Macbeth LRJ #6

Sarita Beekie
Ms. Peifer
10 IB - Hour 5
4 March 2009

Macbeth LRJ #6

Several important questions that Shakespeare invites the viewers and readers of Macbeth to ponder are:
When does ambition become insanity?
Do all impassioned desires result in destruction? and
Do suggestions [such as prophecies] influence one's destiny?

It was the original prophecy that hailed Macbeth the one, "that shalt be king hereafter" (Shakespeare, Macbeth, 1, iii, 50) that causes the bloody chain of events that would lead to the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Then it was Lady Macbeth's brassy arrogance and bold ambition that would convince Macbeth that it was necessary to murder Duncan. Although Macbeth feels extremely guilty at first due to his conscience, his conscience soon turns into agonizing paranoia due to his previous actions, which causes him to murder Banquo (who was supposedly his best friend) and eventually Macduff's entire family. His paranoia also causes him to consult the witches, in which he interprets their prophecy to be completely in his favor, thus making him just as bold and brassy as Lady Macbeth was in the beginning of the story. However, these actions taken by Macbeth cause Lady Macbeth to fall into extreme guilt, which causes her to reveal the untold secrets while she is sleeping and even commit suicide. In the end, (despite the seemingly seamless prophecy), Macbeth's arrogance would result in his downfall.

Macbeth doesn't directly answer when exactly ambition turns into insanity, however, the entire tale of Macbeth is centered around answering the questions, "do all impassioned desires result in destruction?" and "do suggestions [such as prophecies] influence destiny?". It is apparent that Lady Macbeth's (and eventually Macbeth's) insatiable thirst for power would bring about their demise. However, they wouldn't have had the slightest notion of power, if it hadn't been for the witches' original prophecy and the suggestion that Macbeth would rise to power. So, in essence, the entire plot of Macbeth revolves around the witches' prophecies, as well as the destinies of each of the characters in Macbeth. Prophecies, or suggestions, that is.