Why Does Macbeth Fight to the Death in the Final Scene of Shakespeare's Macbeth?

From the opening scene to the climactic final verse, William Shakespeare's Macbeth weaves a complex tapestry of human ambition, moral decay, and inevitable downfall. One of the most striking and poignant moments in the play occurs in the final scene, where Macbeth, with all the prophecies seemingly leading him to his doom, chooses to fight to the death. Why does he do so?

Background and Context

Macbeth is a play filled with prophesied destinies and fatalistic inevitabilities. Despite the horrific fates befalling him, Macbeth repeatedly chooses to defy the oracles and continue his path, driven by a willful refusal to accept his ultimate destiny. This section explores the motivations behind Macbeth's choice to fight to the death in the final scene, examining the psychological and ideological underpinnings of his actions.

The Prophecies and Macbeth's Intrepid Choices

At the start of the play, Macbeth is a brave and respected warrior. When he receives prophecies from the witches, he is intrigued and embarks on a path of ambition that ultimately leads him to a tragic end. The witches foretell that he will become king, and later that he will reign until the "seventh son of a seventh son" is born. This last prophecy is problematic and creates a false sense of security for Macbeth. However, the other prophecies came true, and Macbeth is now king, having taken the throne by force.

"The past is prologue, and what is past and mere alloy but prologue to what must prove more golden than its g?ld?" - Mark Antony, Julius Caesar

Despite the murders of Lady Macbeth, Banquo and Macduff's family, Macbeth remains unconvinced that he is truly fated to fall. He believes, deeply and tragically, that fate can be defied through sheer will and cunning. His choice to fight to the death, even when all prophecies and opposition seem insurmountable, reflects this belief.

Fear of Regal Humiliation and Aversion to Disgrace

Macbeth's refusal to accept a fate where Malcolm becomes king and he is displayed to the public as a laughingstock is rooted in fear of humiliation. For him, being deprived of the throne would be more painful than a gruesome death. This fear is grounded in a deeply ingrained sense of honor and pride. Macbeth’s ethos, or belief in his innate nobility and right to rule, is stronger than his rational fear of death.

"I am a man/Who have no more to hope from fate than to walk on my legs and eat bread." - Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 3

Here, Macbeth's speech highlights his existential fear of disgrace and social impotence. He is not willing to accept a life of ignominious defeat; he would prefer to die with honor and dignity than to be humiliated and disgraced by being handed over to his enemies.

The Absence of a Heroic Death

The final scene reveals that Macbeth lacks the nobility and courage to die as a soldier, famously choosing to face his enemy bare-handed rather than falling on his sword. This scene, with Macbeth contending with Macduff through a series of violent and personal attacks, is a departure from traditional notions of knightly combat and theatrically dramatic final moments. The spectacle of Macbeth fighting with a daggers and a brace of staves underscores his loss of the chivalric valor that once characterized his noble lineage, now abandoned in favor of unworthy haste and clumsy violence.

The playwright uses this scene to emphasize the transformation of Macbeth from a warrior to a mere brute. It further reinforces the idea that Macbeth's fall from grace is not only due to the corruption of power but also to a breakdown in his moral and psychological fortitude. His actions reflect his descent into madness and his refusal to accept his fate.

Conclusion

Macbeth's decision to fight to the death is a testament to his psychological and ideological struggle against his prophesied end. Driven by a fervent belief in his own invincibility and fear of shame, Macbeth's actions in the final scene encapsulate both the tragic nobility and the horrifying excess of his character. Through this dramatic final act, Shakespeare explores the human condition, the corrupting influence of power, and the precarious nature of human will, ultimately delivering a profound and haunting tragedy to the audience.

By understanding the complex motivations and psychological nuances of Macbeth's final choices, we can gain deeper insights into one of the most iconic figures in Western literature.