Macbeth's Tragic Flaw

Face the Reality, Macbeth is Not a Tragedy Although Macbeth is considered a Shakespearean Tragedy, the character himself seems far. from tragic. As defined, Macbeth would need to have a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his demise through his pride that causes a punishment he can not avoid. In this case, Macbeth would certainly be able to avoid it, for his hubris was not what ultimately lead to his death by the hand of Macduff. His ultimate failure was caused by elements of his gullibility, superstition, and hubris together. Therefore, Macbeth is not a tragic character because he is a patchwork of indecent qualities and flaws. Throughout the play, Macbeth does not rely on one sole flaw to destroy his well being, his idiotic ways allow him

This example fits well into the climax of the novel at Dunsinane, much like Macbeth’s superstitious mindset. Macbeth chants to his men in Act Five, Scene Five, Lines Two through Four, about the unlikelihood of a significant enemy attack proclaiming, “Our castle’s strength/ Will laugh a siege to scorn. Here let them lie/ Till famine and the ague eat them up” (Prentice Hall Literature 345). Macbeth is so full of himself that he is willing to fortify the very position that is prophesied will experience strange occurrences leading to Macbeth's death. Pompous Macbeth knows very well that if any harm will come from the situation, it will come to Dunsinane. Yet, Macbeth writes off the warning as somewhat a metaphor, seeing as that would never happen in any case besides me carrying branches, apparantly. Despite this and his unreal superstitious qualities, he actively contradicts himself by not taking heed to the warning. He is so unbelievably conceited that he overlooks his core beliefs as a man to show himself and maybe the world , which he was surely to burn down soon, that perhaps he was correct or victorious. What kind of man suspends the belief of what basically makes up his morals to prove a point? In this case, a sad excuse of a man who is clearly not a tragic character. However, the proof of his hubris goes back further than just when Macbeth achieved

Some would argue that all these character traits could fall under hubris or selfishness. Perhaps the belief in the witches is because he wants to believe what will better him, and maybe he is superstitious so he can have even a shred of dignity after achieving what was prophesied by the witches. However, in order to be considered tragic Macbeth would have to be defined by one single undeniable flaw. Even if he was given a flaw such as hubris, he has been so undeniably stupid and possibly insane throughout the play. After viewing ghosts and floating daggers, one would believe that the mental disorders within Macbeth go far beyond an oversized ego. There are just too many instances where Macbeth made a bad decision for it all to be defined as caused by a single broken link in the chain of Macbeth’s morals. From believing the witches to murdering an entire family to “just make sure,” there is something far worse than intense selfishness within