Macbeth - A Tragic Hero
...ntleman until he begins to covet the kingship. He is not a criminal and has no criminal tendencies. Gradually, Macbeth・s error in being guided too much by outside forces brings ruin to him. Macbeth・s strong belief in the prophecies is part of this error. If it had not been for the witches telling him that he would be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland, he would still be as he was in the beginning of the play. He believes too much in the supernatural, and therefore slowly relies on the witches・ prophecies. In addition, the influence of Lady Macbeth also brings ruin to him. Lady Macbeth plays an important role in this play, because she provides a scheme whereby Macbeth can assassinate Duncan. She convinces Macbeth by questioning his courage and challenges him to kill Duncan. She says, ：screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we・ll not fail；. After the first murder, killing seems to be the only way for Macbeth to maintain his reign over the people of Scotland. Ambition is a tragic flaw in Macbeth・s personality, which leads to his acting in a certain manner. Ultimately, it leads to his destruction. When Duncan names Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, Macbeth decides to murder Duncan. He says, ：On which I must fall down or else o・erleap, For in my way it lies；. When Duncan arrives at Inverness, Macbeth controls his ambition for the time being and does not kill Duncan. However, his decision is soon reflected by Lady Macbeth who calls him a coward. From then on, after the murder of Duncan, he enters into a life of evil. Moreover, he also wants to kill Banquo because of the witches・ prediction that Banquo・s son will become the king. He wants to ensure that he can reach his ambition without a...