How does Macbeth's tragic flaw lead him to disaster in the final act of The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare?

Answer 1

Macbeth shows tragic flaw in Act 4 by not doing his own work for one, and rushing to get his English assignment done the morning it is due. This leads Macbeth to write a pretty crappy answer for a Wiki Answer question.

Answer 2

I realize that your teacher set you this question, and that you do not have the slightest interest in the answer. And rightly so. Because the answer to this question will never in a million years help you to understand the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare or enjoy it more. The problem here is the idea of a "fatal flaw". You are asked by your teacher to assume from the outset that since Macbeth is the hero of a tragic play he must have some kind of a fatal flaw which lead him to disaster in the last act. BUT YOUR TEACHER IS WRONG! We should not make the assumption either that a tragic hero's character is so flat and boring that it doesn't change throughout the play (i.e. his character is flawed and fixed) or that the character trait which brings him to his unhappy end is a bad quality. Let's work back from the end to see why it came about shall we? Macbeth's end comes because practically everyone abandoned him for Malcolm; everyone abandoned him because he was acting crazy; he was acting crazy because he was racked with guilt and fear; he was racked with guilt and fear because he killed Duncan; he killed Duncan because way back in Act 1 Scene 7 he gave in to his wife's persuasion; he gave in to his wife because he loved her and wanted her to respect him. So Macbeth's "fatal flaw" apparently that he loves his wife and wants her respect! Some flaw! (And don't fall for the "Macbeth's flaw was ambition" chestnut. If Macbeth was flawed because he wanted to be king, how come Malcolm isn't flawed because he wants to be king?)

Answer 3

People do not have "tragic flaws", least of all characters in Shakespeare tragedies. Macbeth's problems started, not from doing something characteristic of him, but from doing something uncharacteristic--murdering his kinsman and friend under the roof of his house. This is something he would never have done if it were not for a combination of circumstances which drove him to it, particularly the nagging of his wife and her questioning of his masculinity. He regrets it immediately after it is done. But for better or worse, what is done is done, and the fact of having done this one uncharacteristic act changes his character. The idea of a "fatal flaw" assumes that characters are fixed and never change, but the tragedy of the Macbeths is that their characters do change because of what they have done.

Answer 4

One good quality of Macbeth is his bravery. We learn of his physical prowess and bravery on the battlefield.