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Macbeth's Demise Essay

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The Ultimate Demise of Macbeth The desire for power can bring a person praise or destruction. In The Tragedy of Macbeth we are able to see the long road to Macbeth's demise, from his first interaction with a group of witches and Banquo, to his last interaction with them where they warned him of his own downfall. Macbeth's desire for a higher ranking and the demand for more power resulted in his downfall from his guilty conscience, delusions, and his belief that he was invincible. The Tragedy of Macbeth was caused by many things. One of the leading reasons that contributed towards Macbeth’s downfall was his guilty conscience. In the early stages of the play, Macbeth had come into contact with witches who hailed him the king of Scotland. After …show more content…

In The Tragedy of Macbeth, this is seen when Macbeth starts to believe he is unbeatable. Macbeth meets with the witches alone, wanting to ask what is next in his life. The witches show him four apparitions: an Armed Head, a Bloody Child, a Child Crowned, with a tree in his hand, and a show of eight Kings and Banquo (Citation). Each of these apparitions warned him of something and someone. The first apparition was to make him aware of Macduff. The second told him that no man born of a woman could harm him. For that reason Macbeth questioned, “What need I fear of thee [Macduff]” (Citation). The third told Macbeth he could never be defeated until The Great Birnam Wood travels to Dunsinane Hill to which he responded, “That will never be. Who can impress the forest, bid the tree unfix his earth-bound root” (Citation). Due to his interactions with the witches and the apparitions shown to him, he believed there was no reason to prepare for battle, leaving him and his kingdom unprepared for when Macduff arrived, ultimately leading to his downfall. Macbeth's ambition brought about his destruction through his remorse, hallucinations, and belief that he was

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