The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play written by the famous poet and playwright William Shakespeare, which explores corruption due to power through the tragic hero Macbeth. In this essay, I will be addressing the ways the protagonist Macbeth is flawed, and how his tragedy reflects our society. Macbeth is highly flawed, such as his easily manipulatable and suggestive personality, causing him to become indecisive and needing reassurance, making it easy for Lady Macbeth to manipulate him into doing her bidding. Cowardliness and overpowering guilt are some of the other flaws of Macbeth, which causes him to act like a tyrant, killing many who stand …show more content…
Throughout the play Macbeth 's ambition can be seen through his actions: murdering the rightful King Duncan, assassinating Banquo, Macduff 's family, and attempting to assassinate Fleance. His ambition has pushed him to murder others and to overthrow the natural order: "Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man 's act / Threatens his bloody stage" [Ross. Act 2, Scene 4].
Ultimately, his ambition leads to his downfall, as it causes him to change from 'noble Macbeth ' [Duncan. Act 1, Scene 2] to a tyrannical and violent King. He has been corrupted by the power and ambition: 'A good and virtuous nature may recoil / In an imperial change ' [Malcolm. Act 4, Scene 3]. He has been completely changed by the power: 'Vaulting ambition, which o 'erleaps itself / And falls on th 'other ― ' [Macbeth. Act 1, Scene 7].
Both of these quotes demonstrate how good can be corrupted by the idea of power and glory to turn into evil. This reflects the way humanity function: often good people can turn into evil, when consumed by the idea of power, money and glory. Macbeth was easily corrupted due to his suggestive personality, causing him to be manipulated by the witches and Lady …show more content…
Although the play was written hundreds of years ago, the negative qualities of greed, ambition, cowardliness and guilt can be seen in everyday life. We often see them in tyrants, such as Joseph Stalin, leaders and politicians, which misuse their power to achieve their own personal goals. However, we fail to notice these qualities in ourselves and others that surround us: these are the qualities of a human that cannot be ever avoided. They are a part of our daily life, from our work to our family life. Often humans can become consumed by the idea of power and glory, forgetting our humility. Fortunately they don 't always have negative consequences, and qualities, such as ambition, can actually help us reach our goals, if