Macbeth's Downfall

William Shakespeare started writing tragedies because he thought the tragic plots of his time were lacking artistic purpose and form. His work was extraordinary in that it was not of the norm for the time. His tragedies focused on the fall of a notable person, with suspense and climax thrown in to capture the attention of the audience. In the plays of Shakespeare, the tragic hero is always a noble man who enjoys some status and prosperity in society but possesses some moral weakness or flaw which leads to his downfall. External circumstances such as fate or supernatural entities also play a part in the hero's fall. Evil agents often act upon the hero and the forces of good, causing the hero to make wrong decisions. Innocent people always feel
The play begins by immediately linking Macbeth to the forces of evil and the supernatural in the form of three witches. Shortly afterwards, he and his friend Banquo are confronted by the witches, who tell him that he will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and will become king. Macbeth realizes that the only way he can become king is to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth, just as ambitious as and more ruthless than her husband, finally goads him into committing the murder. Macbeth goes through with the murder of Duncan, but the act marks the beginning of his descent into guilt, paranoia, psychological disturbance, and tyranny. His worst acts are the hired assassination of his friend Banquo and the slaughter of the family of Macduff, a noble who has been openly opposed to him. Macbeth publicly reveals his guilt when the ghost of Banquo appears to him (and to him only) at a celebration feast; Macbeth's bizarre behavior as he "confronts" the ghost makes it clear to everyone that he has been involved in the murders of Duncan and Banquo. Distraught, Macbeth returns to the witches for more information about his future, and they conjure several apparitions, who tell him to beware Macduff; that "no man born of woman" will harm him; and that he will never be defeated until the trees of Great Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane castle. The witches' last apparition
It is also a tale of Lear's pride and his blindness to the truth about his three daughters and others around him. As the play opens, Lear, a well-respected King, wants someone to take over his duties. He announces that he will divide his kingdom among his three daughters on the basis of how much they can gush about how much they love him. The two eldest, Goneril and Regan, say what they must in order to win a big share of his wealth and power. The youngest daughter, Cordelia, is the most sincere and true to Lear, and instead tells him that she "loves his majesty according to her duty, neither more or less." Lear sees this as ingratitude, and cuts Cordelia off entirely, along with Kent; a friend of Lear’s who tries to intervene. The King of France comes to Cordelia's rescue by offering to marry her. Lear decides to divide his time equally between Goneril and Regan, living with each daughter and her husband for a month at a time. Lear lives first with Goneril and her husband, the Duke of Albany. However, Goneril soon tires of the burden and sends Lear off to Regan. Regan, too, wants no part of caring for her father, and she and her husband, the Duke of Cornwall, leave to stay at the castle of the Earl of Gloucester. At Gloucester's castle, Goneril, Regan, and Lear engage in a bitter confrontation. Infuriated by Goneril and