‘If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature?’
Macbeth’s excitement about killing King Duncan was evident as he wrote to Lady Macbeth, explaining his plans, telling her:
'They met me in the day of success; and I have learned
by the perfectest report, they have more in them than
mortal knowledge.’
Macbeth clearly had great faith in the witches' words. Later on, the apparitions, called by the witches, influence Macbeth by making him believe he is invincible:
‘Rebellion's head, rise never, till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-plac’d Macbeth
Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
To time, and mortal custom.’
The witches were not the only figures controlling Macbeth’s ‘foul’ actions; Lady Macbeth was also a major influence on Macbeth. As soon as Lady Macbeth learned about the witches' from the words of Macbeth's letter, we learn Macbeth was considered compassionate and without cruelty, however she intended to influence him to kill King Duncan. She says,
"Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd withal."
When Macbeth decides not to continue with their plan to murder Duncan, his wife urges him to act on his desires or he will think of himself as a coward. She says, "Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour / As thou art in desire?” Lady Macbeth then made sure he would perform the deed by taking an active role in preparing for the murder, ‘his two chamberlains / Will I with wine and wassel so convince,’ and cleaning up afterwards:
"Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,
I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal ;
For it must seem their guilt."
By doing this, Lady Macbeth had convinced her husband into murdering innocent King Duncan, hence played a horrifying role in the bloodshed of Macbeth.
After he Macbeth was named king, his misery and eventual downfall was caused by his own obsessions and deceived determination to take control of his future. Firstly, the witches' prophecy concerning Banquo's descendants and Macbeth's feeling of inferiority to Banquo lead Macbeth to arrange for the murder of Banquo and his son, Fleance. Having Banquo around him was a constant reminder to Macbeth of the evil deed he himself has committed and the knowledge that Banquo's, not Macbeth's children, will be kings.
"He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none but he
Whose being I do fear ; and under him
My genius is rebuk’d, as it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Caesar..."
and "…Upon my head they plac’d a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding."
Also, Macbeth's insecurity about his support led him to suspect Macduff. When he discovered Macduff has fled to England before he could have him killed, Macbeth took immediate revenge by having Macduff's family murdered. He says, "from this moment, / The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand." He was determined from that moment on to take control by acting immediately rather than discussing and contemplating the issue. His insecurities caused him to see the positive side of immediate action, hence he was unable to appreciate the negative side of reckless actions. Certainly, killing Macduff's family contributed to Macbeth's bloodshed as the act inspired hatred and revenge.
Macbeth was made disconsolate by the deterioration of Lady Macbeth. He begs the doctor to:
‘…find her disease,
And purge it to a sound and pristine health,
I would applaud thee to the very echo,
That should applaud again."
Surely her condition would have been made worse by Macbeth's phobia and remorse on top of his additional crimes of murder.
In the play, Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, the witches awaken Macbeth's desires and Lady Macbeth encourages the transgression necessary for his ambition to be realised. Both these influences help cause the bloodshed that occurred during the play and also led to Macbeth's eventual failure and death. His insecurities led Macbeth to impulsive actions to reduce his perceived enemies, actions that he later often regretted. Therefore, Macbeth was led to murder Banquo and Macduff's family and others, all relying on the apparitions' prophecies that he will be safe. Only in the end does he realise he has been misled and betrayed.
