Macbeth Response Paper

Thesis: Macbeth’s tragic flaw of being overconfident as well as ambitious caused his tragic downfall and defeat.

The three witches and their prophecies were the main cause for Macbeth’s overconfidence throughout the play. Macbeth had the idea of kingship planted in his head by the witches. At first Macbeth did not believe the witches’ prophecies, but when Macbeth became king, he started to believe the witches. The witches told him that he was going to become the king of Cawdor “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!” (I. iii. 49). After Macbeth became king, the witches lead Macbeth to believe that he could not be killed by any human born of a woman. “Be bloody, bold resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (IV. i. 79-81). Throughout the remaining of the play, Macbeth carried on under the impression he could not be killed by another man. “Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, and take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder.” (IV. i. 82-86).

Another factor of Macbeth’s pursuit to become king was Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth by expressing how she wanted to become queen. “He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements. Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood, stop up the access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visiting’s of nature shake fell purpose, nor keep peace between the effect and it!” (I. v. 37-47). She pushed and provoked Macbeth to murder the king by questioning his manhood. “What beast was‘t then that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; and, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. Nor time nor place did then...