Macbeth
...Banquo tells Macbeth how he thinks of the witches’ prophecy concerning his sons, which leads fearful Macbeth to murdering Banquo. Also, Banquo dismisses his instinctive feeling about Macbeth’s wrongdoing, “May they not be my oracles as well, and set me up in hope? But hush, no more” (III, i, 9-10). Thus, Shakespeare’s common motif of destruction brought by a tragic flaw is exemplified in the lives of his minor characters. Next, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as manipulative and evil, yet her tragic flaw of greed ultimately causes her insanity and death. In the beginning of the play she is introduced as a woman whose greed is only complemented by her evil nature. When Macbeth tells her about the witches’ prophecy she greedily insults his kindness to pressure him to gain them power, “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, are not without ambition…” (I, x, 16-19). Also, when Lady Macbeth hears that Duncan is coming, her greed leads her to mock Macbeth’s manliness and courage to drive him into listening to her plan. As the plat thickens Lady Macbeth’s greed is revealed as she plans the murder of Duncan. Although Macbeth murders Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the brains behind the operation, and as her greed for power grows she loses all emotion, “Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse” (I, x, 50-51). She tells Macbeth exactly how to commit the murder, yet when he brings back the bloody daggers she must return them, finishing the job. Ultimately, Lady Macbeth gets what she deserves as her greed for power brings her to insanity. As her husband is coming to a downfall, Lady Macbeth incessantly tries to cleanse herself from blood spots and is now afraid of the dark. Also, the murders she partook in left a scaring mark on her for life, “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (X, i, 53-54). Therefore, Lady Macbeth’s greed and desire for power resulted in the downfall and death of her and her husband. Finally, Macbeth’s tragic flaw of ambition drives him into deceit, murder, and his own death. When first introduced to Macbeth he is portrayed as a war hero, yet the violence he possesses in war soon becomes part of his personal nature. The witches’ prophecies regarding Macbeth stimulate his obsession with ambition and becoming king. Although Macbeth is influenced by his wife he still murd...