‘Macbeth’ is a play written by William Shakespeare in the early 17th century. The play is considered one of Shakespeare’s more tragic works, as it is centred on Macbeth’s great ambition and how it leads to his downfall. A ‘Shakespearean tragedy’ is where the main character proves to be neither good, nor evil – and yet they cannot avoid their own impending doom. Macbeth talks of his     

“Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself

And falls on th’other—” I.vii.27-28

implying that he realises he is about to take a jump that is too high for him to clear and he will fall badly on the other side.

            Essentially Macbeth is not a man of great evil. He just has so many great ambitions that he cannot decide which is the correct path to take. Added to the problem are the three witches, who see in Macbeth his weakness for his ambitions, and use that against him. When they confront Macbeth and Banquo atop the heath at the beginning of the play, the prophecy they tell gives roots to the seeds of ambition in Macbeth’s head that until that point were only ideas. He is told that he shall be king of Scotland and granted the title Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth at first does not entirely believe these predictions, but when two characters, Ross and Angus, arrive they tell Macbeth that the king has granted him the title Thane of Cawdor. Upon hearing this, the seed of ambition in Macbeth’s head begins to shoot and grow. If the first part of the witches foretelling is true, what of the last? Shall he, Macbeth, become king? That is the question which he asks himself – and he begins plotting his rise to the throne of Scotland.

            Here enters another character that plays a part in the downfall of Macbeth. Upon hearing the news from her husband that he is to become king, Lady Macbeth begins plotting her husband’s rise to the throne. As faithful wife she sees it as her responsibility to ‘help’ her husband on his way to the throne, either by giving him reassurance or a little bit of discipline. From this behaviour we can see she is one of the main causes of Macbeth’s downfall; his want to impress his wife. On the night that they plan to murder King Duncan, Macbeth loses his nerve and states

            “We will proceed no further in this business.” I.vii.32

However, upon hearing this, Lady Macbeth scorns her husband and calls him a coward

                                                “Was the hope drunk

            Wherein you’d dress yourself. Hath it slept since?

            And wakes it now to look so green and pale

            At which it did so freely?” I.vii.35-38

She also says she would rather slaughter their own child than know that her husband had gone against his oath.

            “How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me:

            I would, while it was smiling in my face,

            Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums

            And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn

As you have done to this.” I.vii.55-59

However, when he gives in to her bullying she gives him a little push of encouragement. After the murder she is all smiles and praise and tells him how brave he his – that he is a worthy husband.      Lady Macbeth hopes these compliments will stop her husband regretting his treasonous deeds.

Macbeth himself seems to be a man of weak will – he lets his ambitions take hold of him sometimes and he becomes confident in his actions and his words. Other times he is regretful about his past actions and has not the strength to fight against his enemies. Anyone who opposes him in his quest power is slain or banished. By the time of Banquo’s murder Macbeth has turned himself into a monster, and yet he still feels guilt at what he has done. We see this when Banquo’s ghost appears in front of him while he is entertaining his guests after he has been crowned. After Lady Macbeth’s suicide, Macbeth begins to deteriorate further into his despair. Yet, while knowledgeable of his inevitable doom, he still grasps a small hope inside him. This hope comes from another prophecy told by the witches, that no man of woman born can kill him.

“Be bloody, bold and resolute; laugh to scorn

The power of man, for none of woman born

Shall harm Macbeth.” IV.i.78-80

 Arrogant in this fact, he remains fighting until the end when he is beheaded by Mcduff in Act 5.

            In my opinion Macbeth could have been a great king, had his gaining of the throne been a just one. He had the right heart to rule. However his ambitions were too great for him to control, and with his weak will this made him easy to control. The witches may be blamed for the tragedy of Macbeth because they were the ones who rooted the idea into Macbeth’s head with their prophecies. But, I believe that it is really Lady Macbeth’s fault for his downfall, as she nourished his ideas and let them grow into fearsome aspirations. So the way I see it, Macbeth had no control over his destiny, no matter how much he wished it. He was always unsure about his decisions, right until the very end when he gave in and accepted his punishment. All in all, it was Lady Macbeth who spelled the true downfall of her husband, as she was the strongest force in the life of Macbeth.