Macbeth's vaulting ambition, though it is what brings him to his height of power, it is also what leads him to his downfall. Vaulting Ambition is Macbeth's only flaw; it disables him to achieve his utmost goals and forces him to face his fate. Without this ambition, though, Macbeth never would have been able to achieve his power as King of Scotland or have been able to carry out his evil deeds. In these instances, ambition helped Macbeth do what he wanted to do. But, consequently, Macbeth's ambition has another face and is what leads him to his tragic downfall. Had he not been so enveloped with becoming King and remaining powerful, he would not have continued to kill innocent people in order to keep his position. It was because of these killings and his overbearing attitude that caused him to be overthrown and killed himself.
Macbeth, at the beginning of the play seems to be a very noble person. He is characterized as being very loyal and honorable. He fights in the battle against Norway which proves his loyalty, then he i
His tragic flaw was his "vaulting ambition" that is what made him want to murder Duncan in the first place. Even after killing Duncan Macbeth's ambition affected him as he always wanted to better himself ("To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus")
As a result of this he keeps killing and isolates himself from everybody else. Lady Macbeth kills herself as she was isolated by him whilst he was trying to fulfil his ambitions and eventually Macduff leads a rebellion against him which causes his death.
Macbeth loses everyone and everything he cares for because of this ambition.
As I said, Macbeth was ultimately ambitious. But Lady Macbeth was far moreso. And it was she who encouraged Macbeth to begin the journey that ended in their deaths. It seems to me that, at the beginning of the play Macbeth is no more ambitious than any other man. He is a brave military man, loyal to his king and country and honored by them. Certainly he is startled by the witches' predictions, and confused by them, and intrigued by their implications, enough to write of them to his wife. But it is she who suggests killing Duncan, not him. Could it be that he, at least initially, would have been content to wait until Duncan died naturally to see how the witches' predition would come about? It's possible. But he was influenced by his wife, despite his own misgivings and fear, to follow through, and once that had happened his destiny was set in motion since each deed led to a new one.
So perhaps his flaw, or one of them in addition to ambition, was being too easily influenced. Or perhaps cowardess. Or could it be excessive love of and passion for his wife; the willingness to give her what she so obviously wanted, and not wanting to look bad in her eyes.
Macbeth is introduced to the audience as a noble general and thane with quite a bit of power. This can lead one to believe that he is proud of his position and his authority over others. It is this pride that sparks the ambition and desires locked within him. His greatest ambition is to be king, although that would mean Duncan must die. If Chance will have me king, why, Chance may crown me/ Without my stir (I.iii.143-144). In this quote, Macbeth openly states how he is willing to seize the crown should he ever get the opportunity. This changes how he feels towards Duncan and the natural order of things, instead, he is scheming against it. Macbeth is very certain of his fate to become king in the letter he wrote to his wife. [] and referred me to the coming-on of time with Hail, King that shalt be! This have I thought good to deliver thee [] that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee (I.v.8-13). He openly promises Lady Macbeth that she will be Queen soon without any concrete evidence. This shows how he is convinced by the witches prophecy that he will succeed Duncan as King. Furthermore, Macbeths status, power, and his achievements give him much to be proud of, as hard as he tries to hide it. One can see that he cannot help being proud.
Ambition can make one succeed, but it can also make one fail. Being ambitious is good when a person is to achieve a goal. However, being overly ambitious can make one lose focus and bring him down. In Macbeth, those three deceiving witches arose Macbeths desire and ambition for the throne. Nonetheless, Macbeths overgrown ambition became his tragic flaw.
Macbeths ambition changed his personality greatly. He used to be loyal to Duncan, the King of Scotland: The service and the loyalty I owe / In doing it pays itself. (I, iv, 25-26) Also, he was well-known and respected for his bravery on war fields. However, the witches prophecies made him ambitious. Macbeth betrayed the beloved King Duncan, who deeply trusted him, by making plans to kill Duncan: I am settled and bend up / Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. (I, vii, 92-93) Ambitious had turned him from an honest man to a villain. It was the first step of Macbeths fall.
Macbeths ambition deteriorated his relationship with his friends. King Duncan and Macbeth used to be good friends. Nevertheless, Macbeths ambition filled his mind and blinded him. He began to see Duncan as an obstacle on his way of being king, and he just wanted to get rid of him: Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or to hell. (II, I, 76-77) Banquo was Macbeths old friend, who had fought with Macbeth in countless wars. Nonetheless, Macbeth was afraid that the witches prophecy about Banquo, which indicated that Banquos descendents would be kings, would come true. Thus, Macbeth saw Banquo and Fleance as enemies: So is [Banquo] mine [enemy], and in such bloody distance that every minute of his being thrusts / Against my nearst of life. (III, I, 132-134) Macbeth hired murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. His ambition lost him two of his intimate friends, and it was the second step of his failure.
Tragic flaw is defined as a personality flaw that makes the person commit a serious mistake so gravely that it can cause him/her death. A tragic flaw can also refer to a flawed judgment that a character has passed over a course of action, which is sadly irrevocable. In Into the Wild, Chris McCandless can be said to have committed a tragic flaw which has resulted in his death. By stubbornly clinging onto his ideal way to live, McCandless boldly leaves everything behind and ventures alone into the Alaska wilderness. Without being aware of what is to expect in Alaska and with very little preparation, McCandless simply died of starvation in a place where he presumed to be perfect. His death is ironic because instead of finding his paradise in Alaska, he finds his burial place.
Similarly, the tragedy of Macbeth is caused by his tragic flaw. While being persistent in ones belief is a virtue, too much of it becomes a deadly flaw for McCandless. In parallel, when Macbeth is filled with excessive ambition, then ambition ceases to be a positive motivator but becomes a deadly flaw for him. His ambition, based on his greed for power, has caused him unspeakable misery and torture. It has robbed him of the joy of comradeship with his wife, the bliss of friendship and respect from his people, and finally the very essence of his life soul as he sells himself to the evil forces. Hence, such tragic flaw has made him lose everything that he sees valuable before he loses the ultimate his life.
Macbeths tragic flaw begins as Macbeth chooses to believe in the witches prophecy. He secretly takes delight in the promotion to the title of Thane of Cawdor two truths are told/as happy prologues to the swelling act/of the imperial theme (I.iii.126-129). This ambition translates to an immense power that blinds him from moral senses of right and wrong.
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