Tragic Flaw In Macbeth

    "...Go pronounce his present death,/ And with his former title greet Macbeth."  (Act 1, Scene 2, 64-65)     Though the word "death" in this sentence refers to the former thane of Cawdor's demise, Shakespeare uses the clever trick of foreshadowing Macbeth's downfall by coupling the word "death" with the word "Macbeth" so early in the tragedy.  The quote has another importance  it introduces the ideas of treachery and personal gain from less-than-legitimate means, two characteristics Macbeth picks up on as the story advances.  We are introduced to Macbeth as a hero, a slayer of the Norweyans, even "Bellona's bridegroom, lapped in proof" (Act 1, Scene 2, 54), but by the end of the play

William Shakespeare is the most influential English writer that ever existed. Though he may not have invented all of the literary tools we use today, he popularized them in his works. Many are considered to be essential in literature, as they add necessary detail and plot. Charles Dickens is also one of the most influential writers in English history. Though he was influential on his own, a lot of his style is based off of Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, are two of the most celebrated pieces of literature of all time. 250 years separate these works, yet their similarities could not be more obvious. Shakespeare employed these literary tools along with his understanding of the flaws in human nature so effectively that they continue to be relied upon in modern texts to keep audiences captivated.

Macbeth is introduced to the audience as a noble general and thane with quite a bit of power. This can lead one to believe that he is

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.

He is Duncan’s ‘kinsman and his subject’, he reminds himself that what he is doing is wrong and that he has the duty to protect the king, not murder him. In an interaction with Lady Macbeth prior to the murder of Duncan, he says they ‘shall proceed no longer in this business’, this shows that he has a moral compass, and he knows that what he is about to do is wrong. Also, previous to the murder he hallucinates a ‘dagger’, it is a figment of his imagination because he is very anxious, and is already feeling culpability. This part in the play is key in showing that Macbeth is consumed by guilt and anxiety, so is not in the best mindset to commit a murder. Despite this, he still kills Duncan. His guilt returns after the murder when an ‘Amen [is] stuck’ in his throat, he knows that he has sinned against God, and he is too anxious to say Amen. Immediately after killing Duncan he is ‘afraid to think of what [he has] done’, he has immense regret and feels a lot of guilt.

After hearing the prophecy that he will become king, Macbeth resolves to leave his future up to fate proving his pride and prestige are very important to him. Once he is told of Malcolm being named successor to the throne, Macbeth decides that if he is going to reach his goal he cannot leave it up to luck. Again Macbeth’s resolve to murder Duncan wavers when he leaves the grand banquet to assess his situation and decide whether he wants to proceed. His arguments include wishing to keep his honor and not kill Duncan for Duncan is there ‘in double trust’. Thus, Macbeth is shown to be clinging to his honor. Finally, Macbeth must stand his ground one last time against his wife who uses tact to emasculate Macbeth. In his final attempt to stop the whole ordeal before it can start Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he does not want to ‘cast aside’ the honor he has just recently received. Unfortunately, Lady Macbeth will have none of what her husband is saying and so convinces Macbeth to follow through with his plan of murdering King Duncan. Hence, the audience is given the first example of how powerful selfish motives are and how quickly they can spread to others along with cause them to perform unthinkable

Macbeth states that he still has the choice whether or not to commit the murder, this disproving the notion that Lady Macbeth is causing him to do to the deed. Shakespeare uses another metaphor to compare the murder with bloody instructions being taught. Overall, Macbeth is foreshadowing his own demise. Macbeth begins to give reasons for and against Duncan’s murder. “He's here in double trust: / First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed;” (I.7.12-14). Macbeth states that Duncan trusts him as a friend and a loyal soldier and Duncan expects Macbeth to be loyal to him. Than Macbeth says, “then, as his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself.” (I.7.14-16). Macbeth conveys that he is Duncan’s host and should protecting Duncan against a murderer, rather than killing Duncan himself. This is a type of irony that Shakespeare is using in last two lines. Macbeth continues with reasons against the murder. “Besides, this Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office” (I.7.16-18). Macbeth explains how Duncan has always been good to him and never abused his power. Macbeth now switches over to the topic of what will happen if Duncan is murdered. “that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off” (I.7.18-20). Shakespeare describes Duncan’s virtues as angels, which is a testimony to his good leadership.

Lady Macbeth gives Macbeth the first push to kill Duncan, and she wants to be ruthless, feel no remorse so that she and her husband will successfully kill Duncan. She desires to “stop up th’ access and passage to remorse” (Shakespeare 1.5.51) so that she will not feel bad about the murder. She persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan, but he struggles afterward when he does not follow the plan and forgets to put back the daggers he cannot face the evil act he has committed. Lady Macbeth is satisfied after Macbeth is king, but that is not enough for him any longer. Eventually the killings take a toll on Macbeth’s mental state, and the guilt he begins to feel is unbearable. Macbeth kills Duncan and then says “this is a sorry sight”

Within one act of the play, Macbeth falls from being a respectable man to a murderer of three.

    Since The Tragedy of Macbeth was written there has been speculation about the cause of Macbeth's downfall.  Readers ponder whether Macbeth's fall was caused by a flaw in his character, Lady Macbeth, or an outside force of evil.  Although the witches set a certain mood and Lady Macbeth exerts a certain influence on him, Macbeth's downfall is caused by his own character.

In every tragic story, the hero suffers from a single flaw which tends to bring the fall of his or her power. This specific flaw is called a hamartia, and most commonly it's a case of hubris, an unhealthy amount of pride. In other cases, such as Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the tragic hero suffers from a dangerous ambition which brings along the consequence of ruthlessness amongst many. The hamartia, in most cases, is an abundant amount of something generally good. It's a great thing to be confident and ambitious, in moderation. But, what about outside the world of tragic literature? Not only heroes suffer from hamartias, so what is the common man’s tragic flaw? What causes us to fall? No single human is without a flaw, and some are more commonly found amongst the

Every mistake made in life has to be written somewhere, and is not only written for fun if not to aware someone to not make the same mistake and ruin their life. Such as the play Macbeth were it demonstrates how Macbeth believe that cause having all powerful he deserved the best but nothing was as he viewed, all his wickedness and bad actions leaded him to death.

‘Macbeth’ is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and primarily focuses on the theme of betrayal. Macbeth, initially a noble warrior, betrays his divinely appointed king, and to a lesser extent he betrayed his fellow comrades and country, as a result of his unchecked ambition which utterly corrupts him. The dramatist explores the theme of betrayal by showing his gradual dissent into despotism. This enhances the reader’s appreciation by showing his loyalty to the kings and genuine perennial human emotions along the way, making Macbeth a character that people can easily comprehend. Macbeth is initially portrayed as a loyal subject who’s bravery and nobility is praised by the King.

First off, Macbeth’s ambition leads him to fall into paranoia. It drives him mad, and makes him hallucinate. Macbeth kills so many men seamlessly but after the murder of Banquo he begins to go crazy. “Macbeth does murder sleep…Macbeth shall sleep no more.”(II.II). When he sleeps he sees Banquo and he cannot deal with the guilt. He even began to have visions of Banquo’s ghost “If thou canst nod, speak too. /if charnel-houses and our graves must send/those that we bury back, our monuments/shall be the maws of kites.”(III.IV) Not only does he ask the murderers twice if Banquo is dead but he also becomes paranoid because Fleance got away. In Act 3 scene 4, Macbeth as king holds a feast with all his friends. During this feast he begins to hallucinate, he sees Banquo’s ghost. Lady

In a tragedy, there is always one noble character, in this case Macbeth, whose nobility is represented by birth and through action. When Sinel, Macbeth’s father, dies, Macbeth inherits his throne because “By Sinel’s death, he knows he is thane of