Who is ultimately responsible for the tragedy that unfolds in Macbeth?

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Macbeth essay                    

Question: Who is ultimately responsible for the tragedy that unfolds in Macbeth?

The novel ‘Macbeth’ written by William Shakespeare is one of great tragedy. In the play Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth transforms from a gallant war hero to a tyrannical murderer. As soon as Macbeth enters this life filled with tyranny his fate is doomed to a tragic downfall. In Macbeth we find not gloom but blackness, a man who finds himself encased in evil. Macbeth is a novel which demonstrates the foundations of vaulting ambition, temptation, guilt, corruption, and choice.

Shakespeare successfully intertwines these issues into the plot through the main characters. The story of Macbeth was destined for destruction. Throughout the play, Shakespeare makes Macbeth responsible for his actions but Shakespeare also uses other characters as influences upon him which gives the character of Macbeth only partial responsibility for what he has done.

Throughout the play Macbeth is almost always under the influences of the three witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth.  Macbeth has a free will to choose to do what he wants but he frequently chooses to do what others want or predict of him. Macbeth is in no way under a spell, curse or fate; he chose to create a path of evil for himself, through his own decisions. In Act I, Scene 1, Macbeth can’t withhold himself from hearing about his prophecies from the three witches. He, himself decides that what they were saying was important, and he says “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.” From this point, Macbeth had chosen to listen to the witches, and gives them control over him.  The witches didn’t ask Macbeth to kill King Duncan. When the second prophecy becomes a reality, Macbeth immediately thinks of murdering Duncan. “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image does unfix my hair…”  (Act 1, scene 3) This is when the audience start to sense and see a dark side to the brave and noble Macbeth. Even-though Macbeth is horrified by the idea, he is unable to shake away his ambitions of seizing the throne. Another example of Macbeth’s thoughts of treachery occurs when King Duncan decides to formally name his son, Malcolm as his successor. “Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires… (Act 1, scene 5). This quote shows that Macbeth wishes to overleap the situation with murder. It also draws upon the use of imagery, using the elements of darkness to paint an image of darkness. Darkness is a tool in which Macbeth utilizes to lead himself to cruel acts. Darkness is portrayed as a blanket to cover up bad deeds, but as the play a progresses, darkness evolves into a personality that haunts Macbeth.

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In the scenes which lead up to the murder of Duncan, Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth as an unnatural being with a strong influence on Macbeth who drives Macbeth to his fatal flaw which is similar to the witches in the beginning of the play.

In order to gain control over Macbeth, Lady Macbeth questions his masculinity in Act 5 Scene 1. Within it, she expresses her worry that Macbeth’s kindness will hold him back, and so she says “Come you mortal spirits, that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here…… of direst cruelty.” She calls upon the evil ...

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