The character of Macbeth is a example of a tragic hero. There are many factors
which contribute to the deterioration of Macbeth of which three will be
discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth's deterioration
are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth
influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's long time
ambition which drove his desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character
deterioates from a noble man to violent individual. The prophecies which were
told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed to the
deterioration of his character. If it had not been for the witches telling him
that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland,
Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. As a result of the prophecies, this
aroused Macbeth's curiosity of how he could be King of Scotland. As the play
progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches prophecies. The influence of
Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his deterioration of character.
Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person.
When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady
Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This
proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an
important role in this play because she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth
to assassinate King Duncan. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later
regrets on his wrong doing. At the point of this play the audience can note the
change in Macbeth's character. Macbeth's first murder was a trying experience
for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution
to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth
who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth. Macbeth's ambition also
influenced his declining character. However, Macbeth's ambition had not been
strong enough to carry the motive to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth's influence
also comes in to play because if not for Lady Macbeth, his ambition would not
have been intensified enough to drive him to obtain and maintain his title of
King of Scotland no matter what it took, even if it meant murdering. Macbeth's
ambition influenced the cause of his new character. This new character of
Macbeth contained greed, violence, and power hunger. Macbeth shows this when he
kills King Duncan. In conclusion, the prophecies given to him by the witches,
Lady Macbeth's influence and plan, and his intensified ambition, all contributed
greatly to his deterioration of character which resulted to his
downfall...death. Therefore Macbeth character displays strong signs of a tragic
hero, making him the ideal classic example.