chance to get ahead in wealth and power, merely fulfilling the prophecy gave Macbeth a
push forward and helped to convince him to proceed in Duncan’s murder. Macbeth was
the one who actually committed the ruthless act of murdering King Duncan. He killed his
king in Macbeth’s own home while the king was sleeping. Being that Macbeth committed
the murder but did not frame the guards with the daggers, Lady Macbeth had to return the
daggers up to the guards for Macbeth. After she planted the daggers she calmly says to
(Robinson, #2)
Macbeth, “A little water clears us of this deed”, (Shakespeare, 24).However, further on in
the play, her guilt takes over her and she kills herself because of the guilt she feels from
her part in the murder. Later, when King Duncan’s death is discovered, Macbeth kills the
two innocent guards. He knows that they will plead innocent and he does not want
anyone to know that it wasn’t them. He wants everyone to believe it was them so that no
one will suspect him. In this ruthless rage he kills, taking the lives of his king and two
innocent people. These acts create a cycle which leads Macbeth and his wife to their
downfall.
Macbeth also murdered his best friend Banquo. He was jealous of the witches’
prophecy for Banquo and felt threatened by the prophecy. Macbeth reveals his feelings in
his most intelligent and rational soliloquy. He says, “For Banquo’s issue have I fil’d my
mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder’d…. To make them kings, the seed of
Banquo kings,” (pg. 35). Macbeth was jealous and felt threatened because this meant that
that none of Macbeth’s sons would ever be king. Moreover, Macbeth felt that he had
killed Duncan just for Banquo’s sons. Macbeth decided to murder his best friend. He
committed the ruthless act of meeting with the murderers to kill Banquo who trusted
Macbeth. At the banquet, Macbeth imagined seeing Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth acted so
strangely that Lady Macbeth had to call him back to the table and remind him of his
duties as a host. She had to lie for him and tell the guests that this behaviour wasn’t
anything to worry about and that Macbeth acts like this from time to time. Eventually she
had to ask the guests to leave in order to cover up Macbeth’s strange behaviour. If he had
not committed the ruthless act of murdering his best friend, he would not have seen the
(Robinson, #3)
ghost of Banquo. He made everyone suspicious at the banquet and his behaviour brought
his wife down with him. She was already dealing with a lot of guilt and Macbeth’s
actions made her have to be the one to cover up and clean up for Macbeth again.
Murdering Banquo clearly showed us that Macbeth’s downfall was steadily approaching.
He had committed one of the most ruthless acts in life just because he thought that the
witches’ prophecies might come true for Banquo as they had been coming true for
Macbeth. However, if this act had not been committed in the first place there would have
been a lesser reason for anyone to suspect Macbeth as Duncan’s murderer. At this point
in the play, Macbeth was becoming bloodthirsty and his ruthlessness was taking over and
bringing himself and his wife down along the way.
Macbeths decision to murder Macduff’s family led himself and his wife to their
downfall. Macbeth was so ruthless and blood thirsty at this point and he had no reason to
murder Macduff’s wife and children. Macbeth says, “The castle of Macduff I will
surprise; seize upon Fife; give to the edge of the sword. His wife, his babes, and all
unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (pg. 57). Macduff’s wife and children posed
no threat to Macbeth or to Scotland. Macbeth was so ruthless to kill Macduff’s family
and leave him nothing to live for. He was merciless for Macduffs children and showed no
compassion or pity towards Lady Macduff. While Macbeth was planning the murder of
Macduff’s family and Banquo, Lady Macbeth was excluded from everything. Macbeth
left his wife on the sidelines while he committed these ruthless acts. He was the reason
that their relationship broke down and broke apart. They had such a strong and open
relationship where they told each other everything. She could have relied on Macbeth for
(Robinson, #4)
comfort in coping with her guilt which she obviously kept bottled up inside of her.
Instead Macbeth’s ruthlessness was a key factor in isolating himself from her. He didn’t
know how sick with guilt that she was and that she never got the murder of Duncan off
and out of her conscience. Lady Macbeth was locked in a fantasy where she couldn’t get
the blood off of her hands, even though there was no blood. The blood was on her
conscience not on her hands. She had been so mentally sick that the doctor tells the
gentlewoman to, “Remove from her the means of all annoyance” (pg. 73 ). Lady Macbeth
has reached a point where the doctors are afraid that she is going to commit suicide and
kill herself. If Macbeth wouldn’t have been away from her committing all of these
ruthless acts he wouldn’t have destroyed his and his wife’s relationship. Lady Macbeth
wouldn’t have been so sick with guilt that she is trying to harm herself if it wasn’t for
Macbeth.
In the end of the play, Macbeth’s character is what causes the death of his wife
and himself. Macbeth brought himself down by committing the murder of his kind
Duncan, his best friend Banquo and Macduff’s wife and children. Someone ruthless
enough to commit and plan these murders had their downfall coming. If Macduff hadn’t
killed Macbeth in the end, everyone else would have. He brought Lady Macbeth down
with him because she constantly had to clean up for him after he committed the murder of
Duncan. She had to cover up for him after he murdered his best friend. Also, she was left
all alone full of guilt when he isolated himself from her while committing the ruthless act
of murdering a innocent woman and her children.
