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Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

Satisfactory Essays

Kendall Wright
English 10
Valentin
12 June 2015

In the Tragedy of Macbeth, a tragedy by William is the story of a man who has a horrible downfall due to unfortunate circumstances. There have been debates regarding who the cause of his downfall was. Others argue that Lady Macbeth, his wife, is the cause of his downfall but this is not true. The ruthless actions of Macbeth cause his downfall and his demise and he should be accountable for his own actions and accept the consequences that follow. Macbeth’s greed, ambition and curiosity cause his downfall and demise due to a lack of self-control. Macbeth’s ambition contributes to his downfall. His ambition gradually increases throughout the play. This characteristic is revealed after the witches form the prophecy of him becoming king of the land. In text 2 line 8 it states, “It is a message from Macbeth in which he eagerly relates …show more content…

Essentially this statement is saying how the prophecy of the witches adds on to his ambition. He allows these prophecies to consume his thoughts and soon after his desires take control over him. He states,” I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on the other”(1.7.25-28).This account ultimately means that he has no valid motive on why he wants to kill King Duncan other than his desire for power. With thoughts of his future reign, he acts on his plan to to kill King Duncan which means that the country of Scotland is without a ruler. As Macbeth’s Success increases, his trait of ambition becomes more prevalent. With Macbeth being fearful that the Witches’ prophecies are true about Banquo and his sons taking over the throne, he hires murders to kill them all. Others may argue that

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