His next psychological step is towards the end of the scene where he is throwing around ideas in his head (while said aloud). It seems he does not know what to make of the prophecies, one of the prophecies has already come true and Macbeth does not know what will happen next. The anticipation of what will happen next and the possibilities of the knowledge he has been given, with him weighing up the ?pros and cons? of it indicates the fragile balance of Macbeth?s mind. Also it has only been a few minutes since this information was given and Macbeth is already taking the major psychological leap of murdering the king. Being a soldier it seems reasonable that his first way to get power would be through conflict, but as a human being this is a huge leap. Before all his conquests were fought for a purpose, he had a known enemy and this is what kept him going. Now he is confused, he sees and easy way to get power yet seems too na?ve to use it. I feel that one of the major factors leading to his murder was for him to change from a general to a murderer. The fact that the diplomacy and forethought involved is so demanding. This could also indicate Macbeth?s reluctance to partake in the murder until lady Macbeth persuades him. While he seems to be non-committal in the letter scene it takes her to forcefully give the command for him finally to kill Duncan before he does so.
Once he has agreed for the last time, the murder the deceit and treachery starts to take place. Macbeth has psychologically reached the final jump: the actual regicide. This is the point where Macbeth seems to have cracked up mentally. As he is contemplating the murder for the final time a dagger appears before him. This is probably symbolic of the murder he about to commit, a psychological dagger showing Macbeth that this is the final jump. Macbeth takes this sign to indicate that this is showing him to murder the king although it could be a warning indicating that if he performs this act it will be his own blood on the blade. The fact that blood appears on the blade could mean that if Duncan is murdered Macbeth?s fate is sealed leading to a bloody death. Alternatively the blade could be the final psychological preparation showing that he had every intention of killing the king: that he had an order and he was going to follow it. One other interpretation is that the dagger is a sign sent by the witches. Maybe they were worried that Macbeth was not going to complete his task and his sense of honour was too great. This dagger is the final signal of moral disintegration for Macbeth, it is the last sign we see of Macbeth as anything near sane and rational.
The next scene (2,2) shows Macbeth soon after the murder, he enters traumatised, confused at the enormity of what he has done. Not only has he killed a king and gone against the natural order but he has not performed his job as host to Duncan. The guilt Macbeth is feeling must be huge as he starts having paranoid delusions. It is evident from Macbeth?s past speeches that he does not fear what happens after death and that the only thing he fears is to be found out. This fear is shown in Macbeth supposedly hearing someone shouting ?sleep no more, Glamis has murdered sleep? This paranoid delusion plays on this fear, there was no way that anyone could have known what Macbeth was doing so Macbeth claiming he hears a voice calling is probably Macbeth?s madness setting in.
In the play it is evident that Macbeth has many doubts about the murder of Duncan. If it were up to him and him alone I don?t think that he would have murdered Duncan, he may have contemplated it but without an order (which Macbeth always follows) I think his sense of honour would have been too great. I also think that Macbeth performed this act against his will. It is obvious he was reluctant about it and I think that he eventually performs the act because of Lady Macbeth?s pressure over him and the guilt that he is not a man if he doesn?t do it. This is the emotional blackmail that specifically affects Macbeth as his while job is focused on being a ?man?. Macbeth is obviously enormously concerned about bravado; he is a proud man so even if the act was wrong he would be perform it to prove his bravery. Macbeth?s ambition is also a prime factor, which cannot be ignored. After he has met the witches his ambition has been kindled and even before he meets lady Macbeth he has stated that he desperately wants the throne:? 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.? Although this is the case I think that the murder was performed against his will.
Fate and destiny in Shakespeare?s time was a major factor in life. It was believed that some greater force controlled life. The use of fate in ?Macbeth? can be seen from the very start of the play in the weird sisters. They approach Macbeth with prophecies that will all come true in the end. It would appear that Macbeth is just following destiny at first. However, Macbeth always has a choice throughout the play to choose his own fate, whether he takes the correct ones are determined by his own conscience and the influence of others around him. Therefore Macbeth created his own fate through his own free choice, a human vision of life.
In Act I, the three witches visit Macbeth and Banquo on the heath. The witches make three predictions; Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor, he will be King, and Banquo?s sons will be king but not Banquo. Even though the witches did make these prophecies, Macbeth?s fate was not sealed. Later in the same scene, Ross and Angus meet Macbeth. They tell Macbeth that he is now the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth then reflects on the predictions and says, ?Present fears are less than horrible imaginings?. Macbeth is relating his fear that he may have to do something violent in order to become king but he hopes that it can come about by ?chance?. Almost immediately after the witches have visited him, Macbeth begins to interpret their prophecies as a reality. He is almost trying to fulfil the tempting predictions, now that his mind is lustful for power, instead of remaining loyal to the King. This is an example of Macbeth?s fatal flaw. His ?vaulting ambition? is the factor, which eventually leads to his downfall. Macbeth seems to blame this for events. While he does not want to perform the act of murder it seems that his natural ambition exceeds his morals, almost so much that he cannot control it anymore as he describes it as having ?no spurs?. This is an example of his changing carechtor. Previously he was a moral character but now he has shunned all he was before, the events such as the battle against the traitors at the start of the story, count for nothing, he is a shadow of his former self.
It is once again apparent that Macbeth does control his own destiny when the witches make their second appearance to him. They show Macbeth three apparitions. These tell Macbeth that he will be king until Birnam Woods meet Dunsinane Hill and he cannot be killed by anyone born of woman. At this point in the play Macbeth has nothing else. His wife is useless to him so the only way he can have any control is by knowing his fate: by using the witches as a guideline to his life. The apparition that he cannot be harmed by anyone born of woman creates a false sense of security within himself. Even at this point, Macbeth still has a choice of whether or not to believe the witches. I don?t believe the witches ever put a spell on him; they have played to Macbeth?s own weaknesses and his greed.
From the beginning, Macbeth chose to follow the witches instead of letting things just naturally occur. Banquo serves to show how the predictions were not just destiny and did not control his life. Even when he sees that many are becoming true, he states, ?May they not be my oracles? He is stating that he will just let events occur and not try to fulfil the prophecies. Macbeth also had this same choice. If he had taken the same approach as Banquo, a claim could be made that it was destiny that Macbeth would murder Duncan. Also if fate really controlled Macbeth?s future then he could have refused to kill the king. If fate would control his future then he would have been made king a natural way. If he had taken this route to kingship he would have not followed the path of evil and not have had doubts about his kingship.
Macbeth?s downward spiral was created through his own free will. The witches did foretell his future but they never directly controlled his actions. The sisters did not cast a spell to make Macbeth commit his crimes although they did plant the seeds of chaos that sparked them. He was engulfed in his lust for power and his battle with his conscience; this led to his insomnia and ultimate downfall. In the end his false sense of security created the atmosphere for the battle in which he was to be killed in. Therefore I think that the witches representing fate do not have an important enough role to control Macbeth.
I feel that the most responsible person in the regicide of Duncan is Macbeth himself. I think this is the case not only because he performs the act but that all the way through the play he has been given a choice. He had a choice whether to take the witches prophecies to heart and whether to say no to Lady Macbeth. Even when it seemed he was at the point of no return he could have ignored the dagger and not gone ahead with the murder. I believe that Macbeth is a conscious individual in his own right, he knows right from wrong and he is loyal to his king but he is not very strong emotionally. He allows other people to control his destiny, people like Lady Macbeth to whom as her husband, could have told her simply no. Instead of doing this he was non-committal, making him appear weak. For most of the play Macbeth is a vessel for lady Macbeth, Lady Macbeth can only influence her life through her husband, to this degree she has power and managers to exploit her husband. I think that she is the second most influential power to the murder of Duncan and it is she who finally pushes Macbeth to the point where he must make his own decision about the murder. She accuses him of not being a man but a coward, taunting his masculinity. This is one of Macbeth?s major weaknesses and his weaknesses make him vulnerable.
The third most influential party in the murder of Duncan are the witches and fate. While they do not say much or have an active part in the murder of Duncan they manage to confuse Macbeth with their prophecies. These prophecies are the key to the whole play, if it wasn?t for the prophecies I don?t think that Duncan would have been murdered, however they do not influence Macbeth beyond this, which means they do not have to dictate to him. However they make the most valuable contribution to Macbeth?s decision-making process: the prophecy. Without the prophecy, even Lady Macbeth probably would not have thought of doing such a thing. It is not that the desire for Macbeth to become king would not have existed if the witches had not talked to Macbeth; the desire existed in both Macbeth and his wife naturally in their position as nobles. The significance of the prophecy is that it brought this desire to the foreground, and made it a reality. This changed Macbeth?s thoughts from whether or not he would be king to how he would get to be king and provided the mental leverage for lady Macbeth to show him to commit the murder so that he could fulfil his destiny.
Therefore I must conclude that Macbeth is the main contributor to the death of Duncan, however his actions are augmented by the influence of others. Duncan provided an opportunity to assume the throne, his wife encouraged him to step forward and fulfil his destiny, and the witches make Macbeth and Lady Macbeth believe that it is possible and inevitable. With these factors all in correlation the single path in Macbeth?s mind is opened. Through commitment to this task Macbeth chose the death of Duncan above his own honour. While he performed the act himself no man is an island. He relied on the influences of those around him in order to form his decision.