Macbeth's Downfall Essay

William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, delves into the consequences of having a plethora of ambition driven by the need to claim the throne of Scotland. Throughout this play, Macbeth’s guilt from his actions to claim the throne is present in numerous ways that display his troubled mindset. The manifestation of guilt for Macbeth is illustrated through hallucinations, nightmares, and his inability to cope with his actions after committing crimes. Shakespeare depicts Macbeth’s guilt by portraying Macbeth’s state of mind during Duncan’s and Banquo’s death which are reflected by hallucinations and the corrupting power of unchecked ambition, which ultimately portrays how seeking power and validation at the cost of others can lead to

In act 4 scene 1 where the witches reveal the desires of Macbeth he reacts to the apparitions through diction and dialogue. Shakespeare uses diction after each of the three apparitions to show Macbeth’s feelings. After the first apparition Shakespeare uses a relieved, confident, and not fully content diction to ultimately show how Macbeth feels after each apparition. Macbeth feels relieved when he is given a warning from the witches because it confirms his prior thoughts and beliefs about Macduff. Macbeth says to the witch, “Thou hast harped my fear aright.”

Macbeth decides he needs to take action to keep his crown, “Given to the common enemy of man/ to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings/ Rather than so, come Fate into the list” (3. 1. 70-72). After seeing that all of his prophecies come true Macbeth thinks about Banquo and fears losing his crown. Macbeth hires murderers to go and kill Banquo and Fleance so that he remains king.

Initially, Macbeth is responsible for the bloodshed, his priorities are morally askew. With the loss of morality comes immense guilt that is depicted through a hallucination of Banquo who Macbeth had murdered during a party at his castle. During his hallucination Macbeth starts speaking about what is going on in his mind and how he truly feels, “ What men dare, I dare…take any shape but that my firm nerves shall never tremble(William Shakespeare 3.4 121-178).”. Macbeth is seen showing his true colors and is seen as not seen fit to serve as king during this hallucination; Lady Macbeth steps in and says he is okay. Macbeth is shown saying that he doesn't care who is stepping in his way he will do what he thinks

(Act 2, Scene 1). Analysis of quotes: The first quote shows how Macbeth's guilt over the murder of King Duncan has disrupted his sleep, creating a sense of anxiety and restlessness. The second quote highlights Lady Macbeth's manipulation and deception, as she tries to keep the details of the murder from becoming known. The third quote shows Macbeth's immediate regret and fear following the murder.

Macbeth begins to go insane after he murders King Duncan at the beginning of the play. Although he did it for a gain of power, he still feels very guilty. Macbeth starts saying weird things about what he heard, “Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!” to all the house. “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more.

Often times, people go through rises and downfalls in their lives that they themselves are responsible for. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, both main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, himself, are responsible for the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed. However, Shakespeare accomplishes in showing that Macbeth is more responsible for his own downfall than Lady Macbeth because he listens to the witches and follows his ambition rather than his conscience. To begin, Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed by insulting him when he changes his mind.

Barrett Bernard Sasha Fernquist English 12 28 February 2023 In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare there are many impactful scenes. Act Five, Scene One of Macbeth is one of the most pivotal scenes in the play, where Lady Macbeth's guilt and insanity manifest into a haunting sleepwalking sequence. This scene serves as a culmination of the play's central themes of guilt, ambition, and .

The Downfall of Macbeth Macbeth's downfall is a very debated subject, with most scholars arguing causes among a variety of reasons such as, his ambition, greed, vanity, weakness in moral fiber, etc. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, and a host of other characters, play a game of fate to see who will die and who will live. The play starts with the three witches informing Macbeth of a prophecy claiming that he will be king of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, upon hearing of this prophecy, manipulates Macbeth into killing King Duncan to expedite this process.

The scene takes place right after Macbeth kills Duncan in his sleep. Before the murder, Macbeth is a noble Thane of Scotland who is influenced by the three witches and his wife who fill him with dreams of power. Macbeth uses religious imagery, lists which reveal his preoccupation, repetition to highlight his realization, blood imagery and figurative devices to vividly display his panic, all of which help us understand the character’s state of mind. After Macbeth cold-bloodedly kills Duncan in his sleep (2.2.29-94), his language reveals a character who feels immense guilt and helpless doom.

Macbeth’s state of mind changes dramatically throughout the play. This is revealed through his soliloquy. In his soliloquy, He shows his intention he would like to achieve but its construction shows Macbeth’s mind still very much in confusion. However, most of the time Macbeth shows three different fears considering the consequences of killing king Duncan. At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth is in turmoil about killing Duncan.

Macbeth is responsible for his destruction because in life we make our own decisions however he was heavily influenced by the three witches and Lady Macbeth. The witches foretell Macbeth becoming king and Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill the king, which backfires on her. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can be compared to Ahab and Jezebel in the Bible in that they both got selfish and went after things that would catch up with them and cost them their lives. Macbeth is ultimately responsible for the decisions he made but he was first influenced by the three witches visiting him telling him he would be king.

The downfall in the life of Macbeth is all his own fault despite the influence from Lady Macbeth and the three witches. As shown at the start of the play, Macbeth is a courageous warrior who won the battle for Scotland. With the impact of the three witches, Macbeth was fallen into deep, dark thoughts. Macbeth led himself to the downfall of his life. He was the hero, who fought in the war between Scotland and Norwegians and gain victory but eventually turned into a tragic hero.

William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character; Macbeth, is seen as an evil character. The play is based off of Macbeth’s decisions and his actions to become King. In the beginning Macbeth starts out as a hero in Scotland’s war with Ireland and towards the end he is transformed into a murderer. Macbeth is not wholly evil because of is heroism in the war, his love for Scotland, and because he didn’t want to kill King Duncan initially. Macbeth was brain washed by his wife and tricked into killing the King.

I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on 't again I dare not.” (Act II, sc ii, Lines 48-50). Macbeth is getting extremely paranoid and feels bad killing Duncan. Macbeths ambitions caused him to murder Duncan, but he also had Banquo murdered, and wanted to murder Banquo 's son, Fleance. Macbeth wants Banquo killed because he saw him as a threat; however, Banquo had been Macbeth 's friend and thought he could trust him. "