The Fall Of Macbeth

Imagine for a second, a king sitting upon his throne, war strewn through his country, his life in ruin, wife dead of mental disorder, his own people rebelling against him. He’s wondering what happened. Just some time ago, he was a happy man, a high-ranking noble, the right-hand man of the king, with almost everything he wanted. Almost. The one thing he couldn’t achieve, the thing at his fingertips yet he couldn’t quite grasp it. Then all of a sudden it was there, all covered with blood and not what he wanted at all. This is the experience of Macbeth, who had been promoted to the Thane of Cawdor, one of the most prestigious positions in the King of Scotland’s court. Ambition drove him to murder the king and take the throne for himself, setting …show more content…
His numerous acts of murder show how much he’s fallen. He develops a habit of killing whenever he feels threatened or when someone displeases him, as shown as when he sends criminals to murder Banquo and Fleance when he realizes that the prophecy says that Banquo’s children will succeed him, and has everyone in Macduff’s castle, including servants, mercilessly massacred. He feels threatened by Banquo’s posterity, and if no son of his succeeds him, then “For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind” (III.I.66). Macbeth finds it unfair that he went through the trouble to kill Duncan and frame his guards, only to have Banquo’s family take over. This is a great example of Macbeth killing when feeling threatened. Furthermore, Macbeth has fallen to the point where he kills when he is displeased with someone. The incident with Macduff shows this well. When Macbeth hears that Macduff has gone to England, he decides to “Seize upon Fife; give to th’edge o’th’sword/His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls/That trace him in his line” (IV.I.150-152). To punish Macduff for his treachery, Macbeth obliterates all the inhabitants of the Castle of Fife. Macbeth’s habit of killing when he feels like it is one of the reasons he has fallen. His decision to kill Macduff’s underlings and family can also be seen as a major decision which ends up getting him killed, as this sparks Macduff’s desire for revenge, and the first thing the Witches’ apparitions said to Macbeth was “beware Macduff” (IV.I.70). However, due to his belief that no man born of woman can hurt him, he continues with the belief that he is invincible. Unknown to him, Macduff was born of c-section, and this decision can be seen as the one that gets him killed. Macbeth’s numerous flaws are a big part of his