Macbeth 17 Essay, Research Paper

In every story, there is always a protagonist, one who we blame for

whatever takes place. In the play Macbeth, there are many different

views you can take as to who you should actually blame for the tragedy.

In my opinion, despite popular belief, I think that the supernatural was

responsible. When I say supernatural, to me that includes the three

witches, Hecate, and the forces of fate that Macbeth believes are on his

side. Let me explain.

The play begins with a brief description of what is going on in

Scotland. From what we can tell in the dialogue, they describe Macbeth

as being a noble and honorable man. He is receiving praise from the

king, Duncan, and he is being honored with a new title. He is perceived to

be a very reputable man and enters the play with a very highly regarded

position. But when he meets the witches and they foretell his future, his

esteemed character begins to deminish.

Without the encouragement of the witches and their push to believe

in fate, he would have never considered it. Even if he wasn t sure of

whether or not what they said was true, he still had an overwhelming

belief in fate that encouraged him to carry out his evil deeds.

True, some might say that the burden of fault lies on Lady

Macbeth, and they are partly correct. But if you really think about it,

without the encouragement of the witches, she too would not have been

inspired to bolster Macbeth into committing these horrendous crimes.

Another event that backs my argument, is the fact that he might

have been encouraged by his wife, but in the end he still relied on the

witches for their guidance. This led to his unfortunate demise. He

became to confident in fate, and relied on the witches so much that he

was blinded by power. It was this ignorance that led him to believe that

he was undefeatable, and his arrogance that led him into the trap set by

Macduff and the English army.

Macbeth was overwhelmed with so much power that he accredited

to fate, when in fact, he controlled his own fate despite his belief. I

presume that without that extra shove from the supernatural, Macbeth

wouldn t have been inspired to commit any crime, as is true for Lady

Macbeth. She would have had no valor to help delineate the plans to

overthrow the king and destroy the lives of those around them.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that without the supernatural, the

tragedy of Macbeth would never have occurred. This tragedy includes the

deaths of Duncan, Banquo, Macduff s family, and though there is some

despute over this, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. I believe that this

intentional concept written by William Shakespeare was ingenious. I think

that he intended there to be an altercation between readers over whose

fault it was, and I m sure that each person has there own valid views, but

in my conviction I think that with my strong backing, I m right, at least

partially. But as has been said before, to each his own.