Macbeth's Tragic Flaw Quotes

Greed is a quality that many have, but too much of it can be catastrophic. In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character Macbeth has a tragic flaw that leads to his eventual downfall. A tragic hero is generally defined as someone who has great potential; someone who is born into nobility and could have a great future. However, they are doomed to fail and often die because of a tragic flaw. These characters usually learn a lesson from their deeds. However, it is usually too late for them to have a happy ending. These characteristics apply to Macbeth, whose greatest flaw is his greed for power. Shakespeare uses characterization, conflict, irony, and foreshadowing to show the audience that Macbeth is a tragic hero.
Shakespeare accurately

depicts Macbeth as a tragic hero in many ways. Macbeth has an enormous amount of potential at the start of this play, potentially on the path to greatness. However, a visit from the Witches shows us that Macbeth is very greedy, which is his tragic flaw. Macbeth was born into nobility, given the title Thane of Glamis by the King. He eventually takes the name Thane of Cawdor during Act one of this play. Macbeth eventually meets a tragic death, falling because of his actions as the tyrant King of Scotland. Macbeth eventually learns that his actions have consequences and that his greed was what caused his downfall, but he learned this too late to save himself. Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a tragic hero using many literary devices.
One of the first ways Shakespeare characterizes Macbeth as a tragic hero is through the use of characterization.

Macbeth began this play with a great future ahead of him: a Thane to the King with a great life and many friends. Shortly after Macbeth is given the title Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth and his companion Banquo encounter a group of witches. The witches are portrayed as wicked and menacing, saying “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Act 1, Scene 1). This quote shows that what appears to be fair and good, similar to that of Macbeth at the beginning of this play. This quote also applies to the Witches themselves. The Witches’ prophecies to Banquo and Macbeth appear to be fair and very appealing to the men, but are actually very deceiving and leads to Macbeth’s ultimate downfall. Following Macbeth’s visit by the witches, he tells Lady Macbeth of his encounter but says that he does not wish to kill King Duncan to become King. Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth as an evil mastermind, using her powers of seduction to challenge Macbeth’s masculinity. Macbeth may not have murdered for the throne if it was not for the actions of Lady Macbeth, who accuses Macbeth of being too kind hearted to take the closest path to the throne. Macbeth’s downfall begins with the actions that his wife convinces him to take. Shakespeare uses characterization to show that Macbeth is a tragic hero, but these characters’ actions also cause many conflicts that lead to Macbeth’s

downfall.
There are many conflicts that help portray Macbeth as a tragic hero. One of the first conflicts that Macbeth encounters are a group of witches. They hail Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor and as King. Macbeth doubts the truthfulness of their prophecies, but he is soon given the new title Thane of Cawdor for his valor in battle. Macbeth is so tempted by the thought of being a king that his greed takes over and he kills Duncan. Another conflict that Macbeth faces is his internal conflicts: his greed and his guilt from his deeds. Macbeth wants to get the throne as a result of his greed, but his actions leave behind a guilt that is shown using the quote “Macbeth doth sleep no more, Macbeth hath murdered sleep.” (Act 2, Scene 2). By murdering the king, Macbeth has caused permanent consequences for himself and his wife: never-ending guilt. Macbeth’s remorse is caused by another conflict in this play: Macbeth and all of the murders he has committed. Macbeth’s original sin is killing the valiant Duncan, but Macbeth realizes that he must keep killing people in order to maintain his role as king of Scotland. The people of Scotland eventually realize that Macbeth is a tyrant who must be stopped, so Macduff travels to England to retrieve the rightful heir to the throne: Malcolm, Duncan’s son. This leads to Macbeth's final conflict: the people of Scotland. Macbeth no longer has any of the things he wished for: friends, loyalty, or happiness. Most of Macbeth’s men abandon him because of his actions as king, and Macbeth is eventually killed as a result of his greed. Macbeth’s own ambition to seize the throne by killing Duncan directly causes his downfall as a tragic hero. As Macbeth progresses as a corrupt king during this play, many ironic moments occur that portray Macbeth as a tragic hero.
Many examples of irony portray Macbeth as a tragic hero. As Macbeth is considering the fact that Duncan will soon be killed , he says “Hear it not, Duncan for it a knell That summons thee to heaven, or to hell.” (Act 2, Scene 1) This is extremely ironic because Macbeth’s deeds that night would damn him to hell, so he should be worrying about his own soul’s fate instead of the fate of his victim. Macbeth does this many times during this play, again when he kills Banquo and in the killing of Macduff’s family. Immediately following Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth tries to soothe her husband, saying “A little water clears us of this deed: How easy it is then!” (Act 2, Scene 2) Shakespeare uses irony here to foreshadow to the audience that washing away the blood will not rid the Macbeth’s of the guilt they will have from their actions. Shakespeare uses comedic characters to ease some tension after tense scenes. One of these examples in this play is during Act 2 Scene 3, where a drunken porter is traveling to answer the door to Macbeth’s castle. The porter pretends to be hell’s gatekeeper, which is very ironic considering the deeds that Macbeth and his wife performed during the night. Shakespeare uses irony to show that Macbeth’s greed will lead to his downfall as a tragic hero.
Shakespeare also uses many examples of foreshadowing to portray to the readers that Macbeth will fall as a tragic hero. As explained previously, Macbeth receives a prophecy stating that he will be king of Scotland. Banquo is also given a prophecy, the witches telling him “Lesser than Macbeth and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (Act 1, Scene 3). This shows the audience that Banquo will have a son who will become king. Shakespeare uses the witches to foreshadow future conflict between Macbeth and Banquo. Shakespeare also uses the witches’ prophecies to foreshadow Macbeth’s tragic death. Macbeth is told that no man born of woman shall harm him and that he could not be destroyed until the woods move towards the castle. Macbeth does not realize the loopholes in these prophecies, giving him a faulty sense of security. The prophecies of the witches foreshadow that somehow, these events will come true. We as an audience know this because most tragic plays end in the downfall of the tragic hero, Macbeth. Shakespeare uses these events to foreshadow the tragic fall of Macbeth and his path from greatness to greed.
Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of a tragic hero. He begins his story as a great and noble man with a terrific life. However, he becomes corrupted by his greed and begins on a path of murder and treason. Macbeth meets a tragic death during battle, losing everything he held dear to him at the start of the play. In the end, Macbeth learns that his greed is what caused his downfall and that becoming king by force was not what he thought it would be. However, he learns this much too late. The extremity of Macbeth’s greed is meant to teach the audience to be benevolent and shows that one deed can forever alter your life.