The Destruction of Macbeth

At some point in the life of every individual, certain events and changes occur that shape the person into how they will behave and appear in the future. The life of an individual either starts to blossom with opportunity or starts going through a consistent downward spiral. How does it work out perfectly for some and go wrong for others? Macbeth is a prime example of how one decision can alter life forever. As Macbeth tries to successfully pursue his prophecies, his mind and body slowly deteriorate until he has nothing left to live for. Tillyard once explained that the human mind works through reason, will, and passion (Tillyard-The Elizabethan World Picture). These ideas are somewhat parallel to Macbeth's actions. Once he begins feeling guilty of his actions, fearful of being caught, and driven to have total control, the motives of his mind are gradually moving from being thought out with reason, to will, and finally to passion. As Macbeth makes his descent into death, his passion to be king gradually takes control his whole being. At the lowest point of his existence there is no reason left inside him. His mind is so busy and crazy that he no longer has the ability to make thoughtful and insightful decisions. He goes from being a loyal and careful servant to a deceitful and scattered ruler.

Macbeth's path into insanity begins when Macbeth first hears the witches refer to him as the thane of Cawdor and reveal that he will be the king (1.3.51-53). The prediction makes no sense to him and the thought that Duncan would no longer be king leaves him completely confused and fearful of the future. When he does become the thane of Cawdor, however, he immediately wonders if his prediction could really speak the truth. Macbeth imagines the King being murdered and himself becoming king but immediately shows regret and tries to forget ever thinking such an absurd scene (1.3.164). His regret for imagining this along with logic and reason force him to decide that if the prophecies are meant to happen they will whether he gets involved or not: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me,/Without my stir"(1.3.155-156). Macbeth convinces himself that he will not interfere with the predictions at all. Despite his good intentions, when Duncan crowns Malcolm as the Prince of Cumberland, giving him the title of future king, Macbeth acknowledges that this is an obstacle that interferes with his prophecy of being king: "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap,/For in my way it lies" (1.4.55-57). This is the first sign of ambition in Macbeth. Although he is still very honest and rational, his spontaneous feelings and wants are beginning to show. Macbeth's feelings of reason, will, and passion are in no danger yet, however they are beginning to be unbalanced. Macbeth's guilty feelings are a way for him to cover up what is really going on inside his head. His thoughts of being king are only in his head and are therefore no a threat to his surrounding society. It all changes when Macbeth makes the mistake of taking the advice of his power-seeking wife --bringing his thoughts to life-- and actually kills the King (1.7.65-79). Not only must he deal with his guilt, but he also has to prepare for getting caught. His actions prove that it is more then Macbeth can handle.

Immediately after Macbeth kills Duncan he puts on an act so no one will suspect him. In his mind everyone suspects him and he has to eliminate anyone who has the ability to reveal what he has done. Macbeth believes that the king's guards saw him kill Duncan and as a result must die. To cover up this horrid act of murder he allows others to think that the guards are probably the ones who killed the king (2.3.115-121). If others believe that the guards killed Duncan, then Macbeth is justified in murdering them and as a result is learning that he can get away with murder. Suddenly, he realizes that if he cannot get away with killing the king, and his guards then if he must he can do it again. In his mind, the murders must occur and as a result his guilty thoughts are coming less frequently. Once Malcolm and Donalbain flee Scotland and Macbeth is crowned king, he still cannot relax because he knows that Banquo knows the prophecies and could bring him to destruction. Macbeth decides that it is too much of a risk for Banquo to live because he knows too much. On his own, Macbeth thoroughly plans out the perfect way to murder Banquo, and has it done immediately: "It is concluded: Banqou, thy soul's flight,/If it find heaven, must find it out to-night" (3.1.157-158). The irony is that by murdering Banquo, Macbeth is sending himself to destruction. He is allowing his mental state to further deteriorate because up until this point his symbiotic relationship with Lady Macbeth has helped keep Macbeth calm. She is able to encourage him to stay confident and not let his fear show: "Only look up clear;/To alter favour ever is to fear:/Leave all the rest to me" (1.5.79-81). The moment Macbeth decides to murder Banquo and deliberately keep it from his wife he is ruining the balance in the relationship (Hayes). Once Lady Macbeth feels betrayed and no longer keeps Macbeth grounded, his mind starts going insane. The murder of Banquo reveals a new side of Macbeth where no guilt is involved. Macbeth's mind is willing to do what it takes to ensure that he will not get caught. Once Banquo is gone there is no fear left. Macbeth has the opportunity to focus on his passionate ambition of ruling Scotland.

In order to feel secure and powerful as the king, Macbeth knows that any new threats to the position must be eliminated. His mind convinces him that he cannot rest until he is sure that he is safe. This drives him to once again visit the three witches so that they can give him more predictions (4.1.50-61). The witches reveal a very vague and contradicting prophecy to Macbeth. They warn him to beware Macduff, but also assure him that no one born from a woman will harm him (4.1.77-87).