Who is to blame?
Macbeth?
Although Macbeth’s ambition is kindled by the witches, he must be held responsible for his gradual downfall. Because of his “overleaping” ambition he places too much trust in the witches (he states that they have “earnest of success” and refers to the prophecies as “ perfectest report”) Sensing his ambition, the witches are able to play their “hurly burly” and create moral confusion. They hover through the “filthy air” so that what is “fair” is “foul”. This use of antithesis clearly shows the extent to which they have corrupted Macbeth, but only because Macbeth is fascinated and corruptible and capable of eating on the “insane root” which so repels Banquo. In contrast, Shakespeare uses the character of Banquo to accentuate their differences. He identifies their ability to play mischief in order to ‘betray’s in deepest confidence”. Even before he greets Lady Macbeth, Macbeth reveals his capacity for deception owing to the fact that King Duncan did not appoint him as successor. He states, “let not light see my deep and dark desires.” As a result, the prophecies set in train the nightmarish sequence of events. Unfortunately, Macbeth does not have the strength of mind like Banquo to follow his conscience. He appreciates that one’s conscience will haunt the tyrant. “…………..” However, he is swayed by Lady Macbeth’s notion of “manly” strength and a promise. He does not have the strength to resist Lady Macbeth’s evil suggestions.
Lady Macbeth is to blame ?
While Lady Macbeth contributes to the tragic turn of events because of her capacity for evil and her ruthless ambition, she is a subordinate character to Macbeth. Certainly, she cloaks herself in evil in order to convince Macbeth that he must not become the timid “cat in the adage”. Shakespeare uses a variety of persuasive tactics and figurative images to capture her manipulative spirit. For example, she convinces him that he should not break a “promise:”…. She infers that he is weak and cowardly if he does not ruthlessly achieve the object of his desire… “when you durst do it”… Unfortunately, she also convinces him that it is possible to dismiss one’s conscience by becoming tough and ruthless. She believes that conscience is “child’s play” and should not separate the courageous person from their goal even if it is evil. She belittles Macbeth’s nobility of character believing that he should show mind over matter and take what he believes is rightfully his. However, it is also evident that she believes she is working in Macbeth’s best interests, despite the fact that he has not declared to her the full importance of the witches’ prophecies in his very significant letter.
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