Macbeth Is Entirely Responsible for This Downfall? Do You Agree or Disagree?

In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the statement that Macbeth is entirely responsible for his own downfall is demonstrated otherwise, as there are numerous factors that contribute to his downfall. The influences of the witches’ powers as well as that of Lady Macbeth’s power hungry nature, is a major contributor to his fall as he becomes a victim to outside and supernatural forces. The witches prophecies and powers are an important element in Shakespeare’s play, thereby, being the main factor for Macbeth’s downfall. Lady Macbeth’s ambition to become a ruler is cut short because of the misogynistic view of women during the reign of King James; however, as demonstrated further on, she carries out her actions through her husband. Macbeth’s fear, guilt and paranoia also lead to his tyranny, thereby, leading to his downfall. However, the psychological factors were all triggered by Macbeth’s overambitious nature, leading to his crime of murdering Duncan, resulting in his mental trauma.  In close reference to the context, language and construction of the play, Macbeth is not entirely responsible for his own downfall.

The role of the witches in the play is an important element included in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and plays a pivotal role in influencing Macbeth; thus leading to his downfall. The witches of Macbeth were often referred to as ‘the weird sisters’ and are portrayed as scheming, deceptive and wicked. During the fifteenth and seventeenth century, the subject of witches and witch hunting was considered as highly intellectual and moral. During these periods of superstition and the beliefs in the supernatural, Shakespeare often wrote plays that complimented the present monarch, James I. King James, who came to the throne in 1603 and claimed to be descended Banquo, took an interest in the subject of witches. The witches role in the play also extend to more than just contributing to Macbeth’s downfall, as they also provide an interesting method of securing the audience’s attention and foreshadowing the rest of the play. The witches are a vital part in tempting Macbeth to his destruction, as they tempt him with promises of grandeur, such as becoming the King of Scotland, and tease him with riddles of his future. Macbeth is obsessed with the witches’ prophecies and repeatedly consults with them to learn his future. The first prophecy Macbeth receives from the witches is the main driving force behind his decision to murder Duncan in order to ascend the throne. In response to the prophecy, Macbeth weighed up the moral implications of murdering Duncan and becoming the King of Scotland, meaning that although the witches do possess power over Macbeth, they do not completely influence his decisions but rather his thoughts whilst maintaining a position where they can carry out their deeds through Macbeth. Macbeth’s actions then become imprisoned by his imagination. In his mind, the prophecy becomes the reality and the reality is concealed behind his imagination, leading to the questioning of the role of the witches’ in Macbeth’s thoughts and the meaning behind the supernatural influences. In the play, the audience perceives the witches as an influence of Macbeth’s words and actions in a subconscious manner, evident with the witches’ comment in comparison to Macbeth’s quote ‘fair is foul and foul is fair…’ and ‘so fair and foul a day I have not seen…’. The witches’ role in the play and Macbeth’s downfall is further enhanced with the introduction of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, in Act 4 Scene 1. In this scene, the audience is able to make the connection that the witches and Macbeth are closely aligned; almost seen as one, as she is able to correctly predict that Macbeth will seek the witches for knowledge about his future. Hecate’s quote ‘Shall raise such artificial sprites/ As by the strength of their illusion/ Shall draw him on to his confusion. / He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear/ His hopes ’bove wisdom, grace, and fear’ is evidence that Hecate plans to create apparitions that will push Macbeth towards his destruction. Macbeth places ‘hope’ above all else, meaning that he does not rely on the reality of the situation to determine his fate, but rather on the supernatural and the prophecies. The prediction of the apparitions that were conjured up by the witches also leads to his downfall as they were the cause of Macbeth’s overconfidence and his desire battle with his opponents. Hecate and the witches were directly influencing Macbeth in this case. Macbeth chose to rely on the prophecy and act on it, thus sealing his fate. Hecate is the symbol of eternal evil, being the goddess of witchcraft; therefore her appearance is a symbol of the climax of Macbeth’s reign. His reign follows a narrative arc; his downfall beginning when he chose to follow the final prophecy of the witches. This corresponds to King James’ opinion on the right of monarchs. Though the witches predicted Macbeth’s attempt to alter the line of succession, they also knew that he will be overthrown and the rightful heirs would be reinstated to the throne. King James’ history is parallel to that of Macbeth’s reign. King James’ family was related to the Tudor monarchs of England and had stated their claim to the English throne, with his mother being executed for her claims. In comparison to Macbeth robbing Scotland from the rightful heir, Malcolm, the Stuarts were robbed of their English throne by the Tudors; however, Providence placed them on the throne as it was their right. Therefore, the role of the witches was developed through the context of King James’ history as well as Shakespeare’s compliments to the present monarch. The role of the witches provide the main unseen force behind many of Macbeth’s thoughts and actions, which eventually led to his downfall.

Lady Macbeth’s role also contributed to Macbeth’s downfall in a verbal manner; different from how the witches influenced Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is depicted as a power hungry woman and the wife of Macbeth. Her position in relation to Macbeth allows her to be perceived as a major influence of her husband. In the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, she is seen as the dominant while Macbeth is seen as the submissive. During the reign of King James I, there was a misogynistic view of women which was considered acceptable as many of King James’ subjects that were tried for using witchcraft were women. Social constraints denied them the means to pursue their ambitions on their own because of their gender, therefore, many women married to fulfill their ambitions. During that era, women were perceived as representations of Eve; capable of representing virtue but were easily led astray by wicked morals. Shakespeare incorporated the representation of Eve into Lady Macbeth, as she was led astray by the witches’ prophecy herself and her power hungry nature to rule alongside Macbeth as the queen. King James was a believer of the wickedness in women and accepted the dark nature of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was portrayed as the archetypal scheming femme fatal. Her lust for power and domination led to her manipulation of Macbeth, which inevitably leads them to their deaths as she commits suicide and Macbeth is slain. Women with power were treated with distrust by Shakespeare, as they always have ulterior motives and questionable morals, evident as Lady Macbeth coerces her husband into committing the murder. When Lady Macbeth is first introduced, the audience is shown that she is already plotting Duncan’s murder and is stronger, more ruthless and more ambitious than Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s famous ‘unsex me’ speech was the climax of her scheme. ‘Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty!’ is a section of Lady Macbeth’s monologue in which she asks to be filled with murderous spirits. Her speech links her to the witches as many elements in her monologue such as ‘And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,’ is a reference to the witches’ language, therefore, allowing herself to seem as a major influence of Macbeth as he was influenced by the witches as well as his wife. Lady Macbeth was portrayed as masculine and unnatural as she demands that the forces of evil to free her of her gender and the fragility of being a woman. Macbeth implies that Lady Macbeth is a masculine soul inhabiting a woman’s body, inferring the link between masculinity to ambition and violence. Lady Macbeth’s speech aligns her with witchcraft as she repeatedly uses words based on the supernatural, bringing into consideration, the misogynistic view of women and witchcraft during King James’s reign. Her role in influencing Macbeth is seen clearly as she convinces Macbeth to murder the sleeping Duncan through her mischievous use of innuendo and verbal trickery; questioning Macbeth’s manhood when he hesitates to murder Duncan until he feels that he must commit the crime in order to prove himself as man to Lady Macbeth; ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man’. Evidence of Lady Macbeth questioning her husband’s masculinity is seen through the quote ‘too full o' the milk of human kindness’, implying that Macbeth is too feminine to wield the power of a monarch. Macbeth’s role in murdering Duncan was eased as Lady Macbeth drugged the guards and left the door open to the King’s room. She is considered as a catalyst for the evil in that develops in Macbeth as she was the one who thoroughly prompts him to take action to fulfill his ambitions. Therefore, Lady Macbeth’s role in Macbeth’s downfall was developed through the context of women in society during King James’ reign and the misogynistic view of women during that era. Lady Macbeth coerces her husband into murder through feminine methods, such as her clever use of manipulation and verbal trickery; shaming Macbeth until he proves his manhood by murdering Duncan.