The Downfall of Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays William Shakespeare Pa

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is the tragic tale of Macbeth,a virtuous human beings, corrupted by power and greed. This tragedy can be classified byone of two theories. One theory suggests that the tragic hero, Macbeth, is leddown an unescapable road of sentence by an outside force namely the three witches.The second suggests that there is no supernatural force working against Macbeth,which therefore makes him responsible for his own actions and undeniabledownf totally. Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own actions which are provokedby Lady Macbeth, the witches, his ambition, and an unwillingness to listen tohis own conscience. These forces had no direct control over his actions merelysimply pointed out different paths for him to follow. Ultimately, Macbeth chosethe path of darkness. Throughout the entire take over Macbeth ignores the voice of his ownconscience. He knows what he is doing is wrong even before he murders Duncan.His own conscience is nagging at him but he allows Lady Macbeth and greed tocloud his judgement. In referring to the idea of the murder of Duncan, Macbethfirst states,We will hold up no further in this business(I, vii, 32). Yet,after speaking with Lady Macbeth he recants and proclaims, I am settled, andbend up /Each corporal federal agent to this terrible feat(I, vii, 79-80). He allowshimself to be swayed by the woman he loves. Lady Macbeth gave him an ultimatumand provoked him by saying 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..... (I, vii, 49-51)She provokes him ... ...cally cause an increase in his desires. He willingly committed the crimesto fulfil his ambitions not because of a spell cast by the witches. While purposely played in a mysterious setting, the location is notmeant to cloud the true theme of the play with the supernatural. Macbeth simplysuccumbs to natural urges and his own ambitions which lead him to a fate of hisown making. The p rovocations of Lady Macbeth, the witches, his ambition and hisreluctance to listen to his conscience were the deciding factors in his life. Hewas not supernaturally controlled by the black magic of the witches nor was hepurposefully led down a path of destruction. He was fully aware of theconsequences of all the decisions he made. Everyone has character flaws that they must live with Macbeth simply allowed those flaws to destroy him.