Is Macbeth the architect of his own downfall?
The answer to this question has been pondered by many students of Shakespeare over the centuries, and the answer is not a simple one – it depends on your perspective on the events of the play.
Let's look at the main events of the play:
Based on this chain of events, we can evaluate the downfall of Macbeth in one of three very different ways. You can explore these interpretations below.
1. He is a victim of his hamartia (his fatal flaw) and when he receives a prophecy of greatness, this causes him to commit terrible sins to fulfil his ‘vaulting ambition':
From the start, Macbeth is portrayed as a brutal and bloodthirsty soldier who has fought mercilessly in pursuit of the Thane of Cawdor, Macdonwald, who has turned traitor to King Duncan. He knows that brutal and violent acts can be rewarded and is given the traitor's former title by King Duncan is return for slaying the usurper. Macbeth becomes both the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of Cawdor which would afford him much more wealth and power in the country, but we learn soon after that this reward from the king is not enough for him; he secretly desires the ultimate seat of power in the kingdom. The fact that Macbeth is bestowed a traitor's title foreshadows his own treachery later in the play.
After receiving his prophecies from the witches, Macbeth is told about his elevation to the Thane of Cawdor. At this point, he realises that the first prophecy has been fulfilled and he is filled with ambition to complete the second prophecy and take the throne. Although he fears his ambition as it is sinful to break the Great Chain of Being, he is easily persuaded by his wife to murder his king and usurps the throne.
Throughout the rest of the play, Macbeth, determined to keep his crown, commits ever more brutal acts to ensure his throne, eventually causing an army to be raised against him to stop his tyrannical rule.
2. He is the victim of witchcraft and has little control of his own destiny as the witches are casting spells in order to lead him to a tragic end.
We are told at the beginning of the play that Macbeth is a ‘valiant' soldier who has fought bravely and well to defend his king against the Thane of Cawdor, Macdonwald, who has turned traitor to King Duncan. As a reward for his valour, King Duncan rewards Macbeth by giving him the traitor's former title and Macbeth becomes both the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of Cawdor which would afford him much more wealth and power in the country. King Duncan deems Macbeth to be a loyal and honourable subject and so the audience is encouraged to see Macbeth in the same way – why would the king be wrong in his judgement of Macbeth?
However, on his way back from the battle, Macbeth (along with Banquo) is intercepted by a coven of witches who are casting spells as he enters. They change his loyal attitude towards his king by giving him a true prediction of his new title which persuades him to kill Duncan to fulfil the second prophecy. As Macbeth struggles with his resolve to commit regicide, they cast spells around the castle to push him to murder his beloved king, conjuring a dagger to lead him to Duncan's bed chamber. A soldier and a servant talk about unnatural events that have happened since the murder of Duncan.
Throughout the rest of the play, Macbeth is filled with paranoia and fear that he will lose his crown and turns to the witches for advice. They tell him half truths and make him mistrust MacDuff, pushing him towards even more murder and butchery which eventually leads to his downfall.
3. He is led astray by the machinations of the evil witches and an ambitious wife who control him for their own desires.
At the start of the play, we are presented with a portrait of Macbeth as a ‘valiant' soldier who has fought bravely and well to defend his king against the Thane of Cawdor, Macdonwald, who has turned traitor to King Duncan. He is rewarded for his valour by King Duncan and becomes both the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of Cawdor. King Duncan deems Macbeth to be a loyal and honourable subject and so the audience is encouraged to see Macbeth in the same way.
When Macbeth is intercepted by a coven of witches who tell him that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and King thereafter, Macbeth uses language that mirrors their previous words – “So fair and foul a day I have not seen”. This indicates that the witches have some ability to manipulate his thoughts and actions. When Macbeth is told about his elevation to the Thane of Cawdor, he is filled with ambition to fulfill the second prophecy and take the throne. However, even though he is ambitious, he is filled with horror at his thoughts of killing his beloved king and cannot understand why he is considering the sinful act of breaking the Great Chain of Being - his loyal and faithful traits are starting to be corrupted by the influence of the witches.
He sends word about the prophecies to Lady Macbeth who he considers to be his ‘dearest partner of greatness' as he trusts her advice being his wife and his equal. Lady Macbeth resolves to do anything that she can to persuade Macbeth to murder his king and berates and belittles him until he agrees to usurp the throne.
Throughout the rest of the play, Macbeth, no longer able to trust the counsel of his wife, commits ever more brutal acts to ensure his throne, eventually causing an army to be raised against him to stop his tyrannical rule.
What is your opinion? Do you think Macbeth is a victim of his own ambition? Do you think he was led by others to his tragic downfall? Do you perhaps think that he was able to be so easily manipulated by others because of his hamartia (his ‘vaulting ambition')?
Whatever your opinion, you need to be able to confidently argue that opinion in the exam, using convincing scenes and quotations from the play.
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