The first factor which contributed to the deterioration of Macbeth was the prophesies, as told to him by the three witches. These original prophesies caused a chain reaction of events to occur within Macbeth, as well as within the world around him. Once aware of his own fate, Macbeth foolishly tried to control this entity, which greatly surpassed his own power and intelligence as a human being. His ignorance towards fate was the first element in this tangled web of deceit and obsession which worked against him. Macbeth's obsession with these prophesies also played an important role in the deterioration of his character. From the moment that he learne

d of his fate, each decision that he made was based solely upon these prophesies; his greed and ambition being the driving force behind each and every action made. These prophesies were the causative incident which triggered a chain reaction of ill fated events to occur. In turn, the aftermath of these events plagued the character of Macbeth, causing him to become only a shadow of his former self.

The prophesies given by the three witches, the influence and manipulation of Lady Macbeth, and the character flaws of Macbeth himself caused and contributed to the degeneration and downfall of Macbeth. Alone, each of these factors are significant as they caused a chain reaction of events to occur within Macbeth. Yet together, these factors intensified in strength; a difficult situation to overcome had become impossible. The prophesies told to Macbeth triggered a lust for power to emerge within himself; a craving so intense it controlled his every action. The influence and manipulation of Lady Macbeth caused the ambitious Macbeth to commit murder. Once Macbeth began this reign of terror, he could not turn back. The road that he chose that fateful night was the one that he would walk upon for the rest of his life. His guilt stricken conscience plagued by remorse, Macbeth was never again at peace. The descent into madness had long since begun. Macbeth's character flaws also contributed to the deterioration of his character as one of strong morals would not have succumbed to the schemes of Lady Macbeth. His ambition, greed, and obsession only aided his degeneration, as they worked against him from the beginning. Fighting these factors as a unified element would have been as imposs

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lady Macbeth, Macbeth Combined, Macbeth Wouldst, Act Scene, Scene Macbeth, Banquo Fleance, Due Macbeth, , lady macbeth, King Duncan, character flaws, manipulation lady macbeth, deterioration character, eternal mortality, influence manipulation lady, manipulation lady, influence manipulation, flaws macbeth, act scene, macbeth character flaws, downfall macbeth, events occur, character flaws macbeth, caused chain reaction,
Approximate Word count = 1144
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)