Many factors contributed to the deterioration of the character Macbeth, of which three will be discussed. These three components are: the prophecies given by the three witches, the influence and manipulation of Lady Macbeth, and the character flaws of Macbeth. Combined, these factors caused the inevitable deterioration of Macbeth’s character, resulting in his descent into madness. To explain how these three components worked together to cause the downfall of Macbeth, each factor will be addressed and explained in relation to the effect that they each had upon his character. The first factor which contributed to the deterioration of Macbeth was the prophesies, as told to h