A greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said “A man’s character is his fate.” Everyone has flaws. Some that may be more serious than others. For example, some people may have an addiction to gambling, while some people don’t remember to shut the lights off. People’s flaws come back to haunt them after a while. The tragedy of Macbeth is a prime example of this. William James, the author of The Principles of Psychology, wrote “We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, never to be undone.” Therefore in Macbeth, whether they were good or evil, it didn’t matter because their flaws eventually led to their downfall. Many of the characters die because of their flaws. Not every character deserved their fate though. Some characters have a minor flaw, like Duncan, which shouldn’t have lead to their demise. Other characters do have major flaws, which is what would eventually lead them to their death anyway.
The first Thane of Cawdor betrayed his king, Duncan, by trying to lead a revolution against England. The Thane wanted the throne of England for himself and as a result was murdered by Macbeth. He was greedy and wanted more power and that is what lead to his demise. According to Ross, he was a “disloyal traitor”. His murder was not disheartening because the Thane of Cawdor deserved his fate. He was leading a battle, in which many lost their lives, for the sake of greed and he deserved to die for that. If you pledge allegiance to someone or something, they trust and believe in you for their safety as well as other’s safety. To break that trust is treason and in the time that Macbeth was written, treason equaled death. That is why he was killed and that is why he deserved it.
Banquo on the other hand is a more interestin...
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...han any of the other characters because he killed so many people.
Every character that died in Macbeth had one fatal flaw because everyone has flaws. Some flaws are more serious than others. People’s flaws come back to haunt them after a while. The first Thane of Cawdor was a traitor. Duncan was too trusting. Banquo didn’t do anything about the knowledge he had. Lady Macbeth helped plot the murder of Duncan. Last but not least, Macbeth destroyed the natural order and harmony of nature. Not all of the characters who died deserved to die just because of their flaws. Duncan shouldn’t have been punished for trusting someone and Banquo would have said something, but was waiting for the right time or some physical evidence. If Macbeth had not been so ambitious, none of the problems that occurred would have. In the end their flaws were the cause to their demise.
Duncan was taken from our lives far too soon. He had a few enemies, some of which wanted his place in the throne. He was viciously murdered purely for his position as King. His death signified the start of destruction and continuous acts of murder throughout Scotland. His death was guided by three witches who manipulated an honest soldier to commit a horrifying crime. Macbeth further exceeded this with his desire for power and it pushed him and his wife over the edge committing the ultimate crime. Duncan was a good and honest man who didn’t deserve to be disgraced in such a
Before hearing of this wonderful news, Macbeth speaks to three witches that predict he will be Thane of Cawdor and eventually king. Obviously, in disbelief he leaves, not yet knowing that he has earned the title. He then meets with a man who tells him this. When meeting with the king he is quoted as saying, “The service and the loyalty I woe, In doing it, pays itself. Your highness’ part Is to receive our duties: and our duties Are to your throne and state, children and servants; Which do but what they should, by doing every thing Safe toward your love and honour.” (i, iv) This quote shows Macbeth’s honor and appreciation for his king and his country.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was a kind and gentle person. The only time he killed is when he was in battle. Macbeth was loyal to the King (Duncan), and did as he wished. In battle, he kills a traitor to the Scotland who was a high ranking individual. For killing the traitor so bravely, Macbeth is awarded the title the Thane of Cawdor. The irony of this situation is that the title first did indeed belonged to 'a most disloyal traitor'(pg. 3, line 53). As Macbeth heads home with his new title and a lot more ambition. This is mainly because of the three witches who tell him he will be king. With this new ambition, Macbeth did not know what to think and he wrote a letter to his wife. By Macbeth writing this letter it showed at this stage he was still loyal because he still was sharing everything with his wife. Macbeth at this point still did not have a lust for power.
Macbeth, the main character in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth was not secure in his manhood. This insecurity led to the downfall of Macbeth because he felt the need to prove himself to Lady Macbeth. After he proved himself by killing Duncan, Macbeth became desensitized to killing.
Typical of Shakespeare’s works, the play Macbeth has a protagonist who ultimately experiences a downfall that lead to his demise. The protagonist or tragic hero of this play is Macbeth, once brave and honorable, who eventually becomes tyrannical and feared by many due to what Abrams describes as his “hamartia” or “error of judgment or, as it is often…translated, his tragic flaw.” In this case, Macbeth’s tragic flaw proves to be ambition; however, he cannot be held solely responsible for his downfall. As a result of many outside influential factors, including the witches’ prophecies and a rather coaxing and persuasive wife, one should not hold Macbeth entirely culpable for his actions and tragic end.
Thane of Cawdor betrays Scotland, so he gets death as his punishment for not being loyal. In the text King Duncan says, “Assisted by the most disloyal traitor/ our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death” (1.2). Thane of Cawdor commits treason, so it leads him to his death after Scotland finds out of his wrong doings. To punish the Thane of Cawdor more harshly, his titles and possessions are taken away from him. After knowing what the Thane of Cawdor committed
Macbeth’s visions and the prophecies of the witches cause Macbeth to make poor decisions, which lead him to his eventual downfall. Macbeth started off as a noble, virtuous man, he was loyal to the king and was well respected by the other noblemen. The prophecies and hallucinations corrupted Macbeth’s intentions and as a result, Macbeth became power hungry and overzealous. A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders.
The play Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy; therefore, fate plays an extremely important role in Macbeth’s downfall through its inevitable characteristics and use foreshadowing. The majority of the characters die because of the hero and their flaw which leads them to make bad decisions. Hence, it is destined for Macbeth to commit evil acts such as murdering King Duncan, his good friend, and plotting against his fellow thane as a result of his tragic flaw, excessive ambition. Additionally, in a Shakespearean tragedy, there is always an aspe...
The result is his first major crime, killing the king. Therefore, it appears that Macbeth judges people by their appearance and is led into a tragedy. The three characters, Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth exhibit error in judgment in that they cannot distinguish between appearances and reality. This error of judgment leads them to their respective downfalls. This theme is also very relevant in modern society as politicians, business and religious leaders present one face to the public and another to family and friends.
Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition and it consequentially leads to his downfall and ultimate demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero who is introduced in the the play as being well-liked and respected by the general and the people. He brings his death upon himself from this tragic flaw. His strengths turn into his weaknesses and his ambition drives him to the edge and sets himself up for his tragic death.
The Thane of Cawdor, as it turns out, was a traitor working for the rebels, and is to be executed on Friday at sunrise. King Duncan has awarded Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor, taking place of the traitor.
Seeking for greater power, Macbeth murders Duncan who is the king at that time, which caused a great pain for the kingdom. Duncan is a great king, but just not a so good human reader. He has never been aware of Macbeth. He never have a thought that Macbeth might be a danger, who is willing to kill him for the throne. On the other hand, Macbeth does not accept to be just a general for the rest of his life. He wants a greater power, higher position than he is having at the time. Because of the suggests from the trio witches: “ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”(1.2.49-50), Macbeth has the thinking about killing the king to take his throne. By calling Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor, they give Macbeth the thought that being a king is his fate. On the night Macbeth is planning to murder Duncan, the Old Man see many strange events: “And Duncan’s horses (a thing most strange and certain),/ Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, /Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out/ Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would/ Make war with mankind” (2.4.14-18). It creates a scary feeling in the kingdom, and means something bad will happen to the kingdom.
In order for Macbeth to become king, he killed King Duncan, which made a lot of people dislike Macbeth. MAcbeth chose to do this since he chose power over integrity. Macbeth made his image even worse as he continued to murder people and act like a fool. This led people to dislike Macbeth even more and then realize that he was not a smart King. Lastly, since Macbeth was not a likeable character he should be condemned and disdained due to his idiotic behaviors. In the end of the play, he was killed, which was the right thing to do in order to have Scotland back as a happy and striving
His fatal flaw was exploited by the witches who toy with his mind, when Macbeth thought he was merely fulfilling his fate, and Lady Macbeth's manipulation. However we also remember that his ambition was more important than other people's lives; the murder of his best friend Banquo, Lady Macduff and Macduff's son, and even the suicidal death of Lady Macbeth, which he seemed not to care about. However describing Macbeth as a “dead butcher” isn't a fair summary of his character. His downfall was more emotional than this, if we remember the loyal soldier Macbeth was to begin with.
He started out as someone reliable, kind, wise, and brave. He was a self-less man who made the wellbeing of his country Scotland a priority. In war, he fought gallantly for his king and proved himself as being someone worthy of trust. The king was so impressed with Macbeth’s bravery that he rewarded him with a title, “Thane of Cawdor”. With just the slightest taste of power granted to him, Macbeth turns from being a kind man to a blood thirsty murderer. His newly awarded title wouldn’t be enough for him. Macbeth had a strong desire to prove himself to his wife. In addition, she taunted him to kill King Duncan, a terrible deed. “That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.” ( 1.7-48 ) Macbeths new courage pushed him to commit an unforgivable crime and molded him into being someone overly ambitious. Ambition used in a positive way can bring good to the world. Macbeth’s over ambition quickly lead to his down