The tragedy in Shakespeare's Macbeth lies in the weakness of Macbeth's character, discuss.

Macbeth is weak and easily manipulated by his cunning wife. She is like his pillar. She taunts him about his manhood, making him feel less a man so that he can do the evil deed she wants him to do. “When you durst do it, then you were a man” At first he refuses to do as his wife requested because he liked the praises he received from people and also because he knew the king as a good king and did not deserve to die. He tells Lady Macbeth “We will proceed no further in this business” That didn’t last for long because after a while, the pressure being put on him by his wife starts to affect him. His love for his wife, his need `for her approval and his own decision, lead to his agreement to carry out the murder. As soon as he finishes, he tells Lady Macbeth “I have done the deed” He’s a cold and calculating killer on the battlefield. He didn’t have it in his heart to kill innocent people but he was ambitious enough to have gone ahead with the plan. He should have stood adamant and refuse to give in to what his wife suggested.

Macbeth is a very heartless. person. All he needed was someone to open the way for him and that someone was his wife and the witches. Ever since he killed the king, no other good thing came out of Macbeth.

Even though his wife and the witches influence Macbeth, he himself is a very greedy person. Lady Macbeth was just the icing on the cake because Macbeth himself has been absorbed with greed ever since he became the “Thane Of Cawdor”. His thought has been on how to become king. As soon as he became king by dubious means, the throne engrossed him. Nothing else mattered to him. The only thing he could think of was how to stay on the throne. He sent murderers to kill anyone that crossed his path or was like a threat to him. For example, he sent murderers to kill Banquo and his son. “Is he dispatched” All because the witches predicted that Banquo’s sons would be king. “Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none”. He also sent murderers to kill Macduff’s family because he didn’t support his ruling. “... give to edge of the sword his wife, his babes, and all th unfortunate souls”

The killings he did after the death of the king, had nothing to with his wife or the witches but his personal interest. “Tis better thee without than he within”

When he realised he reign was coming to an end, instead of running for his life, he went back to the witches who were the start of his problem initially for help. “… Answer me, to what I ask you” If not that he was a superstitious person, he would never have died at the time he did. He would have escaped because he still had some soldiers on his side and they would have helped him escape.  He had a false sense of security. He believed he was safe since the witches told him that no one born of a woman could harm him.“… For none born of a woman shall harm Macbeth” He believed them so instead of running, he stayed and fought to the last. Again, had he been stronger, he would not have gone back to the witches or listen to them.

His supernatural belief, brought about Macbeth downfall because all his misfortune started after his meeting with the witches.