The Downfall of Macbeth

The Downfall of Macbeth Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is the tragic tale of Macbeth, a virtuous man, corrupted by power and greed. This tragedy can be classified by one of two theories. One theory suggests that the tragic hero, Macbeth, is led down an unescapable road of doom by an outside force; namely the three witches. The second suggests that there is no supernatural force working against Macbeth, which therefore makes him responsible for …

…provocations of Lady Macbeth, the witches, his ambition and his reluctance to listen to his conscience were the deciding factors in his life. He was not supernaturally controlled by the black magic of the witches nor was he purposefully led down a path of destruction. He was fully aware of the consequences of all the decisions he made. Everyone has character flaws that they must live with; Macbeth simply allowed those flaws to destroy him.