The Tragic Death of Macbeth

Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play is a tragic hero and his tragic life and death are determined by the initial path he chose for himself. Being a noble and honorable man he turned into a murderer caring only for his ambitions.

It seems that death is a natural outcome for the deeds Macbeth did during his life. He approaches to his tragic death led by his thirst for power, his ambitions and hubris. Some may claim that it’s his wife Lady Macbeth who pushed him on the ‘bloody’ path of murders. However we cannot agree in this vision of Macbeth.

Through the flaw of events Macbeth regresses from decent and moral man to an indifferent and self-focused killer. His fate is predisposed from the time of the first murder of the King of Scotland. Assassinating King Duncan Macbeth feels remorse showing that he is not just a cold-blooded killer but a person suffered from self-delusion. Though the next murders were easier and easier for him.

Killing Banquo out of the fear of being revealed – “our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared.  ‘Tis he much dares…” (III, 1, 85) and of fear that Banquos children can become kings –“to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings! (III, 1, p.85)- Macbeth gets more confident that he is a winner and no one can hamper him.
The witches’ prophecies and his wife’s impact only heat up inherent in him self-killing ambish and hubris. Both the influence of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s arrogance make him to commit crimes which eventually lead him to death.

During Macbeth life he develops greed and violence. He got used to power and cannot refuse from it. In the last act of the play he says “that keep the word of promise to our ear, and break it to our hope. I’ll not fight with thee” ( V, 8, p. 187) which shows that he is not ready to accept the rule of Malcolm.

The role of the witches is also important in the Macbeth’s life and his further moral and physical destruction. Having whispered into his ear the words of power, he started to nurture hopes of being a King.

So we see that Macbeth’s fate is predisposed when he steps over a slippery road of crimes which brought him to death at the end. What served as the impetus for him to choose this way? Prophecies? His wife? His ambitions? Macbeth is a human who is a sum of inherited potentialities and environment. In his case this sum turned out to be disastrous for him.
However, it was his deliberate choice. And we can see it from the fact that Macbeth is aware of morality, he feels the qualms of consciousness and is aware of evil which is despised by society. Macbeth realizes that it is his “vaulting ambition” which make him indifferent to social and moral constraints, not afraid of society or god.

However, the hunger for power is stronger than moral basis of Macbeth. Breaking moral rules to achieve desired power Macbeth goes to his death. The tragic of Macbeth is in the fact that evil powers overtake him and he cannot realize the virtues which are naturally inherent in him. The death of Macbeth is tragic because he would be alive if it were not the devils which took the rule over him.

Macbeth refers to the classic literature which I prefer to read. The beauty of classic literature is in its ability to bring to the reader the truths of the life. Through classic literature we can learn what is right and what is wrong. We learn to be courageous, virtuous and gracious. Classics vividly illustrate moral and ethical grounds of human society. It punishes the guilty and rewards the virtuous. From classics we learn fairness and justice.

References
Shakespear W. Macbeth. Washington Square Press; Reissue edition, 1992.