The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a typical tragedy. The main character of the play, Macbeth, is an honorable, trustworthy, and loyal nobleman to King Duncan at the beginning of the play. However, as the play progresses, Macbeth's tragic flaws influence him to do the unimaginable: He becomes a traitor and a murderer, killing anyone that threatens his rule over Scotland. Shakespeare shows through the character of Macbeth how tragic flaws can bring about chaos and destruction. Macbeth's downfall is the direct effect of his tragic flaws, which are impatience and over-ambition. .
At the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth and his good friend Banquo are confronted by three witches. These witches give predictions to Macbeth that causes him to become impatient, his first tragic flaw. The three "weird sisters" tell Macbeth that he will become king of Scotland. As a result, Macbeth begins to ponder whether or not he should wait for fate to take its course and make him king, or take action to become king himself: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir," (Act I- Scene 3- Lines 143-144). In Scene 4, Macbeth's eagerness to rule Scotland becomes evident when he begins to plot the way to become king over the heir to the throne, Duncan's eldest son Malcolm: "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o"erleap- (Act I-Scene 4-Lines 48-49). In Scene 7, Macbeth's impatience grows as he talks about the king's possible death: "If it were done when "tis done, then "twere well if it were done quickly- (Act I-Scene 7-Lines 1-2). Consequently, Macbeth's impatience drives him to take fate into his own hands and kill King Duncan in Act II.
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The witches" prophecies also bring out another flaw in Macbeth's character: his over-ambition. The thought of being king intrigues and excites Macbeth, yet the thought also frightens him: "If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair- (Act I-Scene 3-Lines 134-135).
