TP+Britney

Question: Is Macbeth a victim of his environment or is he personally responsible for his crimes?

Thesis: Macbeth, a weak-willed person, falls into temptation to commit a crime.

1. Prediction of the witches
 * In the beginning of the play the three witches tell Macbeth that he will become the king. This prediction makes innocent Macbeth want something that doesn't belong to him.
 * Lines 49 ~ 51 (1.3): "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"

2. Greed of Lady Macbeth 3. Human nature
 * Lines 42~45 (1.7):
 * Macbeth refuses to kill Duncan, but Lady Macbeth convinces him that he would become a king, who is able to do whatever he pleases.
 * Lines 60~72 (1.7):
 *  The planning of Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan makes Macbeth afraid and frightened. However, she, who has greed for power, convinces him that they will achieve their ambition as long as Macbeth isn't afraid. Overall, Lady Macbeth is the one who leads Macbeth to make the wrong choice, so he is the victim.
 * Macbeth has a weak will, so he is actually convinced in doing the wrong. There are many times when Macbeth hesitates to take actions, but there is always an evil minded person around to persuade him into committing a crime. He often questions himself if he willed enough.
 * (1.3) "Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image. Are less than horrible imaginings"

** Is Macbeth a victim of his environment or is he personally responsible for his crimes? ** Does human nature change? If it does, what makes it change? Wickedness was not in Macbeth’s nature. Rather, his surrounding environment caused him to ignore his ethics and act uncharacteristically. The prediction of the witches, the persuasion of Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s inability to resist temptation all contributed to Macbeth’s decisions. Ultimately Macbeth proved himself to be a weak-willed person by falling into temptation and committing a crime. The witches’ prediction was the first motivating factor that caused Macbeth to act criminally. Macbeth had always been loyal to King Duncan and praised him. Macbeth mentioned that he would always serve his wonderful king. It came as a surprise when the witches told him of his fate of becoming king. However, the image they painted of Macbeth, as king was too glorious to resist. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Lines 49-51 (1.3)) Before the witches’ prediction, Macbeth had not dared to think about replacing King Duncan. Upon hearing the prediction, the potential of obtaining such glory and power overwhelmed him. The witches had planted the thought of becoming king, and without their initial motivation, Macbeth may not have been later tempted to entertain such thoughts. Though later he realized that he was stirred by an unrealistic prophecy, by then it was too late. Lady Macbeth’s greed was another reason why Macbeth changed his mind over period of time. Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth to kill King Duncan. At first, Macbeth refused to do it, but Lady Macbeth convinced him that he would become a king, who is able to do whatever he pleases. “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem.” (Lines 42~45 (1.7)) “We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep- whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey.” (Lines 60~72 (1.7)) These two quotes show that Macbeth was indeed persuaded into making wrong choices that he had never thought about before Lady Macbeth’s persuasion. Lady Macbeth’s plan to kill Duncan makes Macbeth afraid and frightened. However, Lady Macbeth’s greed for power drove her to successfully convince him to kill Duncan and achieve her ambition. She taunted Macbeth, making him believe that he shared her goals and his fear of killing to king ought to be met with bravery. It was Lady Macbeth who caused Macbeth to make the wrong choice, in turn making him a victim. It was Lady Macbeth that facilitated the plan to kill King Duncan. Being strong-willed or weak-willed is an inherent part of human nature, and cannot easily be changed. Anyone or anything can be a good or bad influence on human beings. There might be a lot more of temptations in human life for weak-will people that lead them to make poor decisions. Macbeth has proved to have a weak-will, which rendered him unable to deal with the persistent and very influential Lady Macbeth. She was a bad influence for Macbeth, and succeeded in pushing him into making the wrong decision. He was not a wicked man. He should not be judged by his evil deed, but rather his real intention. There were many times when Macbeth hesitated to take action. Unfortunately, there was also always an evil-minded person around him to persuade, or rather push him into committing a crime. He often questioned himself and his thoughts of temptation. In fact, Macbeth did not actually plan to do anything. He only killed Duncan as a result of the evil around him. As a weak-willed person, Macbeth could not ignore the evil that surrounded and directed him. Macbeth was not wicked and should not be blamed for his actions. There is a saying that, “Everything happens for a reason.” The reasons why Macbeth killed others are no fault of his. The prediction of the witches, the greedy Lady Macbeth, and his weak-willed nature are the real reasons why Macbeth murdered. In fact, Macbeth was too weak-willed to plot murder by himself. In order for him to commit such a heinous crime, he needed other influences. Had it not been for the witches and Lady Macbeth, he definitely would not have acted out such evil. Hence, Macbeth was not to blame for his actions. He was merely a victim of his environment.