Macbeth's Downfall

    In the third scene of the first act, Banquo** asks, "...have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?" in response to the witches' prophecies.  Banquo is partly right in the assumption that Macbeth's mind is not pure.  When Macbeth says "The Prince of Cumberland!  That is a step/ On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap" (Act 1, Scene 4, 48-49), we see that Macbeth may have already the idea of killing Duncan.  Macbeth's ultimate goal is to become king; he does this with a certain amount of ease, but the process somehow awakens his tragic flaw, the ruthlessness with which he destroys his own reign.  After he kills the dead king's servents, his targets are Banquo and Fleance, who have heard or are involved in the third prophecy.  Macbeth sends the three murderers who stab the famous dying words out of Banquo's mouth: "Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! (Act 3, Scene 3, 17).  Macbeth must crush dissent  he kills Macduff's wife and children.  Macbeth's reign of non-stop killing erodes Scotland's confidence in him and he has no chance

After he had attained his destiny, Macbeth felt that Banquo would become a serious threat. He did not like the fact that Banquo was destined to be a father to a whole line of kings. "Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared...If `t be so, for Banquo's issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered..."(85). The path Macbeth chooses to take in order to stay at the throne was to have Banquo killed. But, Macbeth was never destined to kill anyone. Killing Duncan, Banquo and Macduff's whole household were all his decisions to attain his destiny.

Every human being has a weakness and that weakness is pride. ‘Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:12, The Bible)’. Pride is a natural flaw that most people do not realize. Some can control it, while others let their pride blind them from logic and truth. Naturally, Macbeth has this attribute and he demonstrates it throughout the play. Shakespeare purposely introduces Macbeth as a proud character. The witches’ prophecies give him his confidence. And as his confidence grows, so does his pride until it eventually consumes his power-crazed mind.

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 William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, is a brave and loyal subject to the King of Scotland, but as the play progresses, his character begins to change drastically. Evil and unnatural powers, as well as his own passion to become king, take over his better half and eventually lead to his downfall. The three main factors that intertwine with one another that contribute to Macbeth’s tragic end are the prophecies told by the three witches, Lady Macbeth’s influence, and finally, Macbeth’s excessive passion and ambition which drove his desire to become king to the utmost extreme. The prophecy told by the three witches was what triggers the other factors that contribute to Macbeth s downfall. In the first act, the witches

After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is titled the King of Scotland. Having Macbeth murder Duncan to become King makes it seem to Macbeth that he can control his own fate. This only makes it worse for Macbeth, because it is now engraved in his mind that murder can change fate. Now that Duncan is taken care of, it is Banquo that Macbeth is worried about, for Macbeth is convinced that Banquo knows too much because he was the only other person with him when the witches prophesized his fate. It’s not only Banquo that Macbeth wants to murder, he also wants to change the prophecy of Banquo’s descendants becoming Kings by murdering them as well, as he states “To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!;/ Rather than so, come fate into the list,;/ And champion me to th’ utterance.” (III, I, 70-73). This line directly shows that Macbeth now thinks he is in control, and that he can challenge fate by murdering the sons of Banquo to change what the witch’s prophesized for the descendants of Banquo to become kings.

First, it is Macbeth’s thirst for power, coupled with Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of him, that drive the murder of KIng Duncan. As Banquo becomes suspicious and as Macbeth becomes increasingly troubled by the witches’ proclamation that Banquo will be the father of kings, Macbeth convinces himself that Banquo must be killed, proclaiming “For Banquo’s issue I have filed my mind [...] the seeds of Banquo kings (III.i.70-75).” Macbeth is paranoid of losing his new-found power to Banquo. This fear is so stout that it drives him to solicit the murder of his most loyal friend. As his morality devolves further, Macbeth senses disloyalty from Macduff, and he resolves to murder MacDuff’s entire family. In Act IV, Macbeth says, “But yet I'll make assurance double sure,/ And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; (IV.i.94-95).” Even though the prophecy seems to assuage Macbeth’s fears of losing power, he still plans to kill MacDuff, supporting his further descent into corruption and evil- all driven by his thirst for

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s desire and ambition leads to her eventual downfall. When Lady Macbeth hears of Macbeth’s prophecy she dreams of the glory and high-standing that awaits being queen. She cannot withhold her ambitions and she is willing to manipulate fate to bring about Macbeth’s prophecy. She invokes evil spirits to be filled from head to toe with cruelty to do the evil actions necessary to make Macbeth king and to remove all remorse and pity for her action from her heart. She is initially able to be involved in the treacherous deeds that are needed to bring about the prophecy quickly, but as the play progresses the weight of the merciless deeds fill her with remorse. The remorse and pain she feels for her wicked

But how can he become a new king? She gives him an idea to kill the king, but Macbeth doesn’t want to do that. Then Lady Macbeth uses a smart way to suit her purpose, “Lady Macbeth's portrayal begins with the powerful elements of her ambitious and successful plotting of Duncan's demise, effective rhetorical manipulation of her husband to "be a man" and take action, and her position-potentially--as Macbeth's equal in their relationship, his desired "dear partner of greatness"” (Thomas). She knows if she questions Macbeth with to be a man and let him to do something to provide he is a man, Macbeth would kill the king Duncan as she wants. After Macbeth killed Duncan , he might become the new king. He enjoys the power as a new leader and this extends his ambition. He has to kill more people so that he can make sure there is no one can be the new king. The three witches also said before that Banquo’s generation with kingdom, so first Macbeth decides to kill Banquo and his son. When king Duncan has been killed, Macbeth is the one who is stimulated by Lady Macbeth. But when Macbeth wants to kill Banquo

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

Shakespeare's Macbeth is a tragedy fueled by betrayal, prophecies, and revenge. I believe that Macbeth is certainly tragic due to his one fatal flaw, or harmatia. Throughout the play, Macbeth seeks advise from corrupted people, like the witches and his wife. Becuase he lacked confidence; he sought advice from those who's ambition were greater than his own. Macbeth a fearless warrior is convinced by the three witches that his fate may change for the better if he would get rid of the King.

In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth was confronted with many obstacles in his life; none of these would stop his in his way to become king. In the beginning he relied on the witches’ prophesy, but Macbeth soon realized that things aren’t what they seem. He gained a new perspective, and truly focused on his desires to become king. However, the witches’ forewarnings and his aspirations to becoming a ruler ultimately contributed to his bloody actions he took in the play. Macbeth’s fate is shown throughout the play by: the witches’ predictions of his future, his desire to be king, and his actions.

After the meeting with the witches, Macbeth start to think killing Duncan and taking the throne by force. This is his first step on the journey to his demise, as the witches has planned. The three witches' plan succeeded, they provoke the greed in Macbeth. After committing Duncan’s murder, Macbeth loses his innocence. It has become easier for the witches to manipulate Macbeth by making him to think that he is unbeatable. Witches add turmoil by talking about Banquo’s and telling him that his sons will become kings. This also affects Macbeth’s life, and it includes to his miserable worries. After becoming a king, and thinking about killing Banquo, and killing his offspring “let not light see my black and deep desires” (Shakespeare I.IV.51) because

Many of people have heard the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The story revolves on a sequence of misfortunate events that take place when Macbeth makes immoral decisions to be king. In the play, Shakespeare shows how power can cause corruption in a human’s brain. Macbeth himself was not a very confident person, though he had a kind soul to begin with, he was easily influenced and gullible. Through the prophecies of the evil beings, an insignificant seed was planted in Macbeth. That spark of wealth and fortune caused the tyrant within him to awake. Which eventually lead to his fatal death. His ambition lead him to murder, go insane and become very superstitious.

Lady Macbeth brings out Macbeth’s tragic flaw when she proposes the idea of killing King Duncan and he states, “I have no spur . . . but only vaulting ambition” (1.7.25-27). Once King Duncan has been murdered, this flaw is revealed because his actions reflect on his ambition to stay king. Macbeth begins by planning on killing Banquo and his son because the witches told Banquo “thou shalt get kings, thought thou be none” (1.3.68). Macbeth must kill Banquo and his son, so no one will have the opportunity to take the crown away from him. When Macbeth sends murderers to kill them, Fleance can get away while Banquo is brutally attacked; however, luckily for Macbeth, Fleance is never heard from again. When Macbeth goes to visit the witches again and the first apparition tells him to “beware Macduff” (4.1.71-72), he then realizes he must eliminate any other obstacle that could potentially keep him from staying king. He says he will “give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (4.1.150-151) just to ensure his throne. By doing these horrible deeds, Macbeth proves he is willing to go above and beyond to remain king until his