A DEMO OF MY WRITING SKILL

GLOSSARY:
Downfall: loss of power, prosperity or status.
Weird sisters/wayward sister/witches: In Christian concept witchcraft derives from Old
Testament. Witches are mainly ambiguous personalities which preach cunningness, evil acts and
unrest.

Q: Which is the main reason behind Macbeth’s downfall? Macbeth's ambition or his wife’s
ambition?
=It is a significant question to ask what caused the most dynamic character of Macbeth to fall,
the answer may be- Macbeth himself being such a dynamic character causes him to have a
tremendous fall as a human being. Because of his transition throughout the play, it is obviously
not possible to find out one reason behind Macbeth’s downfall. Therefore, after the analysis of
the whole play and psychoanalysis of the characters, it has become possible to prepare a probable
answer to the question.
The downfall of Macbeth was assisted by three influentials which are from the weird sisters’
prophecy, Lady Macbeth’s provocation and Macbeth’s own greed and ambition.
First, the seed of temptation was sown by three weird sisters who represented fate and prophecy
in Macbeth that tingled Macbeth’s greediness. They had appeared in the very first scene of
Macbeth where they prophesied that Macbeth would be the next king. Though the witches do not
directly tell Macbeth to kill King Duncan, the use of subtle form of temptation when they inform
Macbeth that he is destined to be king. Again, as they said that Banquo’s heir will be the
successors, it bothered Macbeth as he didn’t have any heir. By placing this thought in his mind,
they effectively guide him on the path to his own destruction. This follows the pattern of
limitation attributed to the devil. In the contemporary imagination, the devil was believed to be a
thought in a person's mind, which he or she might either indulge or reject. Macbeth indulges the
temptation, while Banquo rejects it. Also, the line- “double, double toil and trouble”
communicates the witches' intent clearly. They seek only to increase trouble for the mortals
around them.
(It is important to add that the weird sisters were considered witches and witches represented
spiritual hints at that time.They are so deeply entrenched in both worlds that it is unclear whether
they control fate or whether they are merely its agent.)
Another important point to add, Lady Macbeth provoked Macbeth about his masculinity and
stimulated the urge to wrongdoing for achieving own gain that made her Responsible for the
downfall of Macbeth. Shakespeare Used the Lady Macbeth character to Look at Macbeth 's idea
that undaunted metal should compose nothing but males. (1.7.73). Lady Macbeth had desire to
be a queen, but it will be only possible if Macbeth turns into a king, and that is why she pursued
her husband to commit crime killing his morality. It is often considered Lady Macbeth was a
loyal wife whose World was around his husband. According to critics, Macbeth’s criminal
mentality could not gain momentum without his wife's inhuman, wicked plan that perhaps
appears true, at least from the storyline penned by Shakespeare.
Most noticeably, Macbeth’s own greed and ambition are mostly responsible for his downfall.
There may be many provocations and many prophecies but one thing to remember is that a
person has his own conscience and Morality. If Macbeth wouldn't have any greed, he couldn't
have done that. He had greed for the kingship and power. Therefore, a person's downfall is
mostly because of his own decisions and own judgment. while others influenced Macbeth in the
murder of Duncan, but it was Macbeth who committed the act. Furthermore, Duncan’s murder
represents only the beginning of larger sins and moral degradation on Macbeth's part. In the thrift
study edition (2012;135) It is pointed out that “Each murderous act led to another, more horrific
than the last.” Thus, more than anyone else, primarily blame should rest with Macbeth himself.
From the discussion above, it can be concluded that there were many provocations from different
people which led him to drown in bloodbath and downfall, but the fact cannot be denied that
Macbeth himself was responsible the most.
References:
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Albatross Classics)
www.Sparknotes.com
Article-The downfall of Macbeth by Antinio de Sario<Academia.edu - Share research >
Wikipedia