Preview

Macbeth and His Downfall

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1613 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Macbeth and His Downfall
Discuss Macbeth’s Ruin...
People and decisions can greatly affect the outcome of a person's life determining whether the outcome will be successful or disastrous. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are two factors that contributed to Macbeth's ruin. One of them being more to blame: The influential character of Lady Macbeth displaying temptation towards Macbeth, or Macbeth's own ambitious and insecure nature. There are questions whether Macbeth's downfall might have displayed more for his own blame. In closer examination, it will be come apparent that Macbeth is more to blame for his downfall. By first examining the influential acts of Lady Macbeth that made Macbeth commit the murder to kill Duncan, and contrasting these with the ambitious and insecure nature of Macbeth's character that committed the murderous acts of Banquo and Macduff's family, it will become evident that Macbeth is more to blame.
Downfall is a term where it goes about the highest rank, and then descends drastically time passes by. Downfall is a cause of sudden ruin. The term blame is a term used to describe the parties fault. What ever caused a problem to a certain event has blame to that existing problem. The term blame means to hold responsibility to one of the opposing side in an event. In the play, Lady Macbeth, his husband, forces Macbeth to kill the King of Scotland. She feels that they should hold the throne. Macbeth does kill Duncan and rises up to power. As he rises, his insecurity and ambition causes him to commit murderous deeds, which eventually brings him down.
Although Macbeth is more to blame for his downfall, Lady Macbeth also contributed to Macbeth's ruin. Lady Macbeth uses temptation and his ambition as tools to do what she thinks will bring him success. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth appears to be happy and content as Thane of Glamis. His ambition is reinforced when he is made Thane of Cawdor and he starts considering murdering King Duncan. He immediately writes to his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    While Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” plays the most vital role in the quick end to his newfound empire in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, exterior forces including Lady Macbeth and the persuasive acts performed by the witches both contribute to the eventual beheading of one of Scotland’s greatest warriors, Macbeth himself. Macbeth loses part of himself the moment he takes the life of a friend, uncle, and respected King, Duncan.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Shakespeare’s masterpiece of a play, ‘Macbeth’, carefully depicts that Macbeth’s character was not ruined by fate but rather by damaging errors in his personality. Macbeth’s dangerous quality of ambition brings about his downfall as well as his treachery against his king, his tyranny and also his imaginativeness that eventually lures him into the murder. Although Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth’s decisions were greatly influenced by other characters in his text, it was Macbeth that ultimately decided to listen to these influences due to the many faults in his character.…

    • 88 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page

    Even now knowing that MacDuff and an entire army is on their way to storm his castle, Macbeth refuses to flee. Soon you will find out what will happen to Macbeth and what his downfall will be. “Why should I play the roman fool and die on mine own sword?” (V. VIII.1-2) this means that Macbeth is saying was the point in me fighting Macduff because he already killed his whole family why would MacDuff be any more different. In a turn of events MacDuff kills and beheading Macbeth in order to end his rule as king and get revenge for Macbeth having his family…

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Renowned play, “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare in 1606, is one of the most prestigious dramas to date. Valiant and truthful soldier, Macbeth experiences dire changes of evil, in order to gain his thriftless ambition for king. His immoral change might have been influenced by Lady Macbeth and the witches’ prophecies suggesting Macbeth is a tragic hero who had no intent of abhorrent deeds. Once honourable Macbeth pledges glory to his king and gained honour through valiant accomplishments. Fear strikes him as his mind starts to deteriorate into utter chaos by his treacherous actions. His self-conscious mind transforms him into a superstitious villain who suffers in despair as he implicates regret.…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth is responsible for her own downfall due to her involvement with supernatural forces, her ambition and her guilty conscience.…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth, after hearing the prophecies the three witches gave him, becomes conflicted within himself, ‘If chance shall have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir’. Ultimately, Macbeth chooses ambition over morality, but not without pressure from his wife ‘Are you a man?’ and severe inner turmoil ‘My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical’. To contrast the devious character of Macbeth, Shakespeare included Banquo, a fellow noblemen and Macbeth’s closest friend, to act as Macbeths foil. He immediately chooses morality over ambition without question and forewarns Macbeth of the Weird Sisters and their ability to twist the truth: ‘instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence’. Banquo’s undying allegiance to King Duncan demonstrations the difference between Macbeth and Banquo, and how the upkeep of morals keep us in check. After choosing power, Macbeth’s suspicion of Banquo and his role in the prophecy leads to Banquo’s murder. After killing his friend, Macbeth is plagued with guilt, and hallucinations become recurrent for both Macbeth; ‘our graves must send those we bury back’ and his wife; ‘will these hands ne’er be clean?’ This shows that ambition can lead to immoral acts when overcome by desire.…

    • 615 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is Lady Macbeth To Blame

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In many disastrous situations in life, people direct blame away from themselves, saying that their problems were caused by others. This happens in one of William Shakespeare’s plays, Macbeth; there is a great deal of debate over whether the witches, Lady Macbeth, or Macbeth was most to blame for the chaos that took place throughout the play. There are many things that influence Macbeth and his actions, but he himself is most to blame for the calamities that take place throughout the story because he willingly let himself become an overly ambitious, paranoid, corrupt, and murderous tyrant. At the beginning of the story, when Macbeth and Banquo are returning from battle, the witches prophesize that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland.…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare play Macbeth the main character Macbeth the war hero ends up with a very tragic ending due to his own stupid choices and influences by his wife lady macbeth and the witches. In the beginning macbeth was a very loyal and noble man who would not be known to do something so awful as to kill his king and friend. In some ways macbeth only can be blamed for his downfall as he was the one who physically murdered the king and Duncan. But I believe all three can be blamed for Macbeths fall and the murders as they all took part in the things that lead to the macbeths tragic ending.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeths Faults

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of Shakespeare’s most hailed plays, Macbeth, is a narrative that centers on a gentleman that goes by the name of Macbeth and his story of going from a normal man to King in only a short amount of time. He achieves this through sheer self-indulgence, as he could have remained a noble, but elected to destroy everyone in his path to becoming King. Macbeth loves becoming King, but is constantly craving more and more control, with the play eventually ending in his much-anticipated demise. However, what occurs with Macbeth in the way of his homicidal and immoral actions is not exclusively his liability, as the culpability is also Lady Macbeth’s as well.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Downfall

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages

    If one has the firmness of killing another, will that person collapse to the forces of guilt and turn themselves in, or will that person suffer the effects of guilt and try to live through their troubles? Guilt can cause many people to turn themselves in or can make people succumb into a deep hole. In the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare reveals that the effects of guilt can cause the downfall of one's status and more importantly, their inner being.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, it is very controversial whether or not Macbeth was doomed by fate or by a flaw in his character. It could be argued that Macbeth was doomed both by fate and by a flaw in his character. On one hand, the role of the witches influence could be regarded as a major external force that exploited Macbeth 's character flaws. However, on the other hand, Macbeth 's ambitious nature and greed for power was the flaw in his character that ultimately led to his downfall. The extent to which Macbeths downfall is determined by fate or a flaw in his character will be discussed.…

    • 847 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Everybody has their weaknesses; weaknesses that can lead to their own downfalls. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth has weaknesses of character and mental instability. His flaws prove fatal. Instead of continuing to lead the country of Scotland with absolute power and no opposition, his shortcomings result in his self destruction. Macbeth’s overconfidence that his abilities are superior to everybody else, his greediness for more political power, and his wife’s wicked influence lead to his demise.…

    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fate In Macbeth

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth continuously tries to test his fate to ensure his success and satisfaction, but testing his fate never brings him his desired outcome, for “security / Is mortals’ chiefest enemy” (III.V.32-33). Macbeth’s ultimate downfall is caused by his attempts to be in control of every prediction the Witches have given him. Challenging his fate, he says, “Rather than so, come fate into the list, / And champion me to the utterance!” (III.1.70-71). Macbeth ruins himself by thinking he is superior, but his proves him otherwise. In the tragedy, Macbeth becomes king, for becoming king is his fate, but in becoming king, he had to murder Duncan, which contributed to his downfall. Macbeth’s downfall is caused by the influence of…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    macbeth

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Macbeth is also to blame for his downfall because without him being so ambitious and narrow sighted the play wouldn’t have turned out as it did. Macbeth was having concerns for killing Duncan and at once point even says “Proceed no further in this business” but his “vaulting ambition” gets the better of him. Macbeth is to blame for what happens after he kills Duncan, without him seeing the ghost of Banquo and shouting it out and also without him overreacting at Duncan’s death there would have been little suspicion of his involvement with the murder, without Macbeth’s ambition and conscience the play wouldn’t have taken the path it did.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Downfall Of Macbeth

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Macbeth has met the end of his existence at the hands of Macduff. They were fighting and suddenly Macduff emerges with Macbeth’s head and proclaimed I am the King of Scotland. Following the death of Macbeth, I was to declare that all of his thanes will be made earls, following the English custom of peerage. This is not the Scottish tradition and they would be the first lords in Scottish history.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics