Macbeth Exemplar Essay – Focus: Fatal Flaw and Effects
Choose a play in which a character makes a crucial error.
Explain what the error is and discuss to what extent it is important to your
understanding of the character’s situation in the play as a whole.
Shakespeare’s gripping and entertaining play Macbeth is the tale of a man
whose ambition and determination make him King. The central character commits
many atrocious deeds in order to remain at the top and these affect his mental stability
as well as others’ views on him. Shakespeare expertly exploits the crucial mistake
made by Macbeth in his reign; his fatal flaw – his ambition.
In the beginning of the play Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, is seen as an excellent
soldier and gentleman by the others:
“For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name.”
He is portrayed as a courageous and worthy by all those who meet him. Shakespeare
has created this perfect image of Macbeth so that we can compare his later contrasting
personality and how his kinsmen’s views of him change drastically. Macbeth is
indeed brave throughout the play, but it is his crucial error of acting on his extreme
ambition and paranoia which earns him the disrespect and fear of others. The use of
“well he deserves that name” is ironic. Later on, after the murders of so many
innocents, we know he of course doesn’t deserve that compliment.
The three witches Macbeth talks to, prophesise that he will become King. The
very thought of this causes “[Macbeth’s] seated heart to knock at [his] ribs”,
conveying that his ambition lies thick in his blood. The audience know at this point
that Macbeth will not simply let it pass, and that he feels he should act on his ambition
– the error which leads to his eventual downfall. The use of ‘knock’ suggests that the
opportunity is calling to him – another hint that the ambition and determination to be
King is within him. The thought excites him greatly and the audience are aware that
there is something inside him that will lead him to act on these feelings and do
whatever he can to become King.
While Macbeth is contemplating whether or not to kill Duncan, the current
King, he hallucinates and sees a dagger before him, signifying his troubled mental
state:
“A dagger of the mind: a false creation proceeding from the heat
oppressed brain.”
The fact that Macbeth is having visions of a knife just as he is deciding whether or
not to murder a King, is a sign as to how haunted his mind is becoming with this
whole idea. He is confused and conflicted in making his decision. This soliloquy is
where his first crucial error is made – the decision to kill Duncan. Before he was a
well respected soldier and after he kills Duncan and takes his place, people
immediately begin to suspect him. Shakespeare’s effective use of the phrase “heat
oppressed brain” indicates the turmoil inside Macbeth’s head: he is at war with
himself. The decision to kill Duncan is what feeds his ambition and leads to him
killing more and more people who may pose a threat to his crown.
The murder of King Duncan has an immediate effect on Macbeth, causing
guilt and remorse to sweep over him:
“Will all of Neptune’s great oceans not wash this blood clean
from my hands?”
Shakespeare’s use of hyperbole here suggests how great yet horrific Macbeth believes
the deed to be. Here we see his previous crucial error, deciding to kill King Duncan,
affecting the central character in a dramatic way. He believes that not even huge
oceans, pure and blue, can wash away his actions. The blood on his hands is a
recurring image used by Shakespeare in this play and symbolises the guilt carried by
Macbeth (and his wife) throughout. Immediately after the murder of Duncan he
wishes the blood – the guilt – would go away; he feels incredible remorse for his
actions. We as an audience feel slight pity for Macbeth as we realise his fatal flaw
will lead to his mental and literal downfall.
Macbeth’s mental state does indeed deteriorate as his troubles increase. He
talks of his fear that Banquo’s sons will take his place – he believes that “[Macbeth
and his wife] have scorched the snake but not killed it.” The snake represents the
threat to his title, and all those who stand in his way. Hence, we see a change in
attitude from Macbeth - after the murder of Duncan he was torn and filled with guilt –
here he insists that they must continue to eliminate all that poses a threat to his
Kingship. This is another of his errors – when he is at the top he continues greedily
acting on his hard ambition to remain King for years to come.
By the end of the play, however, Macbeth has realised that he has wasted his
time. He sees the whole ordeal as pointless: “Out, out, brief candle”. Shakespeare
uses a candle as a metaphor for either Macbeth’s time at the top – as King – or simply
life itself. Macbeth has realised that it must come to an end, and he has become
weary and tired of life. He sees it as monotonous and boring. The audience fully
understand now that Macbeth’s cruel errors have affected him profoundly and are the
reason for his mental state at the end of the play.
In conclusion, the character of Macbeth is undoubtedly a brave and honest
person in the beginning of the play but his errors cause him to break himself and his
country down. His ambition and greed are the reason he, in the end, after committing
many villainous deeds – is eventually killed by Macduff.
Analysis of Essay:
Strengths:
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Clearly focuses on the task (character’s fatal flaw and how it affects them)
Selected appropriate quotations to substantiate argument
Clear line of argument
Improvements:
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Integrate quotations more
Focus more on consequences of Macbeth’s errors (losing everything)
Discussion of overall purpose (what does Shakespeare convey about the
consequences of ambition etc.)