HELP!! answer this if you read Macbeth?

Question

So we are doing a Thesis essay on Macbeth for school... and I need 3 supports of why Lady Macbeth was a factor in Macbeth's downfall and 3 supports of why the witches are factors. What are 3 supports??

Answer 1

'TR has it all there, Erica. You might want to consider that it is Lady M's ambition/greed that spurs her into getting M to do "the deed." That's why she is so angry when M screws it up. He is an innocent, at the beginning, with no thought of deposing Duncan. That thought is initiated by Lady M in the 'letter reading scene' before Duncan arrives. That scene lays out the basis for the whole plot. The supporting evidence for the Three Witches is fairly self-evident, as TR points out. However, Lady M's influence over her husband leaves open the whole question of will  versus manipulation. An interesting discussion if you care to pursue it -- and it has natural links to the witches influence.

Ever wondered if Lady M is part of Hecate's troupe? It bears thinking about in any serious study. But THAT is not your topic. Sorry. Didn't mean to confuse you. Best of luck with this project.

Answer 2

Supports is a bad way of saying "evidence supporting."

The evidence that supports Lady M. as a factor in her lord's downfall:  (a) he's hesitant to assassinate Duncan, she goads him to it (b) when he loses heart and doesn't complete the plot by bloodying the grooms, she does it for him (c) at the climactic battle, her insanity culminates in death and leaves MacBeth morose and self-reflective instead of the glorious warrior he once had been.

The witches?  (a) They tempt MacBeth from the outset.  (b) Depending on interpretation, they are the ones plaguing MacBeth with visions--"Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand?"  and the Banquo line-up.  (c)  They cloud their prophecies about "no man of woman born" and Birnam wood coming to Dunsinane so that MacBeth feels invincible when really he's not.