Macbeth's Demise: Analysis of Shakespeare's Plot

Macbeth Essay

The tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare is based on a thane in whom is corrupted by greed and a negative ambition. The character Macbeth contradicts his moral responsibility in this play a great deal; many moral questions are brought forth to Macbeth. He questions himself and whether or not he should follow through with the evil deeds that he does. Macbeths ambition causes him to compromise his honour, he doesn't take into consideration that he is being trusted and that every action that he takes will have a reaction. Macbeth attains his position as king unjustly. As is evident by the conclusion, justice prevails as usual and Macbeths demise is a result of his evil deeds.
Macbeth negates his moral responsibility as a person as well as a king. He doesn't take into consideration that he will pay for all the evil deeds that he executes. Killing Duncan is the worst crime that is possible to commit since the kings were the closest in hierarchy next to god. It is evident that Macbeth is aware that this is an evil sin when he states, " I dare do all that may be come a man, who dares do more is none." (Act I Scene VII, Line 46-47) The previous statement shows that Macbeth believes that killing Duncan will make him nothing more than a beast. Nevertheless he goes against his morals and kills King Duncan. Sin is a prevalent theme in this play, Macbeth shows that he knows he has lived a sinful life, "Seyton I am sick at hearth, when I behold Seyton I have live'd long enough." (Act V Scene III, Lines 20-22) Ambition takes over Macbeth when he decides to hire assassinators to kill Macduffs wife and children, "The castle of Macduff I will surprise; seize upon Fife; give to the edge of the sword in this line."
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(Act IV Scene I Lines 150-153) Macbeth shows the insignificance of his morals and responsibilities by his actions, he shows that becoming king is of much more importance. The weird sisters (witches) have a great impact on Macbeths state of mind when he decides to follow through with many of his actions. The witches are responsible for putting the idea of Macbeth becoming king in his head. Faith in the witches compromises his honour since they are believed to be evil however Macbeth clearly confides in their prophecies and believes them to be truths, "why do I yield to that suggestion, whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (Act1, Scene 3,Lines 134- 136) Macbeth is compromising his honour by listening to the witches however this is evidently what he wants to hear, that he may become king, "All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter (Act I Scene III Line 53). Throughout the play he also compromises his honour by killing those who were close to him and confided in him. Risk taking is rampant in this play, Macbeth takes the risk of others finding out his secret about killing Duncan, although he seems to worry about this occurrence frequently, he makes it obvious that he would like to forget about what he has done, and become a new person, "To know my deed, ‘twere best not know my self." (Act II Scene II Line 76) Guilt is a prominent issue to Macbeth especially after the murder of Banquo. This guilt is so great that it causes him to hallucinate and cause an occurrence during a banquet at his house. This scene compromises his honour since it causes his dinner guests to question his involvement in the murders. Macbeths loss of control causes him to rant, "Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy glory locks at me!" (Act III Scene IV Line 50-51) Lanoue 3
The tragic end to this play is a result of Macbeths continuous pursue of achieving his position as king. All of his insecurities paved a path to making rash decisions and only by the ending of the play does he realize that he will not get away with the crimes he committed. The crimes which he committed could not be revoked as he wish they could, "he struts and frets his hour upon thy stage" (Act V Scene IV) Power proves to not be the most important thing to Macbeth when others begin to suspect him and he is left to fight for himself alone. A great degree of loneliness is displayed in Macbeths final soliloquy, "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this pretty pace from day to day, to the syllable of recorded time; and all our yesterday have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (Act V Scene V Lines 21-30) In conclusion, the protagonist in this play, Macbeth is a tragic hero. His demise is a result of his ongoing ambition, which causes him to compromise his honor, and negate moral responsibility in order to attain power and position as king. Macbeths tragic end was a result of his own series of wrongful decisions and distrustful actions. These decisions and actions were motivated only by the dream of becoming king.