At first Macbeth was seen as a hero but then external and internal forces helped him make the wrong decisions. Macbeth was seen as a reliable hero until he was convinced to go against everything he stood for. Macbeth was driven to commit murder against his cousin by the witches' prophecy, his own ambition, and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth gave in to his influences and let them change him completely. Although Macbeth was initially seen as a loyal cousin to the king, there were many influences that led him to commit his first murder. The witches' prophecies helped fuel Macbeth's hidden desire to become king and greatly shaped him to do anything to make the prophecy come true, even commit murder. If it were not for their predictions, Macbeth would not have thought of becoming king. “…Macbeth clearly trusts in their prophecies and believes them to be truths…” (Macbeths Demise). When he discovered that one of the predictions had come true, he was led to believe that he would become a great king. The witches misled Macbeth by telling him only half-truths and deceived him into a disastrous path that would lead to his death. Furthermore, the three seers helped influence Macbeth by making him see a part of himself that was hidden within him. “They planted the seed of evil in Macbeth's head and it grew to dominate his mind.” (The witches' influence on Macbeth's decisions), who let his desire consume him until the only thing he thought about was becoming king. The witches' prophecies were not the only force that influenced Macbeth to commit a crime, but his own flaws influenced him as well. Macbeth's ambition was what actually led him to kill his cousin. “Throughout the play, Macbeth is a… paper medium… they are what led him to become a tragic hero because without them he would have been sane and would not have destroyed his own life. His loyalty was clouded by the influences he let into his life and helped him become a cruel, cold, bunch of man who killed his friends. Works Cited "Ambition in Macbeth". 123HelpMe.com. November 21, 2013. https://www.123helpme.com/assets/13790.html"The Disappearance of Macbeth." 123HelpMe.com. November 21, 2013. “Macbeth: The Witches' Influence on Macbeth's Decisions.” StudyMode.com. October 1999. November 21, 2013. "To what extent are the witches and Lady Macbeth responsible for Macbeth's actions?" WriteWork.com. August 17, 2005. November 21, 2013.