Lady Macbeth Responsible For Duncan's Death Essay

Macbeth, a tragedy by Shakespeare, begins with Macbeth as the protagonist in Act I. He is a war hero and beloved by the King of Scotland. The witches prophesize that Macbeth will soon become King, and readers cheer him on. However, throughout the play, readers’ views on Macbeth change. Instead of being seen as the protagonist, Macbeth develops into the antagonist. Two key death scenes further this image of Macbeth: the murder and attempted murder of Banquo and his son, Fleance; and the murders of Lady Macduff and her son.
Macbeth’s ascension to the throne wasn’t irregular for the time: killing the current king to inherit the throne had happened before in Scotland’s history. In 878 A.D., the Scottish king Aedh was murdered by Eochaid, son of Rhun, who inherited his throne. King Dubh was murdered by his brother Culein in 967 A.D. For the power-hungry, murder was an easy way to achieve their goals.
The murder of King Duncan can be partially excused by readers; after all, the witches said that Macbeth would be king. Is Macbeth solely responsible for Duncan’s death? These points can be argued either way, however, it is
Readers know something that Lady MacDuff does not: she and her children will be murdered soon because of MacBeth's mistrust of MacDuff. This is the real moment that MacBeth becomes a villain. Although he does not directly take part in the murders, he is completely responsible for them. More than that, he is killing those who have no protection and cannot fight back. Lady MacDuff is a typical lady of her time: she expects her husband to be the head of the household and to protect her and their children. She does not fight back against her attacker because she doesn’t know how. This scene shows how low MacBeth's morals have sunk. If MacDuff had any idea of MacBeth's character, he would not have left his family unprotected; he couldn’t fathom that MacBeth would murder the