Degradation of Macbeth

Macbeth is a tragic hero. Through his overwhelming ambition of being the king, he falls from grace and suffers a great deal. His degradation is observable through the sharp contrasts in many of the aspects, namely his reputation, influence on the country, conscience and humanity, and also the attitudes towards life.

From all the terms and titles that Macbeth is referred to, it is very obvious that his reputation is falling away. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is regarded as ??Valour??s minion??, ??Bellona??s bridegroom?? who disdains ??Fortune??. He is hailed by all other subjects with great respect and honour. He is even greeted with the title Thane of Cawdor for the bravery and loyalty his has shown for the country in the war. However after Macbeth??s degradation, he has turned into a tyrant, a total villain. He no longer receives respect from the people. Even his soldiers ??move only in command, /Nothing in love??. He can enjoy no ??honour, love, obedience, troops of friends?? but only ??Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour??. Though he bears the title of King of Scotland, he has no reputation in people??s hearts.

There is as well a sharp contrast of what Macbeth has done for the country. In the beginning, Macbeth is a great warrior who defends Scotland from all other enemies and treacheries. He is fearless, and is ready to sacrifice his own self for the country. Yet when Scotland falls into his hand, he turns it to a diseased country along with his tyrannical acts. The country cannot be cured and is in desperate need for ??med??cine??.

Macbeth has degraded gradually, which means that his conscience and humanity have changed a great deal. Macbeth at first, with the strong ambition of being king deep in his heart, immediately relates the witches?? prophecies with the idea of murder.
??If good, why do I yield to that suggestion,
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs
Against the use of nature???
He considers murders as ??horrible imaginings?? and has indeed struggled a lot even in thinking about it, despite the fact that he has killed a lot of enemies out of loyalty. He has a strong conscience that keeps telling him murder is not a rightful and moral way to ascend to the throne. Yet finally Macbeth has degraded into a brutal and heartless person. There is nothing that can frighten him anymore as he is ??supped fully with horrors?? after all the murders he carries out. He even orders to ??Hang those that talk of fear??. Macbeth becomes a brutal and bloody villain that can kill anyone casually. Murdering has become his routine. His conscience has disappeared completely.
Macbeth holds very different attitudes towards life in different stages of his life. Returning from the war with victory, Macbeth is greeted with the title Thane of Cawdor and is promised by Duncan in making him ??full of growing??. Furthermore, the ambition of ascending to the throne is deeply rooted in his heart. His future seems bright, and the prophecies of the witches make his future life even more promising. He should be looking forward to all the fortunes that life is about to bring. However, what he can enjoy in the end of the play is only the emptiness and nothingness of life. He regards life as ??a tale /Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury /Signifying nothing??. There is no longer hope in him. He can see nothing waiting for him except death.

Still, there are several qualities that remain in Macbeth till the very end. These are his relationship with the witches and his everlasting courage of a great warrior.

The relationship between Macbeth and the witches is always inseparable. Macbeth??s comment ??So foul and fair a day I have not seen?? echoes with the withes?? line ??Fair is foul, and foul is fair. /Hover through the fog and filthy air??. This shows the association between Macbeth and the witches even before he encounters them. Being greeted with the promising prophecies of being Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, Macbeth ??start?? and later ??rapt?? in deep thoughts. He is deeply troubled by the witches?? words, and gradually carries out his actions in accord with the prophecies. In the end when Macbeth is facing opposition all around him, he still clings on the witches?? prophecies tightly. He is told not to be feared by anyone of ??woman born?? and ??until /Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill /Shall come against him??. Before Macbeth can realize the equivocation in the prophecies, he totally depends on them till the very last moment as there is nothing for him to rely on anymore.

Throughout his life, Macbeth has always been courageous. He is a strong and capable soldier that dares to face the enemies without a trace of fear. In the war against the traitor Macdonwald, Macbeth bravely ??carved out his passage?? to fight for the country. No matter how bad the situation is, Macbeth is still courageous and is not upset at all: ??as sparrow, eagles, or the hare, the lion??. With this courage, Macbeth fights till the very last minute of his life. Faced by the strong English armies and Macduff, Macbeth claimed to ??fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked??. Even he finds out how he is cheated by the equivocating witches and betrayed by fate, he promises to ??try the last??. He dies without begging a bit of favours. He remains the quality of a great warrior till the very last.

All the great changes considered can actually be summarized into one word: degradation. But what exactly leads Macbeth to such a state? Fate has definitely played a very important role in it. Macbeth is purposely met by the witches ??Upon the heath??, where they hail him with the fair-sounding prophecies. It seems that he is obliged to follow this plan and has no choices at all. Before he carries out the actual murder, Lady Macbeth keeps goading him and supporting him with guts. When he is greatly tortured by the insecurity of his unrighteous kingship, the witches offer him false securities and false hope, which Macbeth does cling on tightly. At the end fate betrays him and leads him to death. Macbeth is like a chosen one for all these evil deeds, a person who is intentionally induced with misfortunes.

In spite of all these, Macbeth himself is also a major cause of the degradation. If he himself were not evil, he would not have been associated with the witches and chosen by them. The prophecies given to him in fact reveal exactly what he has been dreaming and planning. Being King of Scotland is a future path that he secretly desires to go. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth can do nothing but only keep on murdering and deceiving others to cover up his sins. There is no return once he has started. Moreover, Macbeth is an adult who should have self-control, which means that no matter how he is tempted and goaded, he is the only one to decide on his own actions.

In summary, fate leads Macbeth to his degradation, while Macbeth should also take his own responsibilities for going onto this road of evil.