Macbeth's Downfall
In Macbeth, the witches represent the Catholic priests who used equivocation to escape being punished after the Gunpowder Plot. This is because the witches in the play talk in riddles, and use paradox to confuse the person they are speaking to. Macbeth's downfall in the play is caused by the witches telling him his “future,” and Macbeth's believing them and later going back for more guidance (the apparitions). In Act 1, Scene 2 of Macbeth, the 3 witches say to Macbeth: “...Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!...Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!...that shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.51-53)” They tell Macbeth that he shall become thane of Cawdor, then he will become king. After this, Macbeth receives word that he is to become thane of Cawdor, which makes him believe this prophecy, as he did not believe before his promotion. Quickly, he begins to have …show more content…
After he gets over his guilt, however, Macbeth becomes paranoid that his best friend Banquo, who was with him when he met the witches, knew he killed the king. Macbeth hires murderers to kill him and his son, who escapes, and holds a banquet after. At the banquet Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost, and after all the lords & nobles have to leave resolves to see the witches again. Macbeth, paranoid and going insane, visits the witches. The witches tell him through apparitions to “beware Macduff, (4.1.81)” that nobody born of woman can harm him, and that he will not be killed until Birnam wood moves to his castle, Dunsinane. These all come true in odd ways, and Macbeth's reliance on prophecy led to his downfall. In conclusion, the combination of the witches, Macbeth's reliance on their prophecies and Lady Macbeth caused his downfall. Because Macbeth relied on the witches, he gained much power, and with it, hubris. This was the main factor that led Macbeth to become a murderer, paranoid, and almost
In Macbeth, the witches represent the Catholic priests who used equivocation to escape being punished after the Gunpowder Plot. This is because the witches in the play talk in riddles, and use paradox to confuse the person they are speaking to. Macbeth's downfall in the play is caused by the witches telling him his “future,” and Macbeth's believing them and later going back for more guidance (the apparitions). In Act 1, Scene 2 of Macbeth, the 3 witches say to Macbeth: “...Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!...Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!...that shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.51-53)” They tell Macbeth that he shall become thane of Cawdor, then he will become king. After this, Macbeth receives word that he is to become thane of Cawdor, which makes him believe this prophecy, as he did not believe before his promotion. Quickly, he begins to have …show more content…
After he gets over his guilt, however, Macbeth becomes paranoid that his best friend Banquo, who was with him when he met the witches, knew he killed the king. Macbeth hires murderers to kill him and his son, who escapes, and holds a banquet after. At the banquet Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost, and after all the lords & nobles have to leave resolves to see the witches again. Macbeth, paranoid and going insane, visits the witches. The witches tell him through apparitions to “beware Macduff, (4.1.81)” that nobody born of woman can harm him, and that he will not be killed until Birnam wood moves to his castle, Dunsinane. These all come true in odd ways, and Macbeth's reliance on prophecy led to his downfall. In conclusion, the combination of the witches, Macbeth's reliance on their prophecies and Lady Macbeth caused his downfall. Because Macbeth relied on the witches, he gained much power, and with it, hubris. This was the main factor that led Macbeth to become a murderer, paranoid, and almost