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Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

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In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, many characters possess internal traits that affect their decisions and actions. Macbeth, the main character of the play possesses three traits that significantly affect him and those around him. First of all, Macbeth’s ambitious personality leads him to engage in harmful actions. Furthermore, Macbeth’s unstable beliefs and his tendency to be easily manipulated also plays a notable role in the play. Additionally, Macbeth’s impulse to prioritize illusions over logic contributes to his decisions and actions. Macbeth possesses internal traits that ultimately have a negative impact on his decisions and cause him to commit evil actions which lead Macbeth towards his downfall.

Firstly, Macbeth’s …show more content…

Once Duncan is finally murdered, Macbeth easily falls into regret claiming that all the oceans in the world couldn’t wash the guilt off his hands. Macbeth cannot hold a firm stance and he continuously double thinks his actions which prevents him from fully committing to a plan and developing a strong persona which ultimately leads him to his downfall. In addition, Macbeth also implies that he trusts Banquo. However, when Banquo warns him: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray us In deepest consequence. (I, III, 131-135)

Macbeth doubts and disregards Banquo’s warning by responding in a series of paradoxes which hints the readers to Macbeth’s uncertainty in his thoughts and subsequently, his decisions. The readers later find out that Banquo’s warning was accurate as the witches did betray Macbeth and spoke falsely. Macbeth’s inability to remain steadfast on a belief caused him to fall into the witches’ trap and lead him towards his downfall.

Lastly, Macbeth’s impulse to neglect reality and his logic and alternatively act on unreasonable illusions is another factor that leads Macbeth towards his downfall. Firstly, Macbeth hallucinates a dagger whilst he is on his way to murder Duncan. Macbeth says:

A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? I see yet, in form as …show more content…

Macbeth uses an illusion as justification and motivation to kill Duncan instead of his logic trying to convince him otherwise. Macbeth sides with delusions which leads him to commit evil actions instead of sensible ones. Macbeth also hallucinates Banquo’s ghost at his banquet. Macbeth says, “...they rise again / With twenty mortal murders on their crowns / ...This is more strange / Than such a murder is” (III, IV, 96-99). Macbeth admits that this is a strange and unnatural occurrence yet instead of using reason to calm himself, he believes in his deceptive illusions. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth that this situation is similar to when he saw the dagger yet Macbeth ignores her and continues to act on high emotion conveyed through a series of exclamation marks. Macbeth opts to put his faith on his delusions instead of listening to a voice of reason; which is in this case, Lady Macbeth. This action causes him to lose sight of what is actually real and allows him to continue to believe in more dangerous delusions - such as believing the witches regarding the apparitions. Macbeth’s refusal to logically assess a situation and his impulse to believe in the unreasonable leads him to his

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