Macbeth is a tragic hero because his tragic flaw leads to his downfall. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition. He has an insatiable desire for power and status, which leads him to murder Duncan and claim the throne for himself. He is “not without ambition,” he says, but it is his “ambition [that] makes cowards of us all.”
Macbeth’s fall from grace is a result of his tragic flaw. Macbeth has a very strong will, and he uses it to justify his desire for power and influence. As he says, “I’ll make my heaven in a lady’s lap,” or in other words, if he cannot rule Scotland then he will settle for being king of someone’s heart instead. The more people who love him, the more powerful he feels — even if they are just imaginary friends. This causes him to become increasingly isolated from reality until he becomes completely delusional about himself and those around him.
Macbeth’s tragic flaw leads him to his downfall. When Macbeth murders Duncan, he thinks that it will be easy because there are no witnesses around who can tell anyone what really happened.
