Who Is Responsible For Murder In Shakespeare's Macbeth?

Great Essays
Who is responsible for the bloody murders in Macbeth? In William Shakespeare 's play Macbeth, one of the main characters Macbeth in the beginning is loyal and dedicated to the King of Scotland, Duncan. Then all of a sudden everything changes, Macbeth does the unexpected and usurps King Duncan’s throne. After that Macbeth suffers hardships of maintaining his seat on the throne. Macbeth also had to get rid of many to maintain that position but was he the only one responsible for all these crimes he committed? Well of course he is but there are some who are are also to be credited for some or most of the murders. The three weird sisters (or the witches) who are responsible for making up prophecies for Macbeth and are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, Lady Macbeth who force’s Macbeth to murder Duncan and finally Macbeth who commits these murders.

The witches, these dark creatures who are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. When Macbeth and Banquo encounters the witches, they tell Macbeth that he will be king, this gives Macbeth ideas. Macbeth was once an honorable, ambitious man. However, this ambition transforms into a devastating hunger for power, which is ultimately his downfall.The weird sisters tells Macbeth of his prophecies. “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.1-3) From these lines we know that the witches told Macbeth of his prophecies and this
…show more content…
The witches who are responsible for making up prophecies for Macbeth and are responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, Lady Macbeth who force’s Macbeth to murder Duncan and finally Macbeth who commits these murders. Macbeth is definitely responsible/guilty for the murders he committed, the witches and Lady Macbeth of course had some or more influence to his crimes but Macbeth has a brain of his own and could’ve avoided

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Who Was at Fault for the Bloodshed in The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is filled with . With supernatural forces and social pressure, Macbeth, who was previously kind and honorable, becomes a vicious man who is willing to assassinate the ones he holds dearest. These two main forces that lead to the bloodshed in Macbeth are the Weïrd Sisters and Lady Macbeth. This chain of events begins with Macbeth’s first encounter with the Sisters after the battle against the Norwegians, as a matter of fact, Macbeth is simply a war hero and Banquo is his close friend.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth betrayed the King Duncan and killed him. After he killed Duncan, his ambition grew even more stronger and destroy his friendship. To ensure his own position, he hired three murderers to kill his best friend Banquo and Banquo’s son. Lady Macbeth’s ambition influence Macbeth greatly. Her ambition trigger Macbeth’s ambition and turn him into a murderer.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth was the character who did the deed which therefore makes him more vain. The first evidence that proves that Lady Macbeth cannot be blamed for the death of the king was because it clearly states that Macbeth was the one who did the deed. Lady Macbeth says, “Only look up clear. To alter favor ever is to fear.…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Responsibility in the Killing of King Duncan Shakespeare, one of the greatest English poets of all time, wrote many plays. Macbeth is a tragedy that mostly takes place in Scotland, dealing with the physical and psychological effects of ambition. A pivotal point in this play is the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth team up and kill him because they have a desire for power.…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Monsters In Macbeth

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The witches strongly affected Macbeth's character; they profoundly impact him in his achievements and conscious his desire. They give Macbeth an inaccurate conviction that all is well with the world with their phantoms of truths. Rather they turn out to be unsafe for Macbeth who takes a lot of solace and trust in his understanding of the truths. They are the ones who plant the genuine thought of murdering Duncan into Macbeth's psyche. Regardless, in the event that it were just the witches desires, then Macbeth undoubtedly would not have killed the King. '…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He also killed people he didn’t have relationships with to gain more power. Duncan kills the Thane of Cawdor Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth kills King Duncan and the guards and then gains the title of king because the Thane of Cawdor is king if the current king dies he also said he killed the guards of out of rage. Macbeth has Banquo, Lady Macduff and her son killed. Banquo was killed because of his bloodlines of kings and Macbeth feared Banquo being king.…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth not only decided to kill banquo and his innocent son, Fleance, Macbeth influenced others to kill for him by twisting the murderer’s view of Banquo. This shows Macbeth’s ruthlessness and his evil nature thereby strengthening his place as the true villain in the play. In conclusion, Macbeth is the true villain because Macbeth kills people according to his own free will and commanded and persuaded others…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Macbeth's evil desires and the witches use of equivocation language are the blame for his death. The witches are not entirely responsible for Macbeth's death. They do however play a very big role in the position he finds himself in. In my essay I will be showing how the witches are to be blamed for Macbeth's downfall. Beyond that I will show how he played a role in his death because of his weakness, ambition and his lust for power which he allowed to take over him.…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth is greatly influenced by the three witches and Lady Macbeth, however he is primarily responsible for his own undoing. Macbeth is accountable for his own destruction due to his ambition and hunger for power. Although this ambition brought him to his height of power, it was also what led him to his downfall. Macbeth had become so obsessed with becoming King, and remaining powerful, that he transformed into a completely different man.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Who’s to blame? The supernatural soliciting of the witches’ is partially, but not fully, to blame for the events in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. While the witches suggest ideas to Macbeth, the events that determine the course of the play are the fault of his actions which are caused by his desires, influences and ignorance. Macbeth perceives the witches’ predictions as a dependable source of information on which to make decisions.…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “…I have given suck, and know How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me; I would while it was smiling in my face …” Act 1, Scene 7, Lines 54 -58 If Macbeth was a stronger character the murder of the King could have been stopped as Macbeth would have been able to put his foot down and have his say not feel he had to do something he didn’t wish to do. Yet the Shakespearian audience would probably have blamed the witches for the death of King Duncan, as they were very superstitious, they really thought witches were real and casts spells on people.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a well known tale about a man whose own ambition drives him to become the murderer of anyone in his way. Following an ominous prophecy by three witches, Macbeth allows power to blind his moral character and stops at nothing to rise to the top as King of Scotland. As his plans unfold, they soon fall apart and he answers for his crime by facing extreme consequences. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is responsible for his own downfall.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Macbeth was not sure of everything and who was really there to help him on decisions. He did not know who was by his side to guide him through the process. First, Macbeth was influenced by the three witches, who made Macbeth more determined to become king. However they made Macbeth bring out his deepest and darkest side. In the play, the witches never mentioned that Macbeth had to kill to become king, he has decided by himself that killing Duncan was the only way to be crowned.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    But yet I’ll make assurance double sure and take a bond of fate”. (Act 4 scene 1). Macbeth was 100 percent responsible for all of his actions. Although Macbeth should of listened to his conscience in the beginning when he thought that murdering Duncan was a bad idea and was trying to tell Lady Macbeth, “we will proceed no more in this business. He hath honoured me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people”.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth is the successor of King Duncan after his vicious death. However, Macbeth was suspected as the murderer of King Duncan and other deaths since Macbeth’s reign. He is prosecuted for four charges: first degree murder of King Duncan and Banquo, second degree murder for the two servants, first degree murder of Lady Macduff and her children, and treason against the country. As a juror, my verdict for Macbeth’s charges of murdering King Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her children is not guilty. Thus, Macbeth is also not guilty of committing treason against the country because he is not guilty of murdering King Duncan.…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics