What Is Macbeth's Downfall

Throughout the entire play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, we can see the ultimate truth that even the most noble, honorable individual can become a tragic hero when he succumbs to temptation. In the midst of a war between Scotland and Norway, the novel begins when we learn that Macbeth and his companion, Banquo, have defeated the invading Norwegian king as well as rebels from the area. King Duncan, ruler of Scotland, gives Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor as a token of his gratitude. Although Macbeth is pleased with his promotion, he soon becomes greedy and desires to have even more authority. Over the course of the entire play, it is revealed that Macbeth is a tragic hero because of his desire to have power, and we will be examining this truth through Macbeth’s

In the climax of the play, Macbeth was defeated… but what factors led him to his defeat? The first factor was, of course, his confidence. The Apparition of a Bloody Child told Macbeth that “none of a woman born” would defeat him. With this prophecy in mind, Macbeth was overly confident in his abilities, not assessing the various exceptions to the prevision. In conjunction, another factor that guided Macbeth to defeat was Macduff’s pursuit of revenge on Macbeth. Macbeth killed Macduff’s wife, son, and servant, a heartless act which propelled Macduff to behead Macbeth. Although Macbeth thought that he couldn’t be defeated by any man who was “woman born”, it turned out that Macduff was “ripped from the womb”, a credit that excused him from the prophecy. Despite the fact that Macbeth was obviously defeated by being killed by Macduff, his soul was defeated even before his physical death. Macbeth defeated himself. Right before the opposing army came for him, he realized that he has traded his eternally gain for an earthly gain, which he knows he will lose. Because Macbeth gives up on living a good life and decides to pursue a dirty, bloody one, he automatically defeats himself and