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Alberto Ceja

Ms. Figueroa

Senior English 1

20 February 2019

Macbeth’s Downfall

Even though King Duncan’s murder marks the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall, he is

not responsible for his downfall. Lady Macbeth pressures Macbeth to follow her plan to kill King

Duncan and any other suspicions. Macbeth’s blind ambition and Lady Macbeth’s influences

leads him to take the throne. During and after the plan, he is full of guilt and paranoia. Lady

Macbeth continued to take advantage of his blind ambition because she let power get over her

head. Lady Macbeth is held responsible for Macbeth downfall which can be seen through by

pressuring him and plotting the death of the King.

Lady Macbeth is mostly responsible for the death of the king; she pressured Macbeth to

follow her plan. Lady Macbeth criticizes Macbeth’s weakness because he fails to secure the

crown. Lady Macbeth says, “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st 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?” (Shakespeare.1.7.41-45). Lady Macbeth added more pressure by calling him a

coward and says he would not become king because he does not want to get his hands dirty.

During the plan, Macbeth doubts himself and says, “If we should fail” (Shakespeare.1.7.58).

Lady Macbeth responds, “We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not

fail” (Shakespeare.1.7.59-61). This leads to his down fall because Lady Macbeth motivates him
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by saying there is no failing. Overall, she is evil and manipulative she will pressure him until

they succeed.

Lady Macbeth is mostly responsible for the death of the king she plotted the framing of

the murder and makes him do evil acts. Lady Macbeth was the one who came up with the plan to

kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth says, “Duncan is asleep (whereto the rather shall his day’s hard

journey soundly invite him), his two chamberlains will I with wine and wassil so convince that

memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only”

(Shakespeare.1.7.61-63). Lady Macbeth plan is to drug the guards while Duncan is asleep. Lady

Macbeth knows Macbeth is a good person and fears that he can't be able to take the crown. Lady

Macbeth says, “What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too fill o’ th’ milk of

human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but

without the illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst

not play false” (Shakespeare.1.5.13-18). She is responsible for him committing these evil acts

she knows he wants to gain power virtuously. After all, Lady Macbeth is responsible for

Macbeth downfall.

Lady Macbeth is hold responsible for Macbeth downfall which can be seen through by

pressuring him by calling him a coward and plotting the death of the King. Macbeth blind

ambition and Lady Macbeth influences such as motivating him leads him to take the throne.

Lady Macbeth continued to take advantage of his blind ambition because she let power get over

her head. In the beginning of the play, she found out that Macbeth was meant to be King so she

did everything in her power to make it happen. In conclusion, Macbeth is a person who is not

evil but is blinded from his ambition his wife influences him to commit these act.
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Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. 1564.