In ‘Macbeth’, Macbeth’s own mind and his ambition also play a substantial role in his own downfall. His mind begins to take over immediately after he has listened to the witches’ prophesies. From here on in, Macbeth ponders increasingly on him becoming king. This is followed up when he writes a letter to Lady Macbeth explaining the situation (1.5.1-27). His ambition leads to Macbeth placing his trust in the witches which, in turn, leads to Macbeth being exceedingly overconfident that everything will go his way. This is shown on the occasion when the witches say that “Macbeth will never vanquished be, until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinan Hill / Shall come against him” (4.1.107). He immediately believes that this will never come about as he proclaims “That will never be / Who can impress the forest, bid the tree / Unfix his earthbound root?” (4.1.109). Even when he realises that, as the witches had predicted, Birnam Wood was indeed moving towards Dunsinan, Macbeth still keeps faith in the witches as he claims “I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield / To one of woman born” (5.7.42). Macbeth then stands up to Macduff, only to discover that “Macduff was from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripped” (5.7.46) thus qualifying him as not born of woman. Another significance here is that, all the while, Macbeth had been too ignorant to listen to another prophecy and to beware Macduff. If Macbeth had stopped and thought about Birnam Wood moving towards Dunsian then he could have predicted that, somehow, there was going to be someone who was not born of woman. He knew that he could live longer if he went into exile but he decided to still trust in the witches final prophecy which stated that “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.94). This was the final act which leads to him being slain by Macduff. The fact that Macbeth fails to “beware Macduff” is the final act of his downfall. This shows that Macbeth is too complacent to try and find out if Macduff is not of woman born and he assumes that every man is.
Earlier on, Macbeth’s mind shows him up – especially at the banquet. Here, Banquo’s ghost appears and, to Macbeth’s horror, sits in the king’s seat. Macbeth cries, “Avaunt, and quit my sight, let the earth hide thee” (3.4.95) and, “Thou canst not say I did it – never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.50). At this point, as one may imagine, suspicion of Macbeth grows. Near the end of the play, everybody suspects him and he goes mad. Caithness, a thane, confirms this by stating, “Some say he’s mad” (5.2.14). Macbeth’s mind is summed up when he says, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more” (5.5.24). Macbeth, as can be seen, is in a state of doubt and depression. This line is one of Macbeth’s last lines and compounds his misery.
A chief cause of Macbeth’s downfall is his wife and “dearest partner of greatness” (1.5.10) Lady Macbeth. She is indirectly responsible for all of the murders that Macbeth commits due to her persuading of Macbeth to pursue his desires and murder Duncan. After this murder Macbeth is forced to commit more to secure his throne and get rid of anybody who is suspicious of him. The reason behind Macbeth’s further murders are that he is “in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.137). Lady Macbeth acts as a catalyst to Macbeth because he is already considering murdering Duncan when Lady Macbeth spurs him on to commit the act.
The main tactic Lady Macbeth uses to spur Macbeth on is by questioning his manhood. The first time she does this in the play is before the murder of King Duncan when it seems that Macbeth may not proceed any further with the murder. She says, “Wouldst thou have that / Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life / And live a coward in thine own esteem / Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’ / Like the poor cat i’th’ adage?” (1.7.41). Macbeth responds in the truthful way saying that he “dare do all that may become a man / Who dares do more is none.” (1.7.45). Lady Macbeth later challenges Macbeth’s manhood saying, “I have given suck, and know / How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me; / I would, while it was smiling in my face / Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn / As you have done to this” (1.7.54). This is comparing Lady Macbeth’s manhood to that of Macbeth. This challenges Macbeth because he wants to prove that he is manlier than his wife. As well as pushing her husband on to commit the murders, she tries her best to cover up the suspicious scenes of madness that come across Macbeth for example, at the banquet when she quickly makes the excuse that “my lord is often thus / And hath been from his youth” (3.4.53). This may save Macbeth from more suspicion about the nature of his fit and what he was saying during it.
The other outstanding reason for Macbeth’s downfall are the three murderers. Even though the escape of Fleance from the murderers has no direct effect on Macbeth, it would contribute to his overall madness and fear of producing a “fruitless crown”. As this happens, Macbeth grows more wary that he has murdered not for his own family but,
in fact, for Malcolm and Banquo’s descendants.
The forces of good are mainly represented by Duncan, Macduff, Banquo and Seyward. Duncan is known as a good king and throughout the play is described as “benevolent”, “royal king”, “liege” and “clear in his great office”. Macduff, when questioned on his manhood by Malcolm, states, “I must also feel it as a man” (4.3.221). This shows that he, unlike Macbeth, does not feel he has to prove his manhood to anybody. The good in Banquo is represented by his reaction to the witches when he chooses the moral decision and chooses to ignore them completely. Additionally, Seyward represents the forces of good as he leads the English forces into battle against Macbeth.
One of the ways that Shakespeare presents the battle between good and evil in ‘Macbeth’ is by the use of imagery and symbolism. After Ross has declared that Macbeth is now the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth questions; “why do you dress me / In borrowed robes?” (1.3.108). This is a metaphor which is used here to show the audience that, already, Macbeth is not capable of holding that position and also that he is shocked that the first prophesy has come true; “Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor / The greatest is behind” (1.3.116). When he says that “the greatest is behind”, he means that he accomplished the positions of Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor but the kingship is not yet his. Yet, he believes that, because of the prophecies, it wail have to be his soon.
There is also imagery used when Macbeth says; “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown / And put a barren sceptre in my gripe” (3.1.60). This imagery is used by Shakespeare to explain that Macbeth shall not be the father of future kings but, instead, Banquo. Also in ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare uses a theme of duplicity and deception. This is shown when Duncan says; “See, see, our honoured hostess” (1.6.11). This is showing the deception of Lady Macbeth because Duncan is actually seeing something false. This is also a cross-reference because, earlier on, Lady Macbeth had told Macbeth to “look like th’innocent flower / But be the serpent under’t” (1.5.64). Another cross-reference to Duncan praising Lady Macbeth is when Donalbain says; “There’s daggers in men’s smiles” (2.3.142). Another theme used regularly by Shakespeare in this play is dramatic irony. An example of this is; “These deeds must not be thought / After these ways : so, it will make us mad” (2.2.34). This is incredibly ironic because this is her giving advice to Macbeth when it is she, in the end, who commits suicide because she has gone mad.
Finally, there are cross-references to do with darkness and light. Macbeth (in 1.4.51) states; “Stars hide your fires / Let not light see my black and deep desires”. Later on, when the doctor and gentlewoman are watching Lady Macbeth, the doctor questions; “How came she by that light?” (5.1.20). To this, the gentlewoman explains; “she has light by her continually, ‘tis her command” (5.1.21). As well as being a cross-reference, this is ironic because, originally, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had sought after having no light in fear that it shall reveal them and their terrible deeds.
Overall, many factors are responsible for the downfall of Macbeth but undoubtedly the main one is himself and his ambition. Among the other factors, though, are Lady Macbeth, the witches and the three murderers. Furthermore, in the play, the forces of good significantly outweigh the forces of evil in the end.
