Who is accountable for the Tragedy of Macbeth? This is an open-ended question that has several answers in that there are many people who could be pinned down as responsible and be backed by good evidence. The first individual to consider is Macbeth himself as he is the individual who executes all the murders within the play and consequently would perceptibly be considered the first person to be responsible. If Macbeth were an ethical individual then why would he do these? This is absolutely a strong argument and it is agreeable that Macbeth had an evil side to him that drove him to execute these actions.
From the story, Macbeth is in the end accountable for the deeds that brought about his doom. Even though the witches’ prophecies were to blame for manipulating Macbeth’s contemplations, no one actually told Macbeth to murder Duncan. He is also responsible for putting too much power into the Lady Macbeth hands and permitting her to manipulate him. Ultimately, Macbeth recognizes his fault of transgression and is in so doing accountable for his deeds. Macbeth’s objectives encourage him on to pursue an unspecified yet obviously implicit ploy to execute Duncan. Even though the witches’ forecasts instigate Macbeth’s craving to become king, no one actually tells him to exterminate Duncan.
As soon as the withes’ second prediction turns into reality, He instantaneously reflects on killing Duncan.
“I am of Cawdor: ... If good, why do I yield to that suggestion ... whose image doth unfix my hair” (Shakespeare I, iii, 143-145).
For the very first time in the tale, readers observe an evil side to the courageous and daring Macbeth. He perceives himself slaying his King. Although He is appalled by the notion, his dreams of pursuing his fate lingers. An additional instance of Macbeth’s early contemplations of disloyalty happens when Duncan officially bestows his offspring, Malcolm as his heir.
“Stars hide your fires; ... Let not light see my black and deep desires: ... The eye wink at the hand! Yet let that be,” (Shakespeare I, iv, 57-59).
He is irritated at the Duncan’s preference of an heir and desires to overleap the condition with assassination. No one actually assists Macbeth’s contemplations to organize for King Duncan’s murder. Therefore, it is Macbeth, who is solely accountable for his personal desires. He is enthusiastic to become king and desires to attain his objective by any way possible, albeit this denotes permitting himself be prejudiced by others.
He is also responsible for vesting too much power into the Lady Macbeth and permitting her to manipulate him. She attempts to influence Macbeth to execute Duncan however; Macbeth listens. He could have advised her to discontinue her plans. In its place, he allows himself be predisposed. He also vests power into Lady Macbeth hands by allowing her organize Duncan’s assassination. Macbeth chimes in with the scheme, resolute to take over the throne. If he actually did not desire to carry out evil, he could have declined his Lady’s plans. In its place, Macbeth submits to the schemes and goes deeper by requesting her to “mock the time with fairest show” (Shakespeare I, vii, 91).
Even though at times Macbeth desires the murder of Duncan, other times his contemplations illustrate the opposite. He identifies the contemplations of murdering Duncan as depraved. Macbeth’s is cognisant that is ideas are wickedness, yet he does zilch to make right the circumstances. If He were emotionally disturbed, he would not be accountable for the result of his deeds. Conversely, Macbeth demonstrates that he has a sense of right and wrong and that he can distinguish between good from evil. In isolation, Macbeth re-reflects on his plans to murder Duncan.
“My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical ...Shakes so my single state of man that function... Is smother’d in surmise; and nothing is... But what is not” (Shakespeare I, iii, 149-152).
Therefore, he reveals that he distinguishes what he is about to do is depraved and that fairness will be reimbursing him with malevolence. Macbeth is completely conscious of the outcomes of his deeds and is thus accountable to be answerable for his destiny.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Vol. XLVI, Part 4. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/46/4/. [6th June 2011].
