Macbeth

Scotland's slide into tyranny is primarily the work of Lady Macbeth

Although in Macbeth Scotland is plunged into a land filled with violence, numerous bloody killings, cruelty and fear at the hand of tyrannical rule, one cannot hold Lady Macbeth solely responsible. While Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth is ambitious and desirous of a position of power on the throne of Scotland and persuades Macbeth into carrying out the murder of Duncan to achieve this, ultimately the witches provide her with the strength to persuade Macbeth. The cruel feats of Macbeth are subsequent to the seeds of desire the witches plant in their initial prophesies and following warnings which further lead him into turmoil.

Lady Macbeth is a tool of the witches evil plans, she is used to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, highly motivated and greedy for power, is the one to convince Macbeth into murdering Duncan but her strength is accountable to the witches- "come you spirits...make thick my blood". The face of masculinity and strength she demands from the three witches "unsex me here" and takes on, is subsequently used by the witches as an instrument for their meddling and a tool to manipulate Macbeth. She uses her newfound masculinity to challenge the manliness of Macbeth "when you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man" Scene 7, line 49.

The witches intervention allow her plans to win over Macbeth, "Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits into thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue" Scene3, line 25-26 highlights this, and the murder will then be carried out. Lady Macbeth is an instrument of the witches as they provided her strength, which she couldn't have succeeded to induce Macbeth's initial cruel actions without- and therefore are the origin of her evil and to blame for the tyranny that results.

The witches are the most responsible for Scotland's slide into a rule of tyranny at the hands of Macbeth, by providing first temptation to an ambitious man, with the idea of his opportunity to become King being one he could not allow to pass by.

Macbeth's first encounter with the witches plants a seed of desire into his mind "all hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter" scene 3, line 48. Without this very line the thought of Duncan's murder and the spiral of killings that follow would never have occurred. The witches correct prediction that Macbeth was to become "Thane of Cawdor" came to pass certifying in Macbeth's mind that their prediction were correct. This further encouraged him of the idea's in his mind of killing Duncan.

Although the witches never propose to Macbeth to kill Duncan, their implication of the crown nearing him enable them to cause a noble man whom "all's too weak, for brave Macbeth" to be led into killing the very man he was fighting for.

The witches knowledge of Macbeth's ambition, they use to manipulate and tempt his deep desire's to become King by proposing his fate leads