Who Was Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

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In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare highlights the corrupting power of unchecked ambition. The downfall of Macbeth lies ultimately upon a fatal flaw in himself; ambition. However, fate in the form of the witches and prophecies is partially accountable for his undoing as they impose his evil. Lady Macbeth also plays a role in the annihilation of Macbeth due to her ambition for power. She uses manipulation as a driving force behind Macbeth to influence him to kill Duncan and fulfil her own desires, all contributing to the downfall of Macbeth. Macbeth is greatly influenced by the three witches and Lady Macbeth, however he is primarily responsible for his own undoing.

Macbeth is accountable for his own destruction due to his ambition and hunger for power. Although this ambition brought him to his height of power, it was also what led him to his downfall. Macbeth had become so obsessed with becoming King, and remaining powerful, that he transformed into a completely different man. It led him to become power hungry, greedy, violent and to commit regicide and murder. At the beginning of the play he is portrayed as an honourable, well respected, admirable warrior “for brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name”. However, as the play progresses, he becomes morally corrupt due to his lust and ambition for power, this is evident in his choice of actions, such as his
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He possesses such excessive ambition bringing out the evil in him, leading to his death. Lady Macbeth plays a considerable role as she persuades him by manipulating him. The three witches influence Macbeth by embedding ideas in his mind, in which he acts upon, playing a driving force behind Macbeth’s actions, causing his downfall. Although Macbeth was influenced by fate through prophecies and the manipulation of Lady Macbeth, it was ultimately his fatal flaw ambition that precipitated his downfall.

“LM and witches only served to fuel his deep and dark

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