There are many different characters in MacBeth trying to accomplish different things for themselves. However, in my opinion, the only characters who really profited from and got what they wanted out of the whole situation were the witches. They are the ones who basically caused the majority of the problems in MacBeth and I think that they knew what was going to happen the entire time. Even though it may look as though they gained nothing from everyone else’s misfortune they actually succeeded in making MacBeth do evil deeds and winning him over to their side.
MacBeth may have gotten what he was after in the beginning when he was crowned king, but afterwards of course he lost everything he had. First, he lost his wife, then he lost his friends, and finally he lost his life. The witches are the ones who put the idea into his head about being king, and actually caused him and his wife to kill the king. This is what started everything bad that he did. Even having his best friend, Banquo, killed. MacBeth’s wife had a similar situation. Things went well for her in the beginning but soon changed.
After MacBeth told her the prophecies and she convinced him to kill the king she became queen, and MacBeth became king just as she wanted. But soon things changed and she slowly went insane trying to protect MacBeth and herself at the same time, until she finally died. The king, obviously, did not prophet too entirely much from dying. However, his sons too, really didn’t gain anything out of the whole ordeal. Foremost, they lost their father, but also they had to leave their kingdom because they were afraid that they might be next in line to be slain.
Furthermore, by fleeing they made themselves look guilty of killing their father to get to the throne quicker. Overall, this is why I think that the witches were the only ones who profited from the whole ordeal, and that it had the exact outcome that they had either hoped for, or knew was going to happen. By telling MacBeth the prophecies they caused him to become a very wicked person and do things that he would not have normally done. Therefore, they were successful in bringing MacBeth to the other side which I think was their intent in the first place.