Nature Vs. Nurture In William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Herb Clutter lived the ideal American Dream. He had a successful farm, was a respected citizen in community, lived with a wife and four children and earned an honest living. Herb was generous and kind, very religious and practiced temperance, and remained committed to teaching his children to engage in the community. Capote explains how Herb took his poor life and made his own path to become a hardworking rancher explaining how, “‘Everything Herb had, he earned- with the help of God. He was a modest but a proud man, as he had the right to be. He raised a fine family. He made something of his life,’” (79). Herb displays nature by showing how his generous and hardworking traits helped him become a respected and successful man, but he also displays …show more content…
nurture. Macbeth was a noble supporter of King Duncan and valued loyalty as he was promoted to higher respected roles. His genetics or his lessons in life taught him to value destiny and honesty as seen when he says, “If chance will have me king, why,/ chance may crown me/ Without my stir”(Act I, Scene 3). Macbeth respectfully wants a pure and honest way of becoming king, which represents the effect of nature. His morals are personal to him and are greatly changed when the witches influence him with their manipulative words. Their modified truths create negative and evil intent of Macbeth as his mind craves power. The dark environment of the witches impacts Macbeth through the theory of nurture because they change his decisions to encourage him to kill for his own benefit. Macbeth thinks, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,/ Against the use of nature? Present fears/ Are less than horrible imaginings” (Act I, Scene 3). Macbeth is imagining killing Duncan, despite his values and morals in life, due to the dark and malicious seed implanted by the witches. His wife also waters the seed of evil by encouraging him to push past his values and kill for power. The story of Macbeth ends similarly to the Clutter murderers in that he is executed, due to the negative influence of people and …show more content…
People are affected by their traits and genetics because these influence their decisions in life but nurturing of the environment, surroundings and people can also impact one’s behavior. People are always changing and the human mind constantly develops thought, judgment, morals, values and more as life progresses. One answer of nature or nurture will not solve the answer because many aspects are changing and both will contribute, more or less, to human growth and maturation. Many examples of literature and history use the theory of nature and nurture to analyze human development and behavior, as seen in In Cold Blood, Macbeth, and many more works. Valid arguments make the theory of nature vs. nurture a controversial debate but both viewpoints have valid arguments that support an interconnectedness that works together to impact