth persuades and manipulates Macbeth by pointing out his insecurities successfully and pressuring him into murdering the king. Along with this, Lady Macbeth also questions Macbeth’s manhood and masculinity when he does not want to carry out the plan when she says “When you durst do it, then you were a man;//And to be more than what you were, you would//Be so much more the man” (Shakespeare 1.7.49-51). By saying these things, Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to believe that murdering the king will be his redemption from being a

The witches share with the two that Macbeth possibly could become king. At this point, Macbeth becomes power hungry. An example being, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother 'd in surmise, and nothing is But what is not.”(1.3.8). At this point Macbeth realizes the information he has been told, could possibly not be true. Although Macbeth begins to wonder how he could achieve becoming king.

Macbeth and his Lady show to have a definite idea of masculinity. (Act I scene) Lady Macbeth submits that actions of masculinity are largely a question of lack of pity: one need to be responsible to “das[h] the brains out” of one's own baby (58). Herself declares that she, Lady Macbeth, is inappreciable "full o' th' milk of human kindness" than her own husband; she can easily throw away the sympathy, attachment, commitment, and

Macbeth 's downfall comes from his own actions, and despite the effect that his wife 's constant push to take the throne must have on him, it is ultimately by his own hand that Macbeth meets his end. Shakespeare 's portrayal of Macbeth as a tragic hero illustrates the capability of a person to go entirely too far for power. However, the question remains, is Macbeth fully in control of his actions or is he truly insane? If he is not insane at the beginning of the play, does his wife 's invocation of evil spirits make him so? Either way his death is his own fault, but his character seems to beg for a deeper examination of the why rather

Macbeth’s decision is heavily influenced by Lady Macbeth’s attack on his manhood. She discusses the power that Macbeth will possess if he is brave enough to do anything. “I am settled, and bend up/ Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.” (Shakespeare 1.7.79-80) Macbeth makes an impulsive choice that is very unlike his true character. He is at the point where he would do anything that will make him the King of Scotland, such as killing Duncan. To defend his manhood, Macbeth’s greed and desire to be king causes him to not carefully consider the outcomes of his actions.

Their prediction that he would become king brings a change in his character. The audience can now see his desires as well as his ambition. At this point, Macbeth is still hesitant of revealing his true nature, but the audience gets a peek of what he yearns for. In addition, the witches’ predictions are known to be paradoxical, their predictions are never straightforward; they tend to have different interpretations. Macbeth kills King Duncan to obtain the power he was told he’d get.

William Shakespeare, author of Macbeth, relates Lady Macbeth’s traits as manipulative, guilt, and regretful in order to unveil the ambition leads to their undoing. Lady Macbeth would say anything to convince others to do foul deeds. Lady Macbeth had a feeling of guilt being unable to kill King Duncan because he resembled her father. She felt the feeling of regretful for the sins committed and try to forget. The ambition to a path of power is it worth the risk?