Sunday, August 16, 2015

What is Macbeth's tragic or fatal flaw?

Macbeth is too easily led by others into sin.  He listens to the witches and their prophecies and begins hoping that something will happen that will allow him to become king.  Rather than stop there, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, what has been foretold, setting her determination and ambition into motion.  And rather than telling her to knock it off, Macbeth allows himself to be pushed into killing King Duncan and claiming the throne for himself.

Prior to the killing of Duncan, Macbeth could have stopped and said, "No, I'm going to do what I know to be right.  If I am meant to be king, then it will happen on its own."  Instead, he caves into the pressure from his wife (and his own ambition - he's not guiltless in this regard at all) and takes matters into his own hands - a dagger, to be exact!

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