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In Shakespeare's Macbeth, how is Macbeth's ambition his hamartia?

Hamartia means, of course, "tragic flaw," the problem or character trait that causes the tragic part of a tragedy.  Every tragic main character in Shakespeare, or in traditional tragedy, has this flaw.  The effectiveness of tragedy comes from pushing a common or frequent flaw to the point that it becomes malignant or life-changing.  Ambition isn't always unequivocally bad, though I think in Shakespeare's time, it was more negatively perceived than it is now.   


The question seems to be asking, "What's wrong with MacBeth's ambition, insofar as it causes his actions?  How does it make him go too far, and cause his downfall?"


MacBeth's ambition pushes him too far when he starts to question his place as a subject.  The witches plant the seed of doubt, and the added power of his early rewards (when Duncan makes him Thane of Cawdor to replace the traitorous nobleman he executes) seems to whet his appetite and push him toward the edge.  His wife also seizes the opportunity to push him further, and her encouragement makes a big difference in his willingness to follow through with the murder of his benevolent and effective king. 


The first and biggest step MacBeth takes is killing Duncan.  This is a clear result of his ambition.  We can try to blame the witches and his wife, but MacBeth is the killer, and he had no reason to kill Duncan apart from the desire to assume his place as king. 


The decision to hire an assassin to kill Banquo and Fleance is perhaps more sinister - having gained the throne, MacBeth begins to fear losing it, and starts to make decisions from anxiety - and the play sinks further into the pernicious depths of ambition when MacBeth orders the killing of MacDuff's family. 


MacBeth's ambition clearly becomes his hamartia when he sinks to depths that everyone - the audience, his wife, and even himself (in his famous "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. . . " speech) recognize as evil.  (To be fair, the speech is about despair, but that despair is brought on by the death of his wife and being forced to confront the horrible consequences of his ambition.)


The last test for this question is to turn it around.  "Would MacBeth have still faced a tragic end without his ambition?"  Clearly, the answer is no.  He would have been a happy nobleman in Duncan's court, a respected leader and warrior, and a very different story.

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