The intensity of this tragedy is dependent on whether the witches or Lady Macbeth are perceived to be able to control the otherwise innocent actions of Macbeth, or if he is entirely responsible for his own demise. The play, Macbeth, is littered with aspects, issues and ideas that would undoubtedly suggest that the play was indeed written to please King James, who was at the time, patron of Shakespeare"s theatre group. One of these themes deals with witches who James was quite unashamedly interested in; so captivated by the supernatural in fact, he wrote a book on the...
shattered when his ambition overrides his sense of morality.

For most of Shakespeare"s contemporary audience, Macbeth would appear to be at the mercy of the witches and therefore not entirely responsible for his actions. In my opinion, it is easier to muster sympathy for a person who is not entirely to blame for their actions. In the case of Macbeth, the tragedy is more successful if the popular seventeenth century mentality is adopted and thereby the witches and Lady Macbeth are made partly to blame for his downfall.