As we watch Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and his court disintegrate, the question stands:
Did Macbeth bring this upon himself due to his 'hamartia' of ambition, or was he just a pawn of the Weird Sisters?
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Ms M.
I think that a bit of both are to blame. The weird sisters used Macbeth as a pawn, but only because of his hamartia. Without the sisters exploiting him, his flaw remains buried. Once the sisters set the ball rolling Macbeth's ambition kept it going. Only then do we begin to see him deteriorate.
ReplyDeleteHi Folks- Well started Jon! Smarties for you. I am now trying to figure out how to post Barb's drawings of the Apparition's prophesies to help you remember them...any technical advice is appreciated! 
ReplyDeleteI think that Macbeth’s downfall results from a combination of his own ambition and the external manipulations of other characters, but ultimately that Macbeth’s ambition is the more important of the two, as he could have acted nobly if he wished to. Macbeth shows his power-hungriness by murdering King Duncan (II.ii) and others who pose a threat to his kingship, such as Banquo and Banquo’s son. While it is true that the Weird Sisters used some supernatural powers (foretelling the future) to convince him that it was his destiny to become king, and Lady Macbeth suggested killing Duncan, I believe that, in the end, each person is responsible for his or her own actions.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Geena, Ji Young and Brian! Brian- your last comment on the Weird Sisters foretelling the future (in his first visit to them in Act 1) makes me wonder if he would have taken the steps he did to achieve the crown, or if it would have happened anyway (ie: if he let the natural order run its course, instead of forcing his plays)?
ReplyDeleteI find it a bit odd that noone has placed any blame on Lady Macbeth except for Ji Young. I think it is quite clear that was it not for Lady Macbeth, Macbeth would not have murdered anyone as he was too chicken to do so. To answer the question, though, I think after Macbeth comitted his first murder, he was overcome with power and he couldn't stop. So I kinda agree with Jon, it was the witches that made him commit the first murder, but after that, it was Macbeth and his hamartia, not the witches, that must be responsible for his own actions.
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ReplyDeleteI also agree with Jon and think that it was a combination of both. Without the weird sisters foretelling the future Macbeth would of never killed anyone. However, Macbeth was overcome with greed and power, killing King Duncan also added to the greed and power. After the prophecies were told Macbeth's ambition comes into control, and Macbeth is living in a downward spiral, committing mistake after mistake.
ReplyDelete~ Deanna
I agree thoroughly with Jon as well as Lucas. The combination of Macbeth’s Hamartia, the Three Witches determined to ruin him, as well as his ambitious companion Lady Macbeth all led to his downfall. Ruthless ambition came before the prophecies, though they helped to seal the path Macbeth was on. His hesitancy to kill Duncan showed early on his conscience which was not strong enough to fight both his ambition and the urgings of his wife. Lady Macbeth herself did not anticipate the guilt she would feel, which later causes her to go insane. Once Macbeth had crossed that huge line and killed the king he set the course for his court’s downfall as ruthlessness turned to chaos, and power lead to him being ever fearful. The Three Witches prophecies fed Macbeth’s delusions of destiny, but they were only one part of his path to demise.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the weird sister's began Macbeth's downfall. However, he still took the initiative to make bold moves that were not necessary. The weird sisters' fortellings began Macbeth's ideas that he could do greater things, although his only way of achieving these things are through rash actions.
ReplyDeleteHere is Barb's comment:
ReplyDeleteAfter Macbeth's first visit to the witch's, the prophecies they made came true therefore making Macbeth believe and trust them. Macbeth then had the choice of whether or not to keep believing the witches. Even after warning from Banquo (1,3,134-138) he decides to keep believing the witches prophecies and acting upon them. Therefore, I believe that though the witches had been leading him into such a mess, it was his own doings which could he could have prevented.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the downfall of Macbeth was due to a combination of two major influences, being those of the three witches and his wife Lady Macbeth, as well as his own tragic flaw, or hamartia, of intense ambition. It seems that Macbeth was initially interested in becoming a higher-ranking noble, and that his curiosity was piqued by his meeting with the witches who enlightened him to three prophecies, one of which foretold him as king of Scotland. When his wife learned of this possibility to improve their lives, she pushed him into the first of a series of evil acts. His own personal ambition then drove him to sink further into this trend of evil, eventually placing him and his wife into a situation in which he was killed.
ReplyDeleteClearly, Macbeth's downfall was not a result of his ambition, it was caused by the witches, who used him as a pawn in a larger scheme. If the Weird Sisters had not intervened by telling of the protagonist's future, it is likely that Macbeth would have continued to live his life in the honourable fashion that he practiced before encountering the witches, but, instead, he chose to forcefully carry out what the prophecies entailed. Thus, his downfall was mainly induced by the corrupting actions of Hecate and her cohorts, as they attempted to upset the natural order of the world.
ReplyDelete(homework pass)
ReplyDeleteWell said, Adrian and Liam- Liam- you very much see his downfall as a result of a confluence of factors, whereas Adrian, I appreciate your 'line in the sand' call on it being the fault of the witches. Well done.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Macbeth's downfall was due to his hamartia- his overweening ambition. His ambition only needed the witches and Lady Macbeth to pushed him in to crazy territory. Notice that Banquo, who also heard the weird sisters, did not go around and killing everybody so that his son would be a king. Banquo's character would not allow him to be overly ambitious. Banquo is more grounded when he says " Often times, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkenss tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence"(1.3.125). It was the Macbeth who sent the message of the weird sisters to Lady Macbeth hoping for her help to make the prophecies come true.
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