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Rebecca Barnes
Mrs. Zepp
English 4th HN
April 14th, 2015

Macbeths Fate
Macbeths desire to be successful was not a desire to be evil, as I believe in nurture rather than
nature, no one is born or specifically designated to be evil. Macbeth was merely a victim of his
environment and human nature. Shakespeare supports this point in his strategic organizing of the events
in the play. Macbeth was conditioned to the behavior displayed over time he became a victim of his wife,
the supernatural, and his fate. All three of these play into Macbeths transition into the dark tragedy that
occurs. Macbeth originally started out as a noble and admired man. His environment and the events that
had took place had transformed him into the man he became by the end of the play, and Shakespeare
makes this change evident through the deterioration of his mental state. It is difficult to place the blame
on one specific aspect seeing as they all played critical roles in the downfall of Macbeth.
The very first act begins with the presence of the three witches; this symbolizes furthermore their
supernatural importance. The act sets the tone of the entire play, the eerie setting of the act with the
witches adds to the idea that the witches influence the atmosphere negatively where ever they are present.
The end of the scene the witches state fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and the filthy
air. (Shakespeare 307) The witches seem to be intended as very mysterious and cryptic creatures, but this
line added by Shakespeare gave insight on the supernatural influence the witches had on Macbeths fate
even without his knowledge. Fair is foul, and foul is fair translates into the predictions of the events to
come to past. That everything that seems to be innocent and good (which is assumed to be Macbeths

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character) will soon be foul and everything that appears to be foul will become good and fair
(foreshadowing of lady Macbeths character). Throughout every encounter the witches had with Macbeth
they had left him with vague descriptions of success and power that he would gain, but never explained
how it was for him to reach this success. Promises of riches and reign during a time period where title
held rank and nobility would tempt any man. Although I do believe evil is learned and not inherited it is
human nature to greed after promises of success. The seed of destruction had been planted in Macbeth by
the witches and it was nourished by most specifically his wife, where it had fully flourished.
Shakespeare deliberately depicts Macbeth as a noble man in the beginning of the play. I believe
Shakespeare did this to emphasize the point that Macbeth was not originally a violent or an evil man, but
gradually turned into this man throughout his experiences. Specifically, in act one scene five after the
witches had given Macbeth and Banquo their prophecy and Macbeth had sent the letter to his wife stating
the prophecy, Lady Macbeth marveled at the idea that there was a possibility she and Macbeth could
reign. To name Macbeth the king of Glamis and of Cawdor her immediate thought was to kill Duncan
rather than waiting the prophecy out. Neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth knew of how the prophecy
would come true so Lady Macbeths quick suggestion to murder Duncan showed her violent and foul
behavior and her character greatly. During Lady Macbeths soliloquy she describes Macbeth as not having
the cruelty to go through with the act of violence. Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full oth milk of
human kindness to catch the nearest way. is how she further describes Macbeth (Shakespeare 318). Her
lack of faith in Macbeths ability to kill Duncan because of his kindness further emphasizes Macbeths
recognized morality before he was put under the influence of pressure. She is a wife who had badgered
him to the point of undermining and scrutinizing his manhood going as far as asking spirits to Unsex
me here , and fill me, from the crown to toe, top- full of direst cruelty! (Shakespeare 318). She thinks he
lacks the courage of man to take what is believed by her to be rightfully his according to the prophecy
and she became even willing to perform the act herself. A husband whose value comes from their ability
to be a fierce leader and provider during this era could not please his wife without performing the

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murderous act. This had to have an impact on Macbeths psyche. Lady Macbeth even stated to Macbeth
that she would go as far as killing her own child if it meant her receiving power of the throne. 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, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had so I sworn as you
have done this. (Shakespeare 322). In that quote she speaks of killing her very flesh and blood
mercilessly and brutally just to gain power. Such impactful words from the mouth of a loved one can take
a toll on a persons emotional state. Exposure to a person of that violent nature and rub off on people and
eventually that individual picks up on those habits, maybe even without realizing it. Macbeth likely felt
emasculated greatly by his wifes words and felt the pressure to live up to his wifes expectations of him.
Therefore he followed through to her commands because of his brainwash and conditioning to her logic.
The previous stated quote fair is foul and foul is fair has much to do with Macbeth and his fate.
After the promise of the witches to become kind and the immense pressure he was put under by his wife
Macbeth finally cracked under said pressure. He allowed his human selfishness and greed to take over
and his emotional and mental state began to weaken. It began after he first killed Duncan and he
hallucinated the daggers before him. So immersed in the guilt of killing another human life he was
haunted by guilt. Guilt plagued on a moral conscious ate him alive. His fair nature became foul because it
controlled his conscious. He became a villain but only because he was originally the victim.

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Work Cited
Shakespeare, William.Macbeth Practice Hall Literature. The British Tradition. Boston: Person Prentice
Hall, 2007 98-119. Print.