Examples Of Character Flaws In Macbeth

Throughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, characters openly demonstrate positive and negative aspects of their personality and morals. Macbeth’s evil character flaws overpower his pleasant characteristics, resulting in extremely malicious thoughts and actions through the play. His first character flaw, ambition, leads Macbeth to arrange and commit multiple violent, bloody murders. Macbeth is very naive during the play, showing that his second character flaw, gullibility, allows other people surrounding him to easily manipulate his beliefs. Macbeth's third character flaw, paranoia, develops through the course of the play and motivate him to imagine false situations. These character flaws cause Macbeth to become mentally unstable and

delusional. Therefore, Macbeth’s character flaws are a direct result of his downfall.

Firstly, Macbeth’s ambition leads him towards corrupt, unnecessarily cruel actions and to ignore the consequences involved. Macbeth finally admits to himself, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other” (1.7.25-28).

This is an extremely critical point of realization for Macbeth, he confesses that his ambition overpowers his mental state causing him to develop very hateful thoughts. Macbeth’s desire to become king switches his consideration of killing King Duncan to being unquestionably ready to kill the king. Macbeth now knows that he is willing to do anything to get what he wants. By this point, Macbeth’s ambition controls his outlook on his capabilities and morals as a human being. This change of character within Macbeth is the beginning of the path that leads him to his downfall. As Macbeth starts to walk towards Duncan’s room, he thinks to himself, “I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. / Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or hell” (2.1.62-64). Macbeth’s ambition to become a powerful king pushes him over the edge and causes him to follow through with the most shockingly evil crime. Killing King Duncan gives Macbeth the greatest opportunity to become the king and gain a new power. He misuses this power during his time as king, which results in many people distrusting their new leader. Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan is the initial factor that leads him to his downfall.

Macbeth wants to ensure he stays king, so he instructs two murderers, “And with him / Leave no rubs nor botches in the work, Fleance, his son… / Whose absence is no less material to me / Than his father’s, must embrace the fate / Of that dark hour” (3.1.135-140). Macbeth wants to continue to be the king and guarantee that his children will have a future as king. To ensure that this will happen, Macbeth is willing to kill his best friend and a 9 year old boy, eliminating the slightest possibility of anyone taking his position in the future. This action is so cruel it causes Macbeth to see the ghost of Banquo and freak out in front of his thanes during a dinner celebration. This outburst causes multiple people to view Macbeth differently and lose respect for him, resulting in the revolutionizing battle against Macbeth later in the play. Therefore, Macbeth’s ambition becomes too strong it overpowers him and his actions, leading to his downfall.

Macbeth reveals he is very naive throughout the play by allowing others to smoothly deceive him into believing inaccurate behaviors are the right thing to do. Macbeth receives the three prophecies from the witches, and ponders to himself, “Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor : / The greatest is behind” (1.3.116-117). Macbeth does not suspect that the witches are supernatural creatures that could be attempting to manipulate him. The witches easily get inside Macbeth’s head, making him believe that the prophecies will come true, this shows that Macbeth is very naive and vulnerable during this time. The false accusations said the witches is the first statement that influences Macbeth to kill Duncan, which later leads him to his downfall. Lady Macbeth angrily says to her husband, “What beast was’t then / That made you break this enterprise to me? / When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.47-49). Macbeth’s wife has a very powerful impact on Macbeth during the beginning of the play. While Macbeth is unsure of commiting murder, she convinces him to believe that killing Duncan is a great idea. He thinks he must prove to her that he is a man by following through with his plan. Lady Macbeth quickly changes Macbeth’s outlook, proving that Macbeth is very gullible. At the end of the play, Macbeth receives three warnings from the apparitions, he immediately begins to plan his next course of action, “Then live, Macduff, what need I fear of thee? / But yet I’ll make assurance double sure / And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live, / That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies” (4.1.81.84). Macbeth has never come in to contact with the creepy, supernatural apparitions before this point. His gullibility causes him to immediately believe their warnings and plan action against Macduff. Macbeth has become so desperate by this point in the play, that he will believe anything anyone tells him. His action against Macduff result in terribly inhumane killings of innocent bystanders, digging himself into a deeper grave. Therefore, Macbeth’s gullibility causes him to believe false statements, leading him to his downfall.

Finally, Macbeth’s paranoia rapidly increases over the course of the play, leading him to his downfall.

After Macbeth kills Duncan, he fears that Banquo is suspicious, “To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be fear’d” (3.1.49-52). Macbeth assumes that Banquo is wary of the recent murder. He is very worried that Banquo suspects he has something to do with Duncan’s death. Macbeth does not want to get caught and face harsh consequences for killing a great king, so he devises a plan to kill Banquo. Many people become suspicious after there are two very violent murders close to one another, making Macbeth look more guilty. Immediately after Macbeth murders Duncan, he says to himself, “Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more: / Macbeth does murder sleep’ “ (2.2.38-39). Macbeth feels guilty immediately after he kills Duncan, paranoia causes him to hear voices inside his head. As the play progresses, these voices grow stronger and more powerful, they begin to take control of Macbeth and cause him to act and think delusionally. This results in his peers losing respect and loyalty towards him. Macbeth fears there are spies around him, so he tells Ross, “I hear it by the way, but I will send. / There’s not a one of them but in his house / I keep a servant feed” (3.4.130-132). Macbeth imagines Macduff has sent spies to watch everything he is doing. This shows that Macbeth is

extremely paranoid by this point in the play because he has murdered multiple people and does not want anyone to find out. Macbeth plans to take action and plant spies in Macduff’s house, which causes more friction between the two characters. Therefore paranoia leads Macbeth to not trust anyone and question things around him, leading him to his downfall.

As a result, Macbeth’s character flaws are the major influences that lead to his death. Ambition is one of Macbeth’s hamartia because he takes it too far, overpowering his mind and lead him to murder powerful people. Macbeth is very naive, showing that his next character flaw gives manipulative people the power to convince him to commit incredibly wrong actions. Macbeth’s paranoia grows stronger and leads him to believe unrealistic scenarios. Overall, Macbeth’s three character flaws, ambition, gullibility and paranoia lead him to his own downfall. Therefore, don’t let the bad overpower the good within yourself.