The Witches prophecies influence Macbeth in a great way because Macbeth had secret ambitions of becoming king and these prophecies sparked his quest for becoming the King. When the Witches hail Macbeth as the "Thane of Glamis and Cawdor" and they state that he "shalt be king hereafter", Macbeth was speechless because of his secret ambitions. However the witches do express the oxymoron in the first scene ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ shows that problems are coming and they are connected with Macbeth. Although the Witches did not cause Macbeth to murder Duncan, they did provide the temptation, it was up to Macbeth to commit the sin of murder. The Witches were seen as deceptive and treacherous, yet Macbeth believed their stories because his character was more open to temptation, he was vulnerable to the devil's charm. The opposite of him was Banquo and he was portrayed as the good person in the play. This was shown when the witches first met him and Macbeth. At this point Shakespeare was showing that a good, honest man couldn’t be troubled by witches only a bad, deceitful person could. Banquo immediately shrugged of the witch’s prophesise while Macbeth hung on to them and let them influence him in a major way. Often to bring about our damnation, the agents of evil tell us simple truths so that we can trust them. Then they deceive us in important matters, 'And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence'. This shows us Banquo can control his thoughts and that most people can. Macbeth, however, has a weak point and can not control his ambition.
The second choice is Lady Macbeth. Macbeth writes a letter to her telling her of the witches' prophecies. He writes this letter because he wants the crown and knows she will have to push him to get it. She drives him to the murder and acts as a more physical catalyst than the witches. She bullies him, uses emotional blackmail and knows he is morally sensitive so he must be pushed. She mocks his bravery and knows he is a warrior and will be insulted. When Macbeth is having doubts she says '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'. This is basically saying that you will be more of a man if you do this.
She answers every objection he comes up with. Before the murder Macbeth says, 'If we should fail' she replies, 'We fail?' He thinking this surprises her because she believes there is no way they will fail. Macbeth also doubts their ability to \cover up the truth. Lady Macbeth says,
'Who dares receive it other as we shall make our griefs and clamour roar upon his death'. This suggests that no one will dare believe anything else (this is referring to the daggers planted on the soldiers) because Macbeth and her will mourn so much that they will be convinced Macbeth is genuinely upset.
She also organises the fine details of the murder. The main part is when she goes to put the daggers back. Macbeth has returned from the murder scene and brought the daggers with him. She is annoyed with him because he is being careless and is too scared to go back after the murder. She goes and puts them back herself.
Not only does Lady Macbeth push her husband to do things he does not want to, but she also informs him that his face is too easy to read. Of course, she does not want her husband or herself to get caught, so she gives him advice in the area of deceptiveness. When she tells him to "look like th' innocent flower” (I. vi.), not only is she doing this so that Macbeth will not give himself away, but so that he will not give her away in the meantime. Even before that early point in the play, Lady Macbeth has already demonstrated that she is two-faced. When Duncan first arrives at the castle, Lady Macbeth acts as a welcome hostess, when in reality she has different plans for Duncan than she lets on.
However despite her eagerness earlier in the play, Lady Macbeth also shows the fear of getting caught when she unintentionally gives herself away in her sleep (V. i.). Though her fear can hold back itself during a conscious state of being, she can do nothing about it when she is asleep. Lady Macbeth also sleepwalks and talks in her sleep, she demonstrates a fear that clearly represents the fact that she is scared of being caught. She talks of going to bed and washing her hands, "Out, damned spot, out, I say!" (V. i.). When she yells about ridding herself of Duncan's blood, she is presenting a metaphor: she does not truly want to be rid of Duncan's blood itself, but rather the fear and guilt that his murder has forced upon her. The constant nightmares she has and the fear and guilt she must live will become too much; she commits suicide, proving once again that she is a villain because she cannot deal with the repercussions of her actions.
I think Shakespear is giving his audience two decisions to make at this point. Firstly he wants people to feel a little sympathetic for her as they can see her slowly deteriorating in front of their eyes. He also want the audience to think she evil in the ways she persuades Macbeth in to murdering. This two points, as a sharp contrast of each other and this is what give it the powerful effect of evil.
For Macbeth. Ambition was what drove him to become great, it forced him to change his nature towards evil. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was portrayed as a courageous soldier who fought for his King without mercy. But once the witches planted the seeds of greater things and Lady Macbeth fuelled his ambition, which lead him to become greedy and power hungry.
Macbeth was led down to an inescapable road of doom by an outside force, namely fate in the form of the three witches. There was no supernatural force working against Macbeth, which therefore makes him responsible for his own actions and inevitable downfall. Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own actions, which are provoked by an unwillingness to listen to his own conscience, the witches, and his ambition. The witches tempted Macbeth with their prophecies, which made Macbeth’s heart and mind slowly filled with ambition and his hunger for power. The witches predicted, at the beginning of the play, that Macbeth would soon become the Thane of Cawdor and eventually the outright King. They tell Macbeth this, simply to ignite what would finally end up being a burning desire for success. Lady Macbeth then helps Macbeth by inserting ill thoughts into his mind, and provided suggestions as to how to become King. At first, Macbeth rejects the horror in his mind but eventually he succumbs to evil for his ambition is far too great.
What I want is that Macbeth was just morally weaker than other normal human beings such as Banquo, who have very little ambition, Macbeth should been more responsible for his own actions and not blaming his downfall on the witches and his wife.
Thanks to Lady Macbeth who acts as a ruthless, overpowering woman who dominates her husband and his actions. She makes Macbeth's decisions for him without giving him any say in his own actions, and she orders her husband to do what she determines to be best for him. It was Lady Macbeth who contrives the plan to kill King Duncan, because she knows that Macbeth would never commit such an act on his own without her nudge. At this present stage, Macbeth still has a conscience and he was very hesitant about killing the King but his weak nature over powers his conscience. Throughout the entire play Macbeth had by many imagination due to his guilt. Like seen the vision of the dagger, the ghost of Banquo, his vivid imagination and his constant worries also provokes him, this showed that he still has a conscience. This was also evident in his terrible dreams, which gives the solid theme that he has indeed "Murdered sleep".
Macbeth's personnel ambition and his insatiable lust for power drives him to his downfall. Although Macbeth's ambition was not in itself evil. Macbeth’s new knowledge, which he obtained from the witches, makes him uncomfortable, as he realises the implications. His first thoughts considering murdering Duncan appeared, and he was scared. But his ambition, his desire for power over comes his fear, for him to pursue the murder.
After he commits the murder, Macbeth Say, ‘The voice cried, sleep no more to all the house Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more. Knowing that has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and to deal with his guilt.
I will finally talk about Soliloquies that Shakespear used in his play. The purpose of the soliloquy is to let the audience know what is going on in the actors’ mind, (Macbeth). As a result, the tremendous reversal of Macbeth’s fortunes in the end leaves the audience filled not with pity, but also fear, at the realisation that people can suffer greatly. Macbeth’s soliloquies before the murder of Duncan show the vigorous internal struggle of himself, as his conscience is fighting against his evil minds. Also, they show Macbeth has brought his own downfall upon himself. The audience will then feel pity about Macbeth’s deterioration brought by himself when witnessing his choice of following the evil.
In Act I, scene iii, when Macbeth is thinking about the realisation of the two prophecies given by the witches before: "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes my single state of man". In this soliloquy, Macbeth reflects his idea about the "two truths" told by the witches. He is ambitious to become king, as he reacts nervously when the witches mention his fate. The very idea of murder "shakes his single state of man". However, at this point, he is loyal to the king, and he rejects the idea of murder, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir."(I, iii,) The predictions by the witches may have strengthened the criminal intentions that he had probably never yet dared to express clearly, even to himself. He is not alliance with crime, he is neutral, but obviously temptation is working upon him. Yet, he might overcome the prompting of his evil ambition by an effort.
I n Act I, scene iv, shortly after Duncan’s arrival to Macbeth’s castle, Macbeth gives voice to his feeling concerning the rashness and the awfulness of the projected murder: If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done quickly. If th’ assassination could trammel
up the consequence, and catch, with his surcease, success; that but this blow might be the be-ball and the end-all -- here. But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we’d jump the life to come. But in these cases we still have judgement here.’ At this point, Macbeth’s character has fallen to the point where he has the desperate courage to commit the murder, but is afraid of the consequences. He gives three reasons for not performing the murder. First, it would be rash. Secondly, it would violate the blood-tie of a kinsman, the loyalty of a subject, and the duty of a host. Finally, he suggests that Duncan has been so blameless a king that to kill him would be monstrous. He controls his ambition for the moment and resolves not to kill the king. However, if he assures the safety during his life, he would gladly "jump the life to come". Finally, Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, reveals Macbeth’s weakness of his decision, by calling him a coward without manhood and says that Macbeth does not really love her. Her speech changes Macbeth’s mind, all his fears are vanished. He is then no longer troubled by any sense of morality, and determines to proceed the murder. From that time, he plunges into a life of evil.
In conclusion, the conflict between Macbeth’s conscience and his evil instincts is enormous. However, his struggle against the temptations becomes weaker and weaker each time: from the point he is able to reject the idea of murder to gain the kingship, to the point he is willing to commit it only regarding the risks, and finally his decision to perform the evil deed. All these suggest that he has brought his own deterioration in character. It is mainly due to his weakness in the face of temptation and his ambitious character. He could overcome the temptations and the prompting of his evil ambition by an effort, but he chooses not to. His gradual downfall of character brought by himself heightens the tragic effect. People will always feel to see such a respectable hero turning from good to evil, when experiencing the extreme conflicts within himself and witnessing his choice to become the slave of evil.