Macbeth

   

     Conflicting forces drive the plot of most works of literature. There may be the need to do what is right but the character needing to do what they want is also an option or maybe there is the choice between doing one thing but losing either way or maybe wining both ways. There are many combinations of choices characters in works of literature can be designed by the writer to take. In Macbeth Shakespeare gives Macbeth to paths form which to choose form and the path he ends up choosing is only chosen because of outside influence.
     Macbeth way an honorable soldier up until he was given a choice. Of course, the outside influence was only a biased addition to his choice and the very base of it. Lady Macbeth influenced Macbeth's decision to kill King Duncan who had already promised to make Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth's ambition and insecurity as well as her evil nature pushed her into forcing Macbeth to kill King Duncan. She never physically forced him but did threaten his manhood and on more than one occasion made him view himself as weak and unworthy of power. And, so Macbeth made his tragic choice which only led to more tragedy and dead as is often seen in Shakespeare's plays.
     Macbeth's fatal decision made the play the tragedy it was intended to be. His decision and the influence of Lady Macbeth gave the play its' entire meaning. Killing Duncan made a paranoid man of Macbeth. Slowly all men began to fall. Banquo, whom he had triumphed in war with, was killed and the killings went on until the masterminds of the massacre fell as well. Macbeth was a stupid and gullible victim but a victim nonetheless. Lady Macbeth was the disturbed antagonist.
     Macbeth was torn between losing his place as a man in his marriage and Killing the King who was about to give him all he could dream of having. He had to have it all and with Lady Macbeth's help he killed the Duncan. He was given choices and the choice he picked helped give the entire play its' tragic theme.