Macbeth responsible for his ow
Macbeth responsible for his owTo-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow
Macbeth. Act V, Scene V, Lines 19-24
In one of his most celebrated plays, 'Macbeth', William Shakespeare illustrates the classical tragic hero pattern: a character regarded with the utmost admiration, demoted to an evil villain, despised by all. Like most tragic heroes, Macbeth has hidden flaws which ultimately lead to his fall from grace. Influences from other characters play a role in his downfall, but the greatest cause comes from his own actions and thoughts. Murdering the
beloved king caused his future subjects to loose faith in his leadership. His delusional suspicion of others isolated him and drove him mad. Finally, his failure to recognize the warning signs of danger led to his doom. As a result of his ruthless quest for power which set in motion the resistance against him, the growing paranoia that caused him to make more enemies, and his failure to heed the warnings of the danger mounting towards him, Macbeth
himself is the one responsible for his own tragic downfall.
Led by his overpowering ambition, Macbeth commits the greatest act of treason against his country; and when discovered, makes the noblemen rethink their loyalty to their king. Upon the discovery of Duncan's body, Macbeth announces that he accidentally killed the attendants, who appeared to be the guilty party. Responding to this, Macduff asks him, "Wherefore did you so?" (2.3.108) The first signs of suspicion come from Macduff, who
distrusts Macbeth after he hastily 'destroys the evidence' at the crime scene. This is important because over time, Macduff's suspicions grow, and provide him with a reason for fleeing to England and forming a rebellion against Macbeth. Furthermore, after his
confession speech at the royal banquet, the thanes and noblemen realize Macbeth's great treason. His friends and subjects desert him, and soon fall in league with Macduff and Malcolm. "Thither Macduff is gone to pray the holy king, upon his aid to wake
Northumberland and war-like Siward." (3.6.29-31) As a result of his crimes and his guilty confession to everyone, a resistance army builds up and marches towards Macbeth. Left with only a handful of soldiers, Macbeth's own ambition led the armada of then thousand
troops to attack his castle, leading to his downfall.
Once king, Macbeth's guilty conscience causes him to grow more and more paranoid; isolating himself and making enemies of his friends. His once close comrade Banquo now becomes the target of this attention, because of the prophecy given to him by the three witches. Seeing this as a threat to his crown, Macbeth decides to rid himself of Banquo and his son in order to...
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