Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition and it consequentially leads to his downfall and ultimate demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero who is introduced in the the play as being well-liked and respected by the general and the people. He brings his death upon himself from this tragic flaw. His strengths turn into his weaknesses and his ambition drives him to the edge and sets himself up for his tragic death. In the play, Macbeth possesses many strengths such as honor, respect, and he was viewed as being courageous. Macbeth was given the title “Thane of Cawdor " because he used his strengths to his advantage and was recognized for them. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name--Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, …show more content…
At this point, he has become very egotistical and has no clue where this new vision will lead him. This new outlook and personality he acquires along with the witches prophecies lead to his fatal downfall. The witches affect his perception by telling him what is going to happen in the future and they make him paranoid. He is confused after hearing them call him the “Thane of Caldor” and that he will soon be king. His trait of ambition in the beginning is his biggest weapon, but in the end, it is his own worst enemy. The murder of Duncan triggers this reversal of this ambition and leads to all the other murders in the story. Murder becomes the pistol to his holster and his ambition is now focused on taking out whoever opposes him or anyone he sees as a threat to his throne. Macbeth cannot be fully blamed for gaining this new ambition though, Lady Macbeth and the witches contributed mightily to tainting his ambition. However, Lady Macbeth never blatantly tells Macbeth to do anything he does, she strongly persuades and eventually talks him into doing the things he does. She does call him out as a coward and questions his manhood and bravery. This comes into play when Macbeth tells her he will not murder Duncan, she replies: "How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck'd my nipple from his
Although Macbeth was of noble blood, his belief in fate will be the fatal flaw to bring on his downfall. First, three witches plan to meet with Macbeth who upon meeting state, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” Yet Macbeth doesn’t know it at this point that he will have to go through a tragic suffering to do so. Soon after he becomes Thane of Cawdor he and Lady Macbeth dirty their hands with Duncan's blood so Macbeth could become king. Second, Macbeth’s lineage was of Scottish royalty. Macbeth was the cousin of the king, Duncan, whom he was very close to before the deed had been done. Killing the king brought mental suffrage to Macbeth and his wife both. While feeling He also ordered the murders of Macduff’s family and Banquo
Macbeth denies to take any negative step to become the king of Scotland. As he says “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.” (I.III.7) Readers identify that Macbeth plays a very loyal role until this point where he condemns to such actions that might create any negative conflicts. Some of the readers might pity Macbeth since he himself doesn’t know where he’ll end up, for the most part we all know that it wouldn’t be good. We see this as a rise for Macbeth since he refuses to be a part of any actions that may harm another individual. After he speaks with Lady Macbeth he gets influenced and agrees to kill King Duncan out of ambition and greed. As Lady Macbeth influences “I have given suck, and know How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, How pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn As you would have done to this” (I.VII.59) Throughout the novel we see Lady Macbeth playing the part of the major
The three witches have told Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor as well as becoming king. Macbeth believes that the witches predictions will come true because he has just been announced the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is very confused. The tone of this soliloquy is one of bafflement. In fact, he proclaims that the witches’ fortune “cannot be ill, cannot be good” (130). Given that Macbeth had been told about being king, he’s had terrible thoughts about murdering Duncan which “unfix [his] hair” and “make [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs” (135,136). Macbeth does not want to kill his friend, yet he still desires to become king. It is very ironic that his emotions and mind-set towards Duncan who is his “friend” has changed because of the fortune that the witches have given Macbeth.
This shows that from now on he will act upon his plans immediately and will not deliberate about them. His madness drives him to kill Macduff’s innocent family, due to his cruelty the Scottish and Scotland itself must suffer. His reaction to Lady Macbeth’s death further implies that he has become empty of any feeling and this also shows that the two have grown apart. He has become so fearless that he ‘has almost forgotten the taste of fears’. Once his life is cursed, he realises that the witches were never to be trusted however it is now too late.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the tragic hero Macbeth, descends into evil after a prophecy from three witches sparks his ambition and tempts Macbeth into committing horrible deeds out of paranoia, arrogance, and spite. Macbeth begins his chain of murders due to the fact that he wishes to become the King of Scotland. In Act One, Scene three of Macbeth, three witches arrive and prophesize that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and the King. Soon after the witches disappear, Macbeth is delivered the news that he was named Thane of Cawdor. This occurrence causes Macbeth to believe each part of the prophecy and he allows his ambition to take control of his thoughts, which leads him to deciding to kill King Duncan. Macbeth acknowledges the fact that he has no other reason for killing Duncan, besides ambition, when he states, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And
A tragic hero must also have a tragic flaw; which Macbeth certainly does. His flaw is his ambition. In Act 1, scene 7, line 25 Macbeth says very clearly that his reason for killing Duncan is his ambition. It states, “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition.” His motivation is ambition. And it is easy to see that his ambition is very strong, but when he achieves his goal through ambition, it is never enough for him. It becomes less about accomplishing a task, and more about finding tasks to satisfy his ambition. Following that quote, he says, “which o’erleaps itself And falls on th’ other.” This is saying that by using ambition as motivation, people get ahead of themselves before they know what they have done, they are falling toward demise. Macbeth predicted exactly
Macbeth is the tragic hero in the play Macbeth. He has a tragic flaw that ends up ruining his character. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition. Though ambition is usually a good thing, too much can be fatal. Macbeth’s character changes dramatically throughout the duration of the play. What once was a noble knight, is now a cold blooded killer.
A Shakespearean tragic hero may be defined as “an exceptional being of high degree” who contributes to his own degeneration and illustrates a personality flaw. The character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is in all ways the perfect example of a tragic hero. His greatness and bravery in battle for his country ultimately leads him to be a great thane and eventually a powerful king, making his actions have a significant impact on a country. Macbeth’s ambition on becoming a king leads to an obsession to remain in his current position. His ambition comes to a point where he falls to the temptation of evil which leads to Macbeth’s inevitable downfall. There are many factors which contribute to the fall of Macbeth. The three points which contribute
William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, is ranked among the four great tragedies of the world, of ancient as well as of modern times. The concept of the tragedy is Elizabethan. These tragedies are basically tales of suffering that ultimately result in death. The protagonist in these tragedies is not only notably placed socially but is also conspicuous for his qualities of head and heart. In the tragedy, the society is largely affected by the fall of the supremacy of the central character. Like, in Macbeth, the decadence from a hero to a villain greatly affects the fate of the nation, i.e., Scotland. Of all the four tragedies of Shakespeare, Macbeth is the shortest and simplest. The extreme simplicity
thee Thane of Cawdor!"(I, iii, 49), a title which not even Macbeth is aware he
Although Macbeth had very strong desires in becoming king, he didn’t get to this point all on his own. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to murder Duncan by putting his manhood and courage at stake. While Macbeth knew that he was going to have to commit this crime in order to become king it was against everything he stood for. But his tragic flaw of his obsession to become king took over and he dismissed what was right. Lady Macbeth was had an extremely dominating personality, which is significant in influencing Macbeth. Lady Macbeth not only really wanted Macbeth to be king for himself, but she also wanted it for herself too so she could be the wife of the King. As said by Crowther in Act 1 Scene 7, “Will you take the crown you want so badly, or will you live as a coward, always saying “I can’t” after you say “I want to”? You’re like the poor cat in the old story.” Lady Macbeth first influences Macbeth to kill King Duncan by attacking his manhood by
One of mankind’s biggest flaws in arguable giving in to temptation, which is a flaw that Macbeth has trouble with. This is something that everyone in the audience would have been able to relate to while watching the play. Another key factor to being a tragic hero is having a hubris, which in the end proves him or her wrong.
Like every tragic hero, Macbeth suffered from a flaw. In his case, his flaw was his strong ambition, combined with a thirst for power. Ambition alone is not a bad trait, but when added with a lust for power, this ambition can become dangerous. At the beginning Macbeth was seen as brave Macbeth and shown as a loyal and brave solider on the battle field. That ambition always resided within him but did not cause a problem until the prophecy was made by the witches.
Macbeth was a true Shakespearean tragic hero. He had many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws. He was a courageous, brave and good nobleman who was haunted by superstition, moral cowardice and an overwhelming ambition. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth’s degeneration are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth’s judgment, and finally Macbeth’s long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Although he was so far courageous and brave and he is seen as the hero at the beginning of the play, his sky high ambition causes his damnation. And ultimately he becomes a tragic hero.
In the second scene of the play, Macbeth and his friend Banquo come across three witches, who prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, then King of Scotland. At first Macbeth is sceptical, but when he is soon named Thane of Cawdor he plays into the idea of murdering the king to take the title for himself, but if horrified at his thoughts of murder, saying “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not.” This initial conflict of Macbeth’s sets the dark tone of the play, and acts as a catalyst for the events that follow. It also shares an idea of value, that one shouldn’t fall prey to vaulting ambition, as it is the downfall of many a man such as Macbeth.