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

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is the tragical tale of Macbeth,a virtuous man, corrupted by power and greed. This tragedy can be classified byone of two theories. One theory suggests that the tragic hero, Macbeth, is guidedown an unescapable road of doom by an outside superpower namely the three witches.The second suggests that there is no super congenital make working against Macbeth,which therefore makes him prudent for his own actions and inevitabledownf both. Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own actions which are provokedby peeress Macbeth, the witches, his competition, and an un exitingness to perceive tohis own conscience. These forces had no direct control over his actions but evidently pointed out different paths for him to follow. Ultimately, Macbeth chosethe path of darkness. Throughout the entire play Macbeth ignores the representative of his ownconscience. He knows what he is doing is wrong even before he murders Duncan.His own conscience is naggi ng 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 proceed no further in this business(I, vii, 32). Yet,after discourse with Lady Macbeth he recants and proclaims, I am settled, andbend up / apiece corporal 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 volitionally committed the crimesto fulfil his ambitions non because of a spell cast by the witches. While purposely played in a mysterious setting, the status 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 maki ng. The provocations 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.