When Lady Macbeth flings at him something unlikely to be said by a woman about her own child, “I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out.” This ruthless torment is an insult to Macbeth’s manliness; she is implying that she is more of a man than Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an ambitious woman with a single purpose. She can influence Macbeth easily. This is shown in the line “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear.” (Act I, V, 26) She is determined, and wants what is best for her husband. Before the speech that Lady Macbeth gives in (Act I, V, 26),
Macbeth is resolved not to go through with the killing of the King However, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth's pride by playing with his manliness and his bravery, “Was the hope drunk wherein you dress’d yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes now to look so green an pale” she continues to scorn and humiliate her husband by saying he will “live a coward.” This brutal persuasion convinces Macbeth to commit regicide.
I believe the next most responsible for Duncan murder are the witches. Macbeth is introduced to the witches right at the beginning of the play. They convey to Macbeth three prophecies, firstly “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis,” secondly “Thane of Cawdor,” and thirdly “Thou shalt be king here after.” Macbeth pursues them to say more, “Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more.” and shortly afterwards, Macbeth on hearing a message that he is now Thane of Cawdor starts to believe that the witches prophecy that he will be king may be true.
When Banquo speaks (act I scene III) he says, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths; with us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence.” He is aware of the evil witches. He calls them “instruments of darkness” and the “devil.” He believes that these prophecies will only bring harm even before anything begins to happen. Banquo warns Macbeth before he makes any decisions that the witches are evil, and what they are suggesting is evil. Even with such warnings Macbeth chooses to submit to the evil influences of the witches by Murdering Duncan.
The other encounter with the supernatural is the appearance of the dagger. This object seems to be confirming the fate the witches foretold about Macbeth. As the dagger appears Macbeth says, “Is this a dagger which I see before me.” He follows the dagger that leads to the death of Duncan. The question arises that this is another evil deed implanted into the mind of Macbeth, by the witches.
I consider the least responsible for the slaying of Duncan to be Macbeth. At the beginning of the play he is described as, “brave Macbeth”, “valour's minion”, “valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman,” he is an eagle, a lion, and “Bellona's bridegroom,” These are the true qualities that made him Macbeth, a great solider and loyal supporter of his king. Someone trusted by his soldiers, fellow lords and especially by Duncan. I feel he was manipulated by Lady Macbeth, tormented by the witches and played with, to become what he was after the death of Duncan. I believe that Macbeth would truly have been a great warrior and king if he had not strayed to such a dreadful path
He is surprised at his appointment to Thane of Cawdor and accepts that “if chance ill have me King, why chance may crown me without my stir.” He declares his loyalty to Duncan after the battle “ The service and his loyalty I owe, in doing it pays itself.” There is little to suggest his determination to commit regicide, even after Lady Macbeth’s masterful manipulation of him, Macbeth considers the privileges he now enjoys “honoured” by Duncan has “golden opinions from all sorts of people” and he decides he will not “cast aside” such praise.
In other words Lady Macbeth and the witches are the domineering influence and plotters behind the death of Duncan, Macbeth just carried out the murder under the insinuations of the witches, when they foretold his future making him believe that he would be king, “thou shalt be king here after.”
Lady Macbeth degrades and belittles her husband by questioning his honour and manhood, “was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?” This taunt would drive any self-conscious man into taking drastic actions as Macbeth did. Her anger, indignation and harsh persuasion unsettled and confused Macbeth. This eventually resulted in the regicide that he committed.
In conclusion I am confident that the most responsible for the death of Duncan is Lady Macbeth. She is the key person influencing Macbeth on the account of killing Duncan, which from her point of view is the right thing to do. We are totally convinced that Macbeth has left the thought of killing Duncan firmly behind when he states that, “We will proceed no further in this business.” He is robbed of his manhood with twisting and deceitful words, which Lady Macbeth acquaints him, “Art thou a coward, when you durst to do it then you were a man.” This ruthless taunting of Macbeth’s hesitancy pushes him to murdering Duncan. This confirmation clearly supports my statement that Lady Macbeth is guilty for the slaughter of Duncan.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both responsible to a certain extent. Lady Macbeth is mainly responsible as it was her devious words and insults that changed Macbeth from what Banquo say, “noble partner” this is what his best friend knows him as and he is recognized as “lesser than Macbeth” by the witches. Duncan calls him “valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen,” these extracts illustrate only a fragment of Macbeth’s high opinion among his friends and his foes.
Macbeth was controlled by his wife and partially by the witches. He was a very ambitious man, loyal to his king. After all the verbal abuse and tormenting he underwent, and soon afterwards became under the influence of Lady Macbeth. Because of this nothing could have stopped him from committing regicide. Macbeth’s pride and honour was demolished the moment he felt that he had to kill Duncan. He was driven to the Chamber of the king from when Lady Macbeth Converted him onto when the mysterious daggers appeared before the killing of Duncan, he had only one path to go, to seize the dagger and Kill Duncan.
The person who actually carried out the act of murder carried it out under the influence of others. He was the pawn in a bigger game. From the outset he is established as heroic and brave, but the manipulation of the witches and the mental force on the part of his wife all added to the final act carried out by Macbeth.
They are all linked in responsibility, no one can be blamed without blaming another. If the witches had not been deceptive about their vision, Macbeth would not have fallen into the trap of glory. Lady Macbeth’s rhetoric would not have been as effective without the prior puzzling prophecy of the witches.
Finally Macbeth would not have acted just because of the prophecy or just because of his wife. The collective effects of both resulted in his act.
