Preview

macbeths flaw

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
697 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
macbeths flaw
Macbeth's vaulting ambition, though it is what brings him to his height of power, it is also what leads him to his downfall. Vaulting Ambition is one of Macbeth's flaws; it disables him to achieve his utmost goals and forces him to face his fate. Without this ambition, though, Macbeth never would have been able to achieve his power as King of Scotland or have been able to carry out his evil deeds. In these instances, ambition helped Macbeth do what he wanted to do. But, consequently, Macbeth's ambition has another face and is what leads him to his tragic downfall. Had he not been so enveloped with becoming King and remaining powerful, he would not have continued to kill innocent people in order to keep his position. It was because of these killings and his overbearing attitude that caused him to be overthrown and killed himself. Macbeth, at the beginning of the play seems to be a very noble person.
He is characterized as being very loyal and honourable. He fights in the battle against Norway which proves his loyalty, and then he is appointed Thane of Cawdor which proves that he is honourable in the eyes of royalty. However, as soon as the witches spark ambition in him, he is no longer trustworthy and becomes evil and deceiving. Even before he reaches his home, thoughts of murder creep into his head and he is overcome with the desire to be powerful.
The prince of Cumberland: that is a step on which I must not fall down, or else o erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires, the eye wink at the hand. Yet let that be, which the eye fears when it is done to see (Shakespeare 21). At this point in the play, Macbeth's ambition starts to come into view. The seed has been planted, and there is no turning back. Macbeth becomes bloodthirsty and powerstricken forcing himself further and further into a web of ambition from which he is unable to detatch himself. Macbeth's ambition is what allowed him to become powerful.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Macbeth flies like a rock; in the air, then on the ground. Noble many called him before his wife swayed his mind in the wrong way. Soon the selfish idea began to pour like molten iron into his head, soon cooling and becoming fixed in place, and extremely hard to take out. Heavy like it too; influential it is. This idea leads to his homicidal breakdown, becoming a cruel killer and tyrant - loved by none. Antagonist some may call him, and I am no exception to that title he bears. He believes he is invincible: untouchable, thus his fatal flaw leading to his…

    • 105 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although ambition is typically described as a positive quality that promotes the betterment of oneself and success in an individual’s life, an overabundance of ambition soon leads to the opposite effect. This lack of self-control over one's desires eventually leads that person losing their sense of morality and caution, which results in their demise. This is the case in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, in which the titular character’s over-ambitious nature leads him to sacrifice his honour in order to pursue his goal of becoming the king. His greed transforms him from a morally upright noble into a despicably ruthless villain. This dramatic change in character is shown through his many soliloquies and asides that reveal his innermost thoughts of initial doubt, but by the end, his arrogant and foolish personality. Through the tale of this tragic character, Shakespeare suggests that ambition without self-control is a harmful quality that leads to the corruption and the downfall of a once righteous person.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Tragic Flaw essay

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages

    His hesitancy over committing regicide, “We will proceed no further in this business…”(I.vii) is also evidence of the fact that he is not an innately ‘evil’ person.…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare produced the tragedy Macbeth in roughly 1606. The protagonist, Macbeth, is rivalled with several challenges throughout his journey to achieve the title as the King of Scotland. He acknowledges these challenges with immoral actions, as advised by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Through his responses, Macbeth’s character flaws are revealed, such as his deteriorating moral judgment, corrupted sanity and his most fatal flaw of all, ambition. Macbeth’s mental health and moral judgment attribute to his character flaws, promoting the concept that human nature consists of both positive and negative aspects.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the start of the play Macbeth is brave and loyal and displays many of the attributes of a great king. However after conversing with the three witches his state of mind goes on a downward spiral eventually ending in his demise. His thirst for power and wealth cause him to act foolishly and with haste rather than waiting to see if the witches’ predictions come true. It is clear from Macbeths reaction to King Duncan telling Malcom that he will be Prince of Cumberland that Macbeths desires have already started to take a toll on his mind ‘That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, For in my way it lies.’ (I. IV. 48). This clearly shows that ambition is taking away Macbeths rational thoughts and he is choosing to act without thought towards the consequences and is only focused on his goal of becoming…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people have hopes and goals that they would like to accomplish. They may desire powerful positions or jobs, while others may desire prosperity and riches. This is known as ambition, the spell binding force that leads people towards success. However, ambition may result in harmful acts to get their satisfaction. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, is described as a very loyal and noble soldier. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s character dramatically changes because of several different factors. These factors influence Macbeth greatly and cause him to make numerous bad decisions. The influence of the witches’ prophecies, the influence of Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s blind ambitions are the most important factors that lead to Macbeth’s tragic deterioration.…

    • 1283 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    One’s ambition can over power them and cause them to act differently. Macbeths ambition over powers him and controls who he really is not. “The prince of Cumberland! That is a step on…the eye fears when it is done, to see.” (1.4.311) Macbeth knows that killing Duncan is not right because he states, “…it’s necessary to hide his black and deep desires.” The ambition that Macbeth is portraying is careless. Macbeth’s ambition led him to only focusing on one thing and it was the throne. He became…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    While reading the play Macbeth it becomes clear that ambition can be both beneficial and destructive. Throughout the play Macbeth has a great ambition to kill Duncan. The determination and hard work he has to kill Duncan is very powerful. Mac beth says “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight?”(Shakesphere63) Macbeth…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His eager and impatient schemes for power and influence led to an overwhelming guilt that ended in self-reproach and shame. His drive to become king instigated actions he would never have done if achieving his goal wasn’t so concrete and tangible. Ambition alone can occasionally be a good thing, helping one to reach their end goal, but when that motivation is taken over the edge and makes one feel guilty and weak willed it is often considered a fatal flaw. Shakespeare does not give Macbeth the opportunity to enjoy what he achieved, proving that it is more satisfying to attain your goals fairly than to obtain them through malicious and corrupt actions. When Macbeth realizes the only to achieve the throne was to kill Duncan, his first defiling act was committed, leading to shame and remorse: "How is’t with me, when every noise appals me? What hands are here!...No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red” (Act II, scene II, line). The color green symbolizes Macbeth’s remorse and disdain towards his actions, showing that his ambition led to destruction of his personality and self awareness. The murder of Duncan was the beginning of Macbeth’s path to self destruction and moral corruption.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Downfall

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages

    If one has the firmness of killing another, will that person collapse to the forces of guilt and turn themselves in, or will that person suffer the effects of guilt and try to live through their troubles? Guilt can cause many people to turn themselves in or can make people succumb into a deep hole. In the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare reveals that the effects of guilt can cause the downfall of one's status and more importantly, their inner being.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is Macbeth A Tyrant?

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Shakespeare wrote many works of literature that covered many different topics. In Macbeth, one of his main topics was ambition. Macbeth was driven by ambition causing him to commit his first murder. He then begins to commit other crimes including murder again in order to cover up for his other crimes. Eventually, Macbeth is seen as a tyrant that loses his life for it. We assume that Lady Macbeth also goes crazy but in reality she is plotting and calculating. Her greed and conscious begin to weigh heavy on her and she ends up committing suicide. Proof of this is when Lady Macbeth says, “It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should accompany it.” (N.p., n.d. Web Dec 2015). Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to become king so badly that she pushes him to commit murder so that he may become king. He ends up giving in to their ambition by killing Duncan after Lady Macbeth belittles him and makes him believe she will leave him. Although…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays the theme of ambition within the story. Ambition can be shown in many different ways, many of them being good. But Shakespeare showed it differently in Macbeth, a more murderous way. It can be argued though that his ambition to become king is caused by different people. Once the three weird witches tell Macbeth his future, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51-53), he got the taste of power and had a motive to kill whomever got in his way of becoming king.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Corruption

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages

    As a common definition, a tyrant is a cruel and oppressive ruler, while, in ancient Greece, a tyrant is referred to as a ruler who seized power unconstitutionally or inherited such power. In the mind of Shakespeare, it is clear he believes that anyone who is a tyrant is also inherently corrupt; these individuals, as demonstrated in Macbeth, obtain control in an unjust way, quickly adapt to their role in a self-destructive manner, and receive their comeuppance in the end. Due to this, Shakespeare demonstrates the idea of how absolute power corrupts absolutely and all who exploit their power will be destroyed in the end through the use of motifs such as sleep and blood among the characters, his emphasis on Macbeth's diminishing sense of morality,…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Down Fall

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is about a king’s rise to power and later his defeat. Macbeth’s ambition is the reason he became king. The power of ambition is the motivation to achieve a higher status. The power of ambition drives Macbeth to become the leader that he is. The power of ambition affects the characters in Macbeth. Firstly, the power of ambition makes the characters less loyal to their friends, family and country. Secondly, the power of ambition influences the unconscious mind. Thirdly, ambition gives the characters a false scene of security. Thus, the play Macbeth points out that the power of ambition is dangerous when you stop considering what is moral or reasonable.…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Firstly, it is clear that ambition is important to the Macbeth play because throughout most of the play, Macbeth does everything to protect his position on the throne. This demonstrates ambition because Macbeth is willing to do anything to protect his power. “ …For mine own good/ All causes shall give way; I am in blood/ Stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (3, 4, 166-169) As this quote demonstrates Macbeth, suggests that once you murder you cannot stop, hence the reason it is so easy from him to continue to murder. Macbeth became power-hungry, which drove him to do anything, to keep any power he had. Macbeth sent assassins to kill Banquo, a dear friend of his, because he was a so called threat. Even though Banquo was the man who would never become king, but his kids would. Macbeth shows fear in this situation, because he feels that Banquo is a threat to his throne, which led to Banquo being murdered. This proves ambition because he had the drive to take action on a situation where he felt threatened. He has a goal to keep his throne and is not planning on giving it up anytime soon. This is important because it gives emphasis on the…

    • 1537 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays