The prophecies that were told by the witches were one of the key factors that contributed to Macbeth's demise. If the witches had not told Macbeth that he would be Thane of
Cawdor,
Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth may have remained a noble man. The prophecies aroused his curiosity of how he could be King and Macbeth slowly began to rely on them which corrupts his character. Lady Macbeth also contributed to his demise. After realizing she could not kill King Duncan, she provided a scheme which influenced Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. Even though Macbeth regretted murdering the King, murder seemed to be the only way he would be able to reign over the people as the King of Scotland. Without the influence of Lady Macbeth, Macbeths ambition would not have been intensified enough to compel him to obtain and maintain his title as King through murder. Macbeth's ambition influenced the cause of his new nature. The new character of Macbeth was greedy, violent, and power hunger.
The prophecies told to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth's influence and plan, and his ambition to be King at all cost, all contributed to the demise of this once noble man. Tragic Hero is the name given to a central character, one's whose rise-and-fall are played out in detail in a story. Macbeth was truly a tragic hero.