Macbeth

Fall of a General Honors are bestowed on those who value honor; medals are bestowed on those who make bravery their ornament and kingdoms are bestowed on those who aspire for them. Macbeth, the brave commander who knew the skills of warfare and an honorable General who won the title of the “Thane of Cawdor” due to his loyalty and bravery, had honor as his crown, valor as his ornament loses his privileges and falls from the position of a General to a “tyrant” when ambition became his inspiration. His image shattered, his loyalty vanished, and his bravery turned into tyranny. The one who, once, was called the “worthiest” by the king was called “rarer monster” by Macduff. What were the reasons of his decline? Who- the witches, Lady Macbeth, the then existing political system, destiny or Macbeth himself- is to be blamed for this downfall? I will find the answers of these questions in my assignment. The witches can be regarded the cause of downfall of Macbeth because they put the idea of becoming the king into the mind of Macbeth. They meet Macbeth on a heath and say: “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth! that shalt be the King hereafter.” After the title of ‘Thane of Cawdor’ is conferred upon him by the King of Scotland- Duncan- he starts depending upon the prophesies of the evil witches more than his own mental faculties. The witches mislead him by telling what life has in store for him, but he carves his own route to achieve that destination by killing Duncan, ignoring the fact that the path he is following may lead him to the chasm of death and destruction. Throughout the play, the witches play their role which is the projection of their own evil nature. They blind Macbeth and cause his destruction through his own hands. However, the “weird sisters” can’t be blamed entirely. They don’t suggest Macbeth to kill the King. It is Macbeth who chooses this way. The witches can’t even be blamed for corrupting the mind of Macbeth because he already has the craving for becoming the king. This is evident from the dialogue between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (in Act 1, Scene 7) when Lady Macbeth asks him: “What beast wasn’t then, That made you break this enterprise (of murdering the king) to me?” These line are evident of the fact that it is Macbeth’s latent longing to replace Duncan. The idea is his own, the route is his own and the courage is his own. The witches just provide him the stimulus he needs but the rest is his own decision and choice. There is also a school of thought which says that Macbeth could have never committed the crime of murdering Duncan if Lady Macbeth had not persuaded him. So, Lady Macbeth is the reason of the fall of Macbeth from the status of honor and esteem into the chasm of corruption and darkness. Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a ruthless woman who exercises a great deal of influence over Macbeth. She wants to pour her “spirits” in the “ears” of Macbeth and asks the “Spirits” to “un-sex” her and take her milk “for gall”. Though Macbeth shows hesitation, she insists him on killing the King to ascend the crown by putting a question on his manhood and by telling him that she would ‘(dash) the brains out” of her newborn baby if he asked. Manipulation is the tool used by the Lady to motivate Macbeth. Macbeth worries about his fame, reputation and the possible failure they may encounter but Lady Macbeth says: “We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail.” She takes advantage of Macbeth’s confusion and stipulates the plan to assassinate Duncan. Even after murdering Duncan, Macbeth is troubled by the knocks of conscience but Lady Macbeth says provokes him by saying that he is weak and infirm. She makes it Hobson’s choice for Macbeth and he decides to commit the murder. However, it is highly contestable to say that Lady Macbeth is solely blameworthy for all the shortcomings of Macbeth. Macbeth himself is confused because he is unable to pick one thing between power and prestige. He is confused because he wants to kill Duncan but doesn’t want to face failure. Lady Macbeth just triggers him to pick one of his options and Macbeth chooses to kill Duncan because his own mind was asking him to do so. Many people think that Macbeth is a critique on the political system. Though Macbeth was able and courageous, Duncan decides to make his son the king and says: “We will establish our estate upon Our eldest, Malcolm...” This decision of Duncan raises many questions: Is the system, according to which power is conferred on someone, based on justice? If it is based on justice, is Duncan’s decision to prefer his son, who has not shown his valor at battlefield, to Macbeth, who has proved himself and curbed the rebellious elements against the kingdom, justified? Indeed, it is not justified. Macbeth was far more capable than Malcolm. Hence, this political and social system compelled Macbeth to take such an extreme step and kill the king to take his place. Had the socio-political system been different, Macbeth would never have committed such a horrendous crime of taking someone’s life. Had power been granted on the basis of capability, Macbeth would never have fallen from the noble position he had acquired through his loyalty and dedication. Had Duncan not declared Malcolm his successor, Macbeth would have been saved from the downfall which started when he murdered Duncan. Every action has a reaction, and Duncan’s action is the reason of Macbeth’s crime. Similarly, Macbeth’s crime is the reason of his downfall. Macbeth deserved all what he acquires later by committing crime. His capabilities, and his inability to realize his aspirations lead to his destruction but it is also a question on the credibility of the system. Nevertheless, only the social system can’t be considered responsible for the downfall of Macbeth. Many people have capabilities but they don’t get any status or position according to the established political system. Still they don’t challenge the system. Even if they do, they don’t kill someone who is loved by the people. Hence, Macbeth’s fall from the sky of privileges to the ground where he was beheaded by Macduff is a result of his own follies and decisions. People consider destiny responsible for the fall of Macbeth. Situation favors Macbeth and he wins the title of “Thane of Cawdor. Duncan shows his gratitude and visits his place and ultimately, Macbeth kills Duncan. Again, favorable situation doesn’t ask people to manipulate it and ultimately ruin themselves. Macbeth kills Duncan because he wants to do so in order to reach the position of the king. He kills the guards of Duncan because of his own purpose of proving himself innocent. Thus, he takes destiny in his own hands which ultimately causes his fall. Above all these factors, Macbeth’s over-ambitious nature is the primary reason of his downfall and decline. He was a general and had grace, prestige and honor yet he loses all these because he follows his ambition more than his conscience. He himself says: If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘t were well It were done quickly : If th’ assassination Could trample up the consequence, and catch, With his surcease success; ‘that but this blow Might be the be all and the end-all here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come-“ It is his ambition which blinds him. It is his ambition which lulls his conscience to sleep and he forgets his own words: “We still have judgment here; that we but teach Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return To plague th’ inventor: this even-handed Justice Commends the ingredients of our poison’d chalice” It is his ambition which makes him insecure. To cover up his crime and secure himself as a king, he keeps taking the precious lives of the innocent people, hurls castigations on others, ruins families, evokes hatred, causes destruction of the prevalent socio-political system and consequently, causes his own destruction. It is his ambition which blinds him and he starts depending on the witches for his own future. It is his ambition which deviates him from the path of virtue and leads his astray. It is his ambition due to which he hallucinates and sees a dagger stained with gouts of blood. It is his ambition which becomes the reason of bloodshed of many people and ultimately, the bloodshed of Macbeth. Macbeth himself is responsible for his destiny, for his decline, and for his destruction because he himself chooses to be dragged away from the path of honesty. Hence, it is his own greed which causes his downfall. In the light of the above discussion, I conclude that Macbeth is the story of the glorious life of a general and his tragic downfall. He achieves glory and honor due to his own deeds, and he himself becomes the reason of his decline. He experiences the charm of rise and he encounters the indignation of fall. The fall of the general was caused by his own ambition and greed. He becomes blind due to his unchecked ambition and impossible aspiration, so he follows those who motivate him to follow that path chosen by his ambition and overlooks the voice of his conscience. The three witches, Lady Macbeth, political system and favorable situation- they all just trigger Macbeth but the path he chooses was wrong which ultimately leads him into the abyss of darkness and destruction. The general himself becomes the reason of his downfall.