Describe an important idea you learned about in the text.

Explain why this idea

was worth learning about.
An important idea in William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, is that our ch
oices are not based entirely on one opinion, but have other outside influences.
In the play, Macbeth made some bad choices motivated by negative influences, whi
ch are constantly in conflict with positive influences inside him. The dominant
influences that affected his decisions and led to his eventual downfall were, th
e witches who manipulate Macbeth with prophecies that trigger his powerful drive
of pride and ambition, Lady Macbeth’s influential role as wife and confidante,
pressures him into committing murder, and Macbeth’s own ambition and fear overco
mes him as he becomes reckless and paranoid. The influences which struggle to mo
tivate him to do what is morally right, but ultimately do not win, are the belie
fs of society at the time and Macbeth’s conscience, knowledge of right and wrong
.
I believe that the three witches had a great impression in Macbeth’s dec
ision to violently seize the crown. The witches prophecy “... All hail Macbeth,
Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter”.
They prognosticate that Macbeth will be promoted, and then crowned king. What th
e witches predict may seem to be good fortune but actually turn out differently,
or not the way Macbeth had imagined. This also relates to the other prophecy “f
oul is fair and fair is foul...”. The witches craftiness plant a seed of ambitio
n inside Macbeth’s heart, prompting him to commit evil crimes. Later on in the p
lay Macbeth seeks out the witches for help where they manipulate him again. They
plan to lead Macbeth to his downfall, “As by the strength of their illusion, sh
all draw him to his confusion... And you all know security is mortals’ chiefest
enemy”. And so they give him another prophecy “...laugh to scorn the power of ma
n, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth... Macbeth shall never be vanquishe
d be until Great Birnam to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him”. This pro
phecy gives Macbeth false security and makes him feel over-confident, exactly wh
at the witches desired. He also attempts to murder Mac duff, as the witches said
, he poses a threat to Macbeth’s life but does not succeed, instead killing Mac
duff’s family, creating more hate and vengeance upon his head.
Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s beloved wife and is another strong influence i
n Macbeth’s decision-making. She and Macbeth had a good relationship and a stron
g marriage, evidence of this is where Lady Macbeth refers to Macbeth as “My dear
est partner of greatness”. Therefore her influence would be very persuasive. Ano
ther indication of Lady Macbeth’s control over Macbeth is when she says “Hie thi
ther, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valour of my
tongue, all that impedes thee from the golden round”. This quote is also anothe
r indication of Lady Macbeth’s superior willpower that she exercises over Macbet
h. When Macbeth tells her of his decision not to kill Duncan she quickly retalia
tes and accuses Macbeth of being a coward “As thou art desire? Wouldst thou have
that which thou esteemst the ornament of life, and live a coward in thy own est
eem”. She indicts Macbeth a coward and inconsistent for not being able to make h
is mind up. Lady Macbeth questions his manhood when she said “When you durst do
it, then you were a man; And to be here than you were, you would be so much more
the man... They have made themselves, and that their fitness now does unmake yo
u”, she implies that he is unmanly because he is fearful and for that reason wea
k. Macbeth listens and follows.
Leading up to the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is ambivalent about what he
should do. He understands the laws of society and the seriousness of murdering t
he king “Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
”. Macbeth is visualizing killing Duncan but does not believe it is what he shou
ld do, although, he desperately covets the crown. In Macbeth’s soliloquy he rati
onalizes why he shouldn’t kill Duncan. “First, as I am his kinsman and his subje
ct ... and his host”. If anything Macbeth should be protecting Duncan from an in
truder to the crown as it is his duty as a relative, friend and a good host. “..
. Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek; hath been so clear in his great offic
e...” Basically, Duncan has done nothing to deserve such a betrayal from a most
loved subject. “But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we’d jump the life t
o come. But in these cases we still have judgement here; that we but teach blood
y instructions, which being taught... this even handed justice”. Macbeth fears t
he judgement that will come upon him in this life and the next. But then Macbeth
is overcome by his ambition and returns to idea of murdering the king. “I have
no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erl
eaps itself and falls on the other”. Macbeth compares himself to an over eager r
ider who, in trying to leap onto his horse’s saddle, leaps over the horse.
Although what Macbeth did was not right, and I am not trying to justify
or defend him, he cannot be held fully responsible and had he been left alone to
make his decisions himself without the negative influences he would’ve done the
right thing. The fact is that pressures around us affect our decisions in life
which in the end decide who we are. I feel the importance of this idea is to be
able to identify and distinguish positive and negative influences in our lives a
nd make well informed decisions or otherwise be able to evaluate our mistakes an
d understand them, then improve ourselves and never make the same mistake twice.
Jesse Haretuku