Macbeth's Internal Conflict

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Macbeth Practice Essay

Macbeth’s inner conflict leads to his downfall, rather than any external force.

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the internal conflict of Macbeth play an important part in his tragic downfall. His internal conflict begins when he questions whether he should murder King Duncan in order to obtain the crown; his self conflict isn’t simply political and ambition for power, and is also explicitly shown when he questions his own morals when the conflict rises from Duncan’s trust in him; and finally, when Macbeth hears about the death of Lady Macbeth, he slips into a conflict between his sadness and nihilism. These points together will prove that Macbeth’s inner conflict is indeed the leading cause of his downfall.

To begin with, the murder of Duncan wasn’t without complications. When Macbeth heard the prophecies of the three witches and realises that there
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He fights with himself whether he should feel sad or just slip in nihilism. He demonstrates the sadness he has for the death of Lady Macbeth and thus he speaks of the poem “...to-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow…”(Act V, Scene V). However, he also demonstrates that he has moved on and shows no care for the death of the Lady as he slowly realises his doom. The death of Lady Macbeth has demonstrated the inner conflict of Macbeth and showed how he really felt. There are many themes in the play Macbeth, however his internal conflict is the strongest of all themes and it’s what led to his downfall. He conflicts with himself about whether it is worth it to kill Duncan to become king both on the political and moral points of view. He also demonstrates the conflict between whether he should show feelings for the death of Lady Macbeth. So in conclusion, inner conflict has driven Macbeth insane and immoral and it is what has led to his downfall and not any external

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