William Shakespeare's tragedies often include a tragic hero. A tragic hero is one who causes his own ruin and the ruin of those he loves. The tragic hero is not necessarily evil, he is simply human and has human flaws. Often there is a "fatal flaw" that leads to its downfall. In the play, Macbeth the tragic hero is the main character, Macbeth. He is tempted by the possibility of ascending the throne and will do anything to get it. He progressively isolates himself until he finally dies alone. Three factors contributed to Macbeth's fatal character flaws. He is willing to allow his actions to be influenced by superstitious beliefs. The three witches told Macbeth that he would become king and he believed that because it was a supernatural prophecy, it would come true no matter what he did. He has an all-consuming ambition to become King and this prevents him from exercising reason and good judgment. In some circumstances, ambition can be seen as a strength of character. However in Macbeth the combination of his love for Lady Macbeth and ambition allows him to be influenced by her, contributing to his downfall. He held considerable and growing power in Scotland. He considers himself invincible and does not believe that anything can bring him down. It is this belief that even leads him to Duncan's murder and his eventual downfall. Macbeth was a good man but in the end he did the wrong thing. It is important to note that Macbeth took the wrong path. His conscience told him that what he was doing was wrong and yet Macbeth continued with his actions. This is another thing that makes him a tragic hero. He knowingly made the wrong choice and why...... middle of paper......n between him and Macduff happens. Macbeth tells Macduff that "no man born of woman" can harm him. It is here that it is revealed to Macbeth that Macduff did not have a normal birth. Macbeth is killed and major order is restored to Scotland. Every human being has some character flaws. Macbeth's were his ambition, his love and his self-image. These alone are not enough to make him evil. He was simply tempted by power. It wasn't him who got him into trouble, but he was driven by love for his wife. All the time witches acted as puppeteers in everyone's lives. Although Macbeth made some poor judgments, his compassionate state of mind cannot be ignored. It is tragic that so many noble qualities have been destroyed and even in his last defense one can only admire the struggle of a courageous will with a cowardly conscience.