In Shakespeare’s famous tragedy play Macbeth; a tragic character flaw exists within Macbeth’s character. Throughout the play, we are able to see the development of Macbeth’s tragic character flaw and how Macbeth makes his decisions because of it. Because of the decisions Macbeth makes throughout the play, it leads to his downfall and ultimately, death. There are a numerous of reasons why his flaw leads to his death. Macbeth’s’ tragic character flaw is his ambition.
who is to blame for the downfall of macbeth? In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, is portrayed as a tragic hero who suffers a downfall due to his fatal flaw. In Macbeth’s case, his fatal flaw is his “vaulting ambition”. People and ideas can greatly affect the outcome of a person’s life, determining whether the outcome will be successful or disastrous. Decisions and actions can also influence the outcome.
Ambition, moral weakness and selective perception, would be the major flaws of our character, Macbeth. These flaws eventually lead to his death in the long run. Macbeth began in a high position and throughout the play, there were losses caused by his own weaknesses in personality. There is pre-evidence of Macbeth’s inborn ambition in the beginning of the play in the fact that he has a future of position as the Thane of Glaims. However, further evidence of this trait comes in his reaction to the prophecies of the three witches, in which many others would have avoided because of their obvious affiliation with evil.
Upon closer inspection, noticeable flaws exist in almost all of the key characters. As a major playwright of the time, Shakespeare wanted to defy the common conception and stereotype that all main characters have justified, virtuous intentions. This play is also different
How Far Does Hamlet’s tragic flaw ultimately lead to the demise of Ophelia or is it not entirely his miss-doing? In Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, “one must be of an aristocratic stature whose destruction is for a greater cause of principle.” Hamlet fits this definition of a tragic hero; his tragic flaw, or harmatia as Aristotle defines it, is his inability to make a decision. We see Hamlet debate his options numerous times throughout the play, most notably in his “to be or not to be” soliloquy where he contemplates the notion of suicide. Hamlet also has moral tunnel vision; all his actions are based on revenge which causes the death of Ophelia and many other characters in the kingdom. Ophelia’s life is most notably affected by Hamlet due to the relationship they share, the relationship changes under the circumstances due to the death of Hamlet’s father.
In addition, it caused severe conflict when Mercutio’s death angered Romeo. By doing so, it caused Romeo to also take an illogical action and kill Tybalt, as a result of his cousin’s death. This event is ultimately responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, because it led to Romeo’s banishment. The banishment subsequently created complications for Romeo and Juliet being together that later led to them killing themselves in order to be with one another. Furthermore, overreaction to situations is another cause of their illogical behavior.
Hamlet assumes that Claudius is repenting for killing King Hamlet, as he is in a praying position. Shakespeare reveals that Hamlet does not kill Claudius in this scene because he wants to send Claudius to hell. Hamlet’s inaction at the end of this scene suggests little moral integrity, as the intent behind his inaction is certainly dark and cruel and overshadows his ‘noble’ characteristics until this point in the play. This makes the audience’s pathos towards his indecisive, tormented character decrease and increase towards the antagonist, Claudius, since he is portrayed to be very regretful, vulnerable in his soliloquy. Shakespeare carefully stages and dictates the entrance and exit of Hamlet in this scene to optimise the dramatic irony of the situation.
Robert B. Heilman proves my point that he is impulsive and after he regrets the decisions he has made and wishes he had chose a different one. Romeo is also responsible for his downfall. He makes a lot of mistakes and thinks he is brave but is very weak. He kills Tybalt and gets banished, not just from Verona but also from Juliet. His tragic flaw part of the reason for his downfall, resulting in his death.
The question to his insanity lies in the reasons for his insanity. Everyone he loves and holds dear constantly betrays him throughout the play, which ultimately leads to his very real insanity. Hamlet’s “adoption of the pretense of madness may well have been due in part due to fear of the reality; to an instinct of self-preservation, a fore-feeling that the pretence would enable him to give some utterance to the load that pressed on his heart and brain, and a fear that he would be unable altogether to repress such utterance.” (Foster, pg 242) In this quote, it is explained that Hamlet’s act of self-preservation is ultimately, what leads to his downfall. “He begins by feigning madness, as a result (he says) of his profound melancholy, but his melancholy seems to transmute into genuine madness; certainly, he becomes psychologicaly unhinged.” (McGinn, 40) Hamlet is so overcome with his grief and his task of feigning madness that he himself becomes truly mad. One of Hamlet’s first signs of madness is when he begins to follow the Ghost.
This shows that Iago is a rogue at the beginning of the play that simply wants to replace Cassio and not murder him. Iago further develops into his role as a terrifying villain in the quote, "And nothing can or shall content my soul/Till I am even'd with him[Othello], wife for wife;/Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor/At least into a jealousy so