Macbeth 17 Essay, Research Paper
In every story, there is always a protagonist, one who we blame for
whatever takes place. In the play Macbeth, there are many different
views you can take as to who you should actually blame for the tragedy.
In my opinion, despite popular belief, I think that the supernatural was
responsible. When I say supernatural, to me that includes the three
witches, Hecate, and the forces of fate that Macbeth believes are on his
side. Let me explain.
The play begins with a brief description of what is going on in
Scotland. From what we can tell in the dialogue, they describe Macbeth
as being a noble and honorable man. He is receiving praise from the
king, Duncan, and he is being honored with a new title. He is perceived to
be a very reputable man and enters the play with a very highly regarded
position. But when he meets the witches and they foretell his future, his
esteemed character begins to deminish.
Without the encouragement of the witches and their push to believe
in fate, he would have never considered it. Even if he wasn t sure of
whether or not what they said was true, he still had an overwhelming
belief in fate that encouraged him to carry out his evil deeds.
True, some might say that the burden of fault lies on Lady
Macbeth, and they are partly correct. But if you really think about it,
without the encouragement of the witches, she too would not have been
inspired to bolster Macbeth into committing these horrendous crimes.
Another event that backs my argument, is the fact that he might
have been encouraged by his wife, but in the end he still relied on the
witches for their guidance. This led to his unfortunate demise. He
became to confident in fate, and relied on the witches so much that he
was blinded by power. It was this ignorance that led him to believe that
he was undefeatable, and his arrogance that led him into the trap set by
Macduff and the English army.
Macbeth was overwhelmed with so much power that he accredited
to fate, when in fact, he controlled his own fate despite his belief. I
presume that without that extra shove from the supernatural, Macbeth
wouldn t have been inspired to commit any crime, as is true for Lady
Macbeth. She would have had no valor to help delineate the plans to
overthrow the king and destroy the lives of those around them.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that without the supernatural, the
tragedy of Macbeth would never have occurred. This tragedy includes the
deaths of Duncan, Banquo, Macduff s family, and though there is some
despute over this, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. I believe that this
intentional concept written by William Shakespeare was ingenious. I think
that he intended there to be an altercation between readers over whose
fault it was, and I m sure that each person has there own valid views, but
in my conviction I think that with my strong backing, I m right, at least
partially. But as has been said before, to each his own.