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Alexander Holt Pd 1 2/19/12 Who is most responsible for the bloodshed that occurs in the play? Is it Macbeth alone? Lady Macbeth? How much blame can we place on the instruments of darkness?

Macbeth Essay

How can a man be guilty of anything when he is pushed to commit crimes by the ones closest to him? Can you put all the blame on Macbeth, no, Macbeth would be the innocent puppet corrupted by the one person he loved his wife. Even more Macbeth would have never killed Duncan without the prophecy of the witches. Really can you blame Macbeth pushed forward with thoughts of magnificent power and pushed on by the woman you love, no man could refuse to kill with such thoughts of grandeur and guidance. Thats why there is no way Macbeth can be given all the blame for the bloodshed in the play. Macbeth is honestly an innocent bystander in this play. He became a puppet of evil for the witches who throughout the play create terror and mischief. For example when the witches first meet Macbeth they say to him "Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter!" (Act I.2.49-50). These lines corrupt Macbeth with thoughts of supreme power and plant the seeds of evil in his soul. Even worse as the play progresses the witches throw away Macbeth after they use. They leave him left in a cloud of darkness that they created and when he is left alone he is scared and helpless which makes him commit even more violence. And that distilled by magic sleights Shall raise such artificial sprites As by the strength of their illusion Shall draw him on to his confusion. He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear. And you all know, security Is mortals' chiefest enemy. (Act III.5.26-

33). Here its obvious that the witches use Macbeth, after they are done using him to commit evil they double cross him leading him to his doom, after told to by Hecate.

Another catalyst that pushes Macbeth towards evil is his wife. How can someone say they love you when they twist your thinking so that you will commit crimes to benefit them? After Macbeth gets the prophecies from the witches he does in vision thoughts of great malice but he has no intention of going through with them. We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon. (Act I.7.34-38) Its obvious that Macbeth wants nothing to do with killing Duncan he feels honored with what Duncan has given him and the position he already has. This is how his wife responds. Was the hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale At what it did so freely? From this time Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteemst the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting I dare not wait upon I would, Like the poor cat i' th' adage? (Act I.7. 39-49). From this its obvious that Lady Macbeth is a dark person so focused on power that she would push the man she loves to commit acts of hate and evil. Without Lady Macbeth, Macbeth would have never killed Duncan and moved towards the throws of paranoia and darkness. Some may say that Macbeth is a dark and evil man but, were his crimes truly nothing more than acts of passion? The killing of Banquo and Macudff were not influenced by his wife directly; but when you think about it he killed Duncan to please his wife and giver her the power she desired so wouldnt it be that he killed them to ensure that she could have the power she

wanted. Ok it could be said that Macbeths response to her death was cold but when you think about it he was finally rid of the main thing that made him commit evil. So her death came as a gift of god or Hecate. Lastly in the end Macbeth was nothing more than a hero pushed to do evil acts. In one area he was pushed to kill to ensure that the woman he loved could be given the life she desired and that the Witches put thoughts of power in his head corrupting him. Macbeth is innocent caught between to influential voices that pushed him to evil and madness.