Since ancient Greeks’ times tragedy has always been a popular genre. A tragedy concerns the fall and destruction of a great and virtuous literary character, known as the tragic hero, who makes a wrong decision or has a “fatal flaw” within. This “fatal flaw” combined with destiny and supernatural forces, causes the destruction of the tragic hero. Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, is a great example of tragedy. In Macbeth, Shakespeare displays how Macbeth goes from being the savior of his country to a brutal and evil murderer because of his own “tragic flaw” that caused his complete downfall.
In the beginning of Act 1, we are introduced to Macbeth, the hero and savior of his country. Macbeth has just won a great battle against, the “merciless Macdonwald,” the enemy of the King of Scotland, Duncan. The captain told the king that “all's too weak…For brave Macbeth well he deserved that name…Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel…Which smoked with bloody execution…Like valor's minion carved out his passage…Till he faced the slave”. In addition, has also conquered the armies of the king of Norway and the Scottish traitor, the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is recognized as a “valiant…worthy gentleman.” When King Duncan, hears the news of Macbeth’s victory he immediately orders Macbeth to be greeted from there on as “Thane of Cawdor,” and that “what [Macdonwald] hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.” Macbeth is admired for his bravery in battle, which makes him be worthy of taking the crown.
In Act 1, scene 3, after a great victory, Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches, who tell them both their own prophecies. The three witches greet Macbeth by calling him, “Thane of Glamis… Thane of Cawdor… Macbeth that shalt be King hereafter!” By saying this each of them is telling Macbeth his past, present, and future, declaring that he will be king of Scotland soon. They then tell Banquo that “[he] shalt get kings, though [he] be none.” After hearing this, Macbeth is in shock and begins to ponder on the option of killing King Duncan, he is “yield to that suggestion” to accomplish the rest of witches’ prophecies. These “horrible imaginings,” Macbeth says “shakes so [his] single state of man that functions [which] is smothered in surmise.” Macbeth starts to wonders to himself, “If chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.” Macbeth pushes the thoughts aside and just puts an end to them by saying “Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day.” Once Macbeth is in front of King Duncan, Duncan tells him that he has “begun to plant [him] and will labor to make [him] full of growing” However, after Macbeth hears that Malcolm, the son of Duncan, is named “hereafter The Prince of Cumberland,” he gets jealous and says to himself “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies.” Realizing his thoughts Macbeth says to himself, “Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
Macbeth tries very to push this thoughts aside, however, when his wife Lady Macbeth hears the prophecies made by the witches about Macbeth, she begins to influence and manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan by calling him a “coward” and telling him that “When [he] durst do it, then [he is] a man. And to be more than what [he is], [he] would be so much more the man” When Macbeth looks worried about killing Duncan she tells him to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” Macbeth starts to think of reasons for not killing the king he states that he is “his kinsman and his subject…then, as his host” However, Macbeth states that “sides of [his] intent [to kill Duncan are] but only vaulting ambition” for power which he wants deeply. By the end of Act I, we see Macbeth is in a fight with his conscience, and is ambitious for power.
Macbeth with the help of Lady Macbeth commits the murder of Duncan. Once he has become king and no one seems to be suspicious of him, Macbeth becomes paranoid, thinking that someone will try to do to him the same thing he did to Duncan. Banquo begins to notice that was Macbeth is “king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and [he] fear[s] [Macbeth] play'dst most foully for't” by killing Duncan. Macbeth also begins to get suspicious of Banquo and says that “[Banquo’s] being [he] do fear; and under him [his] genius is rebuked” just like “Mark Antony’s was by Caesar.” He orders Banquo to be killed stating, “it is concluded, Banquo, thy soul’s flight, if it find heaven, must find it out tonight.” Later on, Macbeth goes to meet the witches, so that they could tell him his future once again. Three apparitions appear that tell Macbeth to “beware of Macduff,” that “none of women born shall harm [him]” and he “shall never vanquished…until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” Macbeth quickly gives an order for Macduff’s family to killed, and becomes too overoptimistic of his power causing him to make a mistake.
All of these three prophecies were fulfilled. The first one just warned Macbeth of Macduff who wants Macbeth “front to front” with himself so he can avenge his family. The second prophecy if fulfilled when Malcolm and his army are going to battle with Macbeth. Malcolm commands “every soldier hew down a bough [of Birnam Wood] and bear’t before him,” therefore camouflaging and making a surprise attack on Macbeth. The last prophecy that told Macbeth that “no man born of women” shall ever harm him become true because the only one that does harm him is Macduff, who wasn’t “born of women” but rather “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.” Once Macduff comes face to face with Macbeth, Macbeth tells him that he has been avoiding him because “[his] soul is too much charged with blood of [his] already.” Macduff replies that “[his] voice is in his sword” and will kill him. Convinced of the witches’ prophecy Macbeth replies that Macduff is wasting his attempts to kill him because he “bear[s] a charmed life, which must not yield to one of women born.” However, Macduff replies that “[he] was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped,” therefore, he wasn’t “born of women.” Macbeth is in shock and curses the witches for telling him “juggling fiends” that contained a “double sense” to them. Then he tells Macduff that will not fight him. Therefore, Macduff tells Macbeth to “yield…and live to be the show and gaze o’ the time.” Macbeth however, states that he “will not yield, to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet and to be baited with the rabble’s curse.” So Macbeth and Macduff fight, eventually Macduff wins and come back with the head of Macbeth to show his victory to Malcolm. Macduff kills him making the prophecy accurate that none of women born shall harm Macbeth.”
Macbeth started out as the “noble…valiant, savior” of his country, he was admired even by the King Duncan. However, Macbeth’s own “fatal flaw” of “vaulting ambition” caused him to murder Duncan and others who were innocent. Having too much pride and overconfidence caused him to make a mistake and believe no one could kill him. He believed the witches prophecies and didn’t know he was acknowledging each prophecy in a different way. As each prophecy was fulfilled, Macbeth still didn’t give up and ended up getting destroyed. His “fatal flaw” was the destruction of his mortal life thus, making him a tragic hero.