The Climax And How It Affects The Doenfallof Macbeth Essay, Research Paper

Macbeth Final Essay

Comprehending the revelations of the witches, Macbeth not only experiences a vexing psychological torment within his conscience but also transforms into an ambitiously driven man seeking the crown. As the rising action progresses through the ambiguous qualities of Macbeth, noble and ignoble, his tragic flaw, or reckless ambition, both induces frequent moral debates and clarifies his insufficiency to consciously pass judgment. After Macbeth convinces himself to repel the proposed regicide and overthrow the internal antagonist of the conflict, his negligent ambition, Lady Macbeth restores his ambition and seduces Macbeth, compelling him to climactically murder Duncan at her command. This murder not only represents Macbeth’s final stronghold of control in the situation but also dooms the future of Macbeth due to the tragic events that will spur from his tragic flaw, his ambition, only now it is fueled by his insecurity as king.

Employing his own free will and impelled by his ambition, Macbeth murders Duncan and his fatal lapse of judgment occurs which precedes the inevitable death due to his tragic flaw. Before the murder of Duncan and after his ambition surfaced from the witch’s predictions, Macbeth was faced with a moral debate and now that he has opposed his own philosophies, his conscience has become a formidable antagonist in his internal conflict. Symbolizing this psychological torment, an intangible dagger is seen by Macbeth before the murder and after the murder, Macbeth is haunted by noises supposedly made by the drunken guards. Perturbed by his dilemma of conscience, Macbeth not only realizes that he will “sleep no more” but also envies the fact that Duncan can experience an eternal and peaceful rest; this envy is in contrast to Macbeth’s previous envy of Duncan’s throne.

Fearing Banquo’s knowledge of the witch’s revelations and overwhelmed by his tragic flaw of ambition, Macbeth plots to exterminate Banquo and his son with two murderers. Realizing that the murderers are not definitely sound with his scheme, Macbeth employs rhetorical techniques to seduce the murderers and coerce them to accomplish his evil wishes. Compelling the murderers to kill Banquo, Macbeth not only recognizes that he does not need Lady Macbeth to serve as a catalyst for his evil and ambitious desires but also expresses that his ambition is the foundation of his judgment. Internally antagonizing Macbeth, his conscience generates a moral dilemma for Macbeth in the form of Banquo’s ghost by tormenting him; however, after composing himself, Macbeth realizes that his murder of Duncan has spawned more senseless and immoral murder. His conscience is no longer a problem because he has accepted his evil doings, illustrated by his ability to sleep easily after recognizing he is a beginner, and his drive for ambition, or tragic flaw, is dictating his choices.

As the falling action progresses towards the catastrophe, Macbeth demonstrates a complete submission to his ambition and no longer controls the situation; he can only react to it. In the opening of Act IV, Macbeth calls upon the witches to reveal more predictions because his ambition craves situations and fears to react in order to deem Macbeth’s demise. Demanding more prophecies, Macbeth perceives four seemingly benevolent apparitions and reiterating that fate opposes him, he elects to seize the castle of Macduff and murder his children due to his recently acquired optimism from his assuring foresights. Before, as Macbeth plotted and murdered Duncan and Banquo, an apparent reason was evident, but as he slays the wife and children of Macduff, he lacks a sufficient reason and purpose. The murder of these innocuous characters signifies that Macbeth has lost all control of the circumstances and has not only been utterly blanketed by his reckless ambition but also overwhelmed by this truly tragic flaw.

As the play nears its bloody catastrophe, Macbeth’s “tragic flaw” arrives at his own realization; his cancerous ambition has lead him too deadly results and like Duncan before him, he is too trusting. He believes the witches’ prophesies at face value, never comprehending that, like him, things are seldom what they seem. Thus, he foolishly fortifies his castle with the few men he has left as Malcolm and Macduff are driving to kill him, banking on the fact that the events the witches predicted seem impossible. But in fact these predictions come true; the English army brings Birnam Wood to Dunsinane, and Macduff, who has been “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb, advances to kill Macbeth because of his “tragic” ambition. The witches have equivocated; they told him a double truth, concealing the complex reality within a framework that seems simple. Restoring proper order and control to the universe, Macbeth is murdered and the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist has been resolved.

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