Macbeth's Character Flaws

In the beginning of Shakespeare's play, “Macbeth”, Macbeth is portrayed as an honest and trustworthy man. In act 1 scene 2, we see Macbeth in the beginning in battle, where he claims victory by killing Mcdonald. Our first impression is that he is a honest, loyal soldier. After the battle, the Captain calls Macbeth “brave” and later he is called “valiant”. Our view of him in the beginning changes as we see his character change along with his status and his meetings with the witches. Macbeth has many tragic flaws that we see throughout the play such as, his vaulting ambition and his overreliance on his wife.

One of Macbeth’s fatal flaws is his ambition. His desire for power and position, namely to be king, is more important to him than anything

He changes his personality from being a brave and loyal soldier, to a man who is almost insane, driven by an unhealthy ambition and desire to rule the country as King, above all others. The pivotal moment is when Macbeth kills Duncan. After this he goes on a downward spiral of regret and yet does not stop there. He continues to kill and destroy. Eventually Macbeth feels he has gone so far over the line that he may as well continue. “I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er,” Act 3, scene 4. The fact that Macbeth claims that the killing is “tedious” even implies that he doesn't really care - the deaths are meaningless. We can compare this to the soft side which we see in the beginning and at the very end he sees that there is no meaning in life without his wife, Lady Macbeth. In his famous soliloquy, “tomorrow tomorrow and tomorrow”, Macbeth has just found out that Lady Macbeth is dead. He Says it is a “tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Macbeth doesn't think there is any point in living without his wife. Macbeth transitions from killing soldiers and thanes to innocent little children. In the final battle, Before macbeth dies, he realises that the witches prophecies were true and he regrets all the things he