Macbeth Tragic Flaw Essay

Macbeth was a powerful general who had it; however, he got ambitious and through a series of tragedies and mistakes he was knocked off of his pedestal. In the tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is told prophecies that he will become king of Scotland from three witches and he kills his king, Duncan, to see this realizes. Macbeth is not opposed once Duncan is dead as Duncan’s son, Malcolm, raises an army with the help of England and with Macduff he challenges and eventually defeats the crazed and erratic Macbeth. Macbeth is in fact a tragic hero as he loses all of the power and respect he had as a thane and general all in a bid to gain power, and through all of his misdeeds he maintains a sense of guilt for all the evil …show more content…
His flaw is his ambition when attempting to gain the crown. Macbeth’s ambition clouds his judgement and causes him to kill people he cares about and bring danger to the country he loves. There is a noticeable change in Macbeth’s behavior once he decides to kill Duncan and take the crown and Banquo notices the change and sees Macbeth working towards the crown. Banquo begins to think that Macbeth is working for the crown and Banquo fears he, “play 'dst most foully for 't..." (3.1.3). Banquo is right as Macbeth no longer cares about anybody or anything as long as he gets the crown. 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 …show more content…
He lets his ambition blind him and it warped his mind to the point where he was no longer Macbeth, loyal servant to Duncan and trusted friend to Banquo; however, now he was a traitor and a tyrant. Ultimately, Macbeth’s acquisition of the crown is a hollow victory and “[h]e does not enjoy the fruits of kingship. His crime leads him only into a perpetual struggle with the forces of chaos and with the shapes of his own disturbed mind” (Cusick). Macbeth has one of the most tragic endings of any king as dies a traitor to those who once served and hated by his subjects and friends. Macbeth thought that he could improve his standing in life; however, he was wrong and in the end he only brought his country into turmoil and lost the love of everyone dear to him. Macbeth’s story truly is a tragedy and he is in every respect a tragic