Macbeth was a brave Scotsman but the witches' prophecy ruined his life. Consumed by his wife Lady Macbeth's ambition and action, he causes Macbeth to kill King Duncan and take the Scottish throne for himself. Macbeth was tormented by guilt and regret. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe prophecies told by the witches were one of the reasons that contributed to the degradation of his character. In (1.2.15) "all hail Macbeth who will be king henceforth." If it weren't for the witches who told him he would become Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be himself. As a result of the prophecies, this sparked Macbeth's curiosity about how he could become king of Scotland. “My thought, the murder of which is still only fantastic, shakes my unique state of man so much that function is stifled in suspicion and nothing is but what it is not.” After the strange sisters predict that Macbeth will become king, his thoughts turn to "murder", which the sisters said nothing about but Macbeth jumps to the conclusion. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly begins to rely on the three witches. The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, also contributed to the degeneration of his character. The character of Lady Macbeth initially reveals that she is lovely. In (1.5.15-20)” Glamis you are, and Cawdor, and you will be what was promised you. Yet I fear your nature; He is too full of the milk of human kindness to take the nearest road. You would be great, you are not without ambition, but without illness accompanying you." After reading her husband's letter (which tells of the witches' prophecy), Lady Macbeth's thoughts immediately turn to murder. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself. In (2.2.49) “if he hadn't looked like my father while he slept, I wouldn't have done it”. It showed that Lady Macbeth could not kill King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This shows that Lady Macbeth wanted Macbeth to kill Duncan himself. After Macbeth kills King Duncan, he later regrets his wrong behavior. Macbeth's first murder was a difficult experience for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution to maintain his reign over the Scottish people. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character. However, Macbeth's ambition was not strong enough to justify killing King Duncan. It was also Lady Macbeth who influenced him in (1.5) “come, ye spirits that tend to mortal thoughts, strip me here and fill me from head to toe with the most atrocious cruelty”. If it were not for Lady Macbeth's ambition, Macbeth would not have been heightened enough to push him to gain and keep the title of King of Scots, no matter what it took, even if it meant murder. This new character of Macbeth contained greed and violence and showed it when he killed King Duncan. In (2.2.4)” will all the great ocean of Neptune wash this blood from my hand? No, this hand of mine will prefer the countless flesh-colored seas, turning green on red. In conclusion, the prophecies given to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth's influence and plan, and his deep ambition contributed greatly to the degeneration of his character which led to his downfall. Therefore Macbeth's character shows strong signs of a tragic hero.