Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
In the early 17th century, when the play was written, belief in witchcraft was almost universal. You really can't judge the play by the standards of today's society.
The question, though, as to whether the witches made Macbeth a murderer, or whether they simply foretold something that he was going to do anyway is one that's been asked many times. There is no clearcut answer - one can find arguments to support both sides.
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And we still ask the same question today about real murderers. Was it nature or nurture that made Bundy, Gacy, Dahmer, etc. do what they did. It's a question that says more about the questioner than anything else I think. I think that that is one reason why the play has held up so well. It presents us with a reflection of ourselves. Would we do as Macbeth did or not if presented with similar temptations? It touches something deep in the human psyche I think. We're forced to look at ourselves when we look at Macbeth. Lady Macbeth isn't an innocent bystander either. She goads him into going ahead with the plan when he has doubts about doing it, and even plants evidence against another. And she tries to cover for him when his conscience makes him see the ghost of one of his victims. She's a willing even eager accomplice to the crime. It might be closer to the truth to suppose that both nature and nurture play a part in his decision to commit Duncan's murder.