Fatal Flaws In Macbeth

Improved Essays
Fatal Flaws in Macbeth
The components of an effective tragedy often evoke pity, raise fear, and stir anger in the audience and in the characters themselves. Macbeth by William Shakespeare fits this criteria as these components illustrate that one should not let expectations cause someone to lose his or her sense of self, no matter how tempting those expectations may be. This lesson, which today is often modified to the phrase “don’t succumb to peer pressure,” is particularly understandable when presented through literature. Readers relate to characters, identifying with flaws and mistakes, and seek deeper meanings to extract and implement into their daily actions. While the readers of Macbeth may not become heartless murderers or even undergo
…show more content…
Towards the end of the play, after having completed more destructive deeds than he ever anticipated, Macbeth faces the sudden death of his wife. When losing a spouse, one would expect a more dramatic reaction than the startlingly indifferent response that Macbeth has. For example, Lady Macduff’s response to losing a spouse is appropriate. Upon hearing that her husband went off to England, Lady Macduff was angered at his apparent thoughtless abandoning of his family. She cries “His flight was madness. When our actions do not,/ Our fears do make us traitors” (vi. ii. 4-5) to the messenger, Ross. Clearly, Lady Macduff is distraught outraged at the thought of her husband leaving her, and rightfully so. The audience feels anger, similar to the anger stirred in Lady Macduff, when Macbeth is presented with the news that his own wife has died and responds insufficiently. “She should have died hereafter./ There would have been a time for such a word./ Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.” (v. v. 20-22.) This passive reaction aggravates the audience at his loss of affection and marks the point in which Macbeth’s “kind-hearted” identity has been lost once and for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Curse Of Macbeth

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Macbeth, or who actors call it That Scottish Play due to a superstition of a curse on the play, is the story of a Thane, a military nobleman, who hears a prophecy from three witches that he will become not only the Thane of Cawdor, the highest-ranking Thane, but also the King of the land. His best friend and comrade in arms, Banquo, also learns that his linage of sons will be the king thereafter. Soon after this Macbeth commits regicide because his wife pressures him into it after he has second thoughts. The King’s sons run away as soon as the get wind of what has happened because most would think they killed the king since they were next in the line for the throne. Because Macbeth is the Highest ranking military official he is named king of the land.…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare highlights enduring ideas about the human condition through the use of dramatic techniques in his tragedy plays. In his play Macbeth, Shakespeare effectively uses the dramatic techniques of character development, commentary by others and symbolism to reveal the enduring ideas of power, greed and ambition, along with its corruptive appeal; relationships and betrayal; and the common issues of loyalty leading to deception. These ideas are shown in exploring the tragic downfall of Macbeth. The enduring idea of corruptive ambition, including power and greed, is explored by the use of dramatic techniques of characterisation, symbolism and commentary by others.…

    • 1313 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grief In Macbeth

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages

    He regrets the lives he took in order to become king, and he knows he can’t do anything to give them back. He faces Macduff with courage until Macduff speaks of how he was “ripped” from his mother’s womb. At this point Macbeth fears that all his troubles have been in vain and that there is nothing he can do but continue his fight with Macduff. He ultimately accepts his…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s marriage is the most convincing in Shakespeare. They show true conjugal partnership (Smuts 72). The Macbeth’s marriage is very different from the Macduff’s. “As a couple, they function in striking contrast to the Macduff’s marriage, in which the husband inexplicably abandons wife and children in his flight to England, and the wife responds with bitter recrimination and open criticism of him in front of the children” (Hopkins 6). The Macbeth’s have a much better marriage than the Macduff’s.…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play, Macbeth starts the story out as a noble war hero. He was identified as an individual that people trusted and depended on. He was then awarded ‘Thane of Cawdor ’ for his heroic and outstanding deeds on the battlefield. The major turning point in Macbeth's story was when the three witches arrived and predicted his future. They announced that Macbeth would bequeath the throne.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Lady Macduff exemplifies the typical dependant housewife as she complains about her husbands’ absence, “What had he done, / . . . / His flight was madness” (Mac.4.2.1-4). Despite being furious about her husband’s absence, Lady Macduff remains the maternal figure by caring and watching over her children. Moreover, Lady Macduff’s accusations about her husband, proves her total dependence in contrast to Lady Macbeth.…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is a play that highlights one common theme: the gradual loss of sanity. Macbeth progressively becomes plagued by intense, consuming guilt as his desire for power drives him to attain his goals by any means necessary, including the act of committing murder. Feeding his hunger for dominance, he murders King Duncan in cold blood in order to become the King of Scotland, has Banquo killed by three murderers to maintain his position as royalty, and finally, he has Macduff’s family slaughtered out of rage and fear. Although all of these occurrences take place because of Macbeth’s eagerness to be King, they all result in him being overtaken by shame and dismay. Realizing that every move that he makes is completed of…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth then abandons any remaining sense of loyalty and commits to doing whatever it takes to become king. In the scene where Macbeth’s wife dies, his reaction directly reveals his respective character and who he has become. Macbeth responds by speaking not to anyone directly, but rather into an abyss. He begins by saying, “She should have died hereafter. There would have been time…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lady Macduff was angry at her husband for fleeing the country and leaving his family unprotected; which his family ended up dying. Lady Macbeth was angry at her husband for not following his…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Macbeth originally titled ‘The tragedy of Macbeth’. In Macbeth, the character Macbeth is at the centre of the tragedy his fatal flaw is ambition. In theatre a tragedy is where a noble protagonist has a flaw, placed in a stressful heightened situation and because of this flaw ends up having a tragic end. Macbeth is flawed because he has great…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Inevitable Death of Macbeth William Shakespeare, in this tragedy Macbeth, leaves it up to the audience to decide whether it is Macbeth’s fate or his choices that leave him with people cheering at his head being raised on a post. Throughout the play the audience gets to see many occurrences of supernatural powers and also Macbeth’s ambition. These contradicting elements make it difficult for the audience to decide whether the main theme of this play is Macbeth’s fate and the supernatural powers that lead to his death or his choices and ambition. Macbeth’s iconic “Tomorrow” soliloquy captures this main theme of fate and the paranormal. As he goes through the speech, he connects life to a play, which follows a script all the way until the…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Macbeth starts his reign, wide-scale killing arises from the sacrilegious murder of King Duncan. Once a brave and courageous warrior, as well as a venerable subject, Macbeth has been twisted by fate to become the ruthless character he is. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Macbeth is progressively affected by continuous and increasing isolation, as well as cut offs from normal ties and relations. In Act II, there are pieces of evidence that begin to reveal Macbeth’s change of character, influenced by the isolation and relational cut offs he begins to experience.…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Tragic Flaw Essay

    • 1016 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He kills his king who was at his castle in “double trust” and does not show any emotion when he is told his wife has passed away (1.7.12). Macbeth’s ambition causes him risk everything to become king and he eventually loses everything instead. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition because it causes him to lose sight of what is important and eventually driving him crazy which causes his fall in the…

    • 1016 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    That means a lot to the play, if Macbeth can be a cold killer the whole play and let his wife slip off into nothing, why does he care about life now? Because it is almost over, like how retired couples go on long vacations, they know their time is ending and they want it to be the best they can have it. Macbeth won’t get that luxury, he knows he’s going to be killed in combat and die…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Character Flaws In Macbeth

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Up to act 4, Macbeth has done nothing for his country besides slaying a rebel. On the other hand, Macduff demonstrates qualities of a true leader in his conversation with Malcolm in act 4 scene 3. While Malcolm wants to lament over the recent murders, Macduff would rather “bestride (his) down-fall’n birthdom” (4.3.3). Malcolm tests him, suggesting Macduff may earn Macbeth’s trust by betraying him and Macduff curtly replies, “I am not treacherous” (4.3.18). In denouncing Macbeth, Macduff provides a deep reflection on governance and resistance of temptation.…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics