Macbeth Essay Final

Nick Weibel
March 17, 2009
A: Block
Macbeth
Superstition Affects Human Behavior

The story of Macbeth is a story of a man confused with superstition and fate. His judgment affected by the three witches foreshadowing what is to come in Macbeths near future. Fate plays a huge role in this Dramatic Literature, so much of the drama that occurred during the play came from lies and prophesies brought on by the three witches, and also Lady Macbeth. Beginning (1.3.50-70) the three witches tell Macbeth and Banquo that first Macbeth will be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and then finally King of Scotland. “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!”(1.3.69-70) This is another example for the witches manipulating peoples minds for their own gain. Macbeth’s inability to filter out fact from fiction will ultimately lead to his demise.

Macbeth was very confident that the witches’ prophesies were all truth and that fate would take its course. Unfortunately for Macbeth, his wife, Lady Macbeth is a manipulative, greedy women that forces Macbeth to go and assassinate King Duncan. “We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honour’d me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions fro all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon” (1.7.33-37). Macbeth is obviously very cautious about his decisions. He isn’t as devoted to have Duncan killed as his wife is. But the thought of climbing the ladder of power so quickly sounded to could to let pass.

The night the murder was taking place King Duncan came to Macbeth’s castle to give him his thanks and praise .Plotting against the for so long had made Macbeth obsessed with becoming king. That very evening dinner was served to the guest of the castle. In each of Duncan’s guard’s beverages was a sedative so the King would be most vulnerable. Macbeth finally got the nerve to commit this cynical act to murder toward King Duncan. He stealthy entered the guest chambers where the king was sound asleep, stepped over the unconscious guards and approached his bedside. With an extremely eerie expression on his face Macbeth struck down one of the guards daggers with a force that rumbled through the sleeping kingdom. So detached from what he had just don’t, he had forgotten the plan. The plan was to frame the guards by placing the bloody dagger into their hands and then have them killed. Because of Macbeths sloppiness’ Lady Macbeth was forced to go back and do the job right.

Shakespeare used superstition in many important ways in Macbeth. We see that he uses figurative language to make the witches prophesies more realistic, and more believable. “Be ruthless, bold, and decisive. Laugh scornfully at the power of men-for no man born to a woman can harm Macbeth” (4.1.86-88). As if Macbeth isn’t confident enough with him self, more prophesies of his valor are being told. Shortly after the apparitions had vanished, the fear of being known by Macduff for what he had done. Macbeth had Macduff and his entire family murdered. Proving finally that the witches’ prophecies had clouded his judgment and superstition controlled his actions.
Macbeth proved to us that if in a short amount of time we are told something to be true that seems impossible, through corruption and superstition, bad things can happen. Macbeth put all of his faith into the witches’ prophecies. This ultimately led to his downfall in the end.