How was it possible for such an admirable and noble man, so established in society, to fall so greatly into a dilemma, full of murderous plots and deceit? In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the idea of one character becoming both victim and villain is introduced. Macbeth falls prey to others' deception, and is supplanted with greed and hate when he is tricked by three witches. When told that he is going to be King of Scotland, Macbeth does whatever he can to ensure his prophecy. In Macbeth's quest for power, he gains a flaw that ends in a deteriorated relationship with Lady Macbeth, and his eventual defeat.

"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!" (I.iii.50) The three witches, with their "prophetic greeting" (I.iii.78) gear Macbeth's drive for power. They embody the supernatural element of this tragedy. With t

"Yet I do fear thy nature. It is too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great; art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it." (I.v.16-20) In the beginning, Lady Macbeth has a kind of power over Macbeth that she can only achieve through his devotion to her. She adds to his false sense of security, and Macbeth confides in her and lets her persuade him. As the murderous plots drag on, he loses his will to speak in confidence to her. As with Banquo, Macbeth no longer looks to him as an ally, but rather a hurdle that he must defeat in order to fulfill the divination that the witches have cast. Banquo is near enough to draw blood, and like a menacing swordsman, his mere presence threatens Macbeth's existence (III.i.115-117).

Macbeth's fall from grace into sheer misery is truly tragic in it's nature. Even his s

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Approximate Word count = 592
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)