As the wise philosopher Xun Kuang once said: "Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity." This is perfectly exemplified in William Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth. It thoroughly examines this perspective on humanity, showing the light and darkness of people, along with the inevitable fate that accompanies our choices. Macbeth is a great example of human nature because he demonstrates that although humanity is imperfect, it is choices and actions that determine the fate of human inclinations. Macbeth's tragic flaw, excessive ambition, leads to his ruthless and impulsive bloodshed and is the opposite of what humanity should stand for, even though these desires are what resonate in his human heart. But where there is darkness, there is also light. Macbeth's darkness and corruption were countered by Banquo's light, loyalty, and his disciplined ambition. This shows that although they both have flaws as humans, the choices they made ultimately conveyed their contrasting human natures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. For example, humans are imperfect in their own ways, but these flaws are especially highlighted when they result in evil human nature. Macbeth was the epitome of wickedness, which shows that his tragic flaw was the start of a chain reaction of events, which led to his downfall. This can be seen when Macbeth was considering killing King Duncan for the prophecy, saying, "I have no urge / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Ambition to whirl." Aristotle is said to have explained the three ways that lead to a tragic fall: a personality flaw, ignorance of the flaw, and/or consequences suffered because of the flaw. Here, Macbeth recognizes that the only intent he has in killing Duncan is ambition. He recognizes his excessive ambition but ignores it, making it his greatest motivation and only goal, which leads to his downfall. The Three Witches, together with Hecate, are able to notice, unmask and exploit this flaw on their own. Their symbolism as supernatural and evil elements goes unnoticed by Macbeth, causing him to be deceived, highlighting his tragic flaw of being easily deceived. This is demonstrated when Hecate, the ruler of the witches, intends to exploit Macbeth's flaws to push him towards self-destruction. “He will despise fate, he will despise death and he will carry / his hopes more than wisdom, grace and fear. / And you all know that security / Is the chief enemy of mortals.” Over the course of the play, Macbeth was tricked myriad times by characters ranging from Lady Macbeth to witches. This fatal fault leads him to be deceived by the apparitions of witches, giving him a false sense of security in believing he is unbeatable. The witches told him that he would only be defeated when Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane and that no one born of woman could kill him. Even when he realizes that these are only half-truths and that he has been deceived, he continues to fight, resulting in his death. However, Macbeth is not the only character with flaws, as depicted in this play. Lady Macbeth is also power-hungry, which leads her to greed, and ends up with her own guilt catching up with her, causing her to commit suicide. An example of this can be seen when Lady Macbeth has received Macbeth's letter and has become eager to see Macbeth crowned, but thinks that he will not take the necessary steps to do so. She states: "Hello here / That I may pour my spirit into your ear / And chastise with the valor ofmy tongue / All that prevents you from reaching the golden round, / What fate and metaphysical help seem / To have crowned you with it." ”.Lady Macbeth is convinced that Macbeth will become king and, because of his greed, wants convince him to make the right choices to get there that will benefit her the most. She didn't think about the consequences or immorality of such actions. This pushes her into a state of crazy guilt caused by suicide in bloodshed, when he was initially cautious about doing so. His guilt had a negative impact on others creating consequences suffered because of him. Therefore, his tragic flaw is explained perfectly by Aristotle, as mentioned earlier in this piece , it makes sense that the assassins in this play have flaws, but so does everyone. As also shown in the real-life King Duncan, whose flaw of being too trustworthy of others creates an opportunity for the Thanes of Cawdor. to betray him. For example, when King Duncan mentions the betrayal of the old Thane of Cawdor, he says, “There is no art / To find the mind's construction in the face / He was a gentleman upon whom I built / An absolute trust.” The implication here is that it is not possible to tell a person's aspirations through his face, since Duncan completely trusted the Thane and was unable to foresee his disloyalty and betrayal in advance. No one can say what is going on in their own mind. It is a shame that Duncan did not follow his own advice, for when he appointed Macbeth as the new Thane of Cawdor and trusted him enough to sleep in his castle, he was treacherously killed by Macbeth in return. This situational irony is not the first example of disloyalty in the play, as it also happens to Macbeth himself when his own army turns against him at Birnam Wood. In conclusion, the corrupt rise to power of Macbeth and all the characters he met on his way proves to modern society that all humanity is flawed in one way or another. In addition to the flaws that have a great impact on humans, it is shown through the very dynamic characters like Macbeth that it is their actions, choices and free will that decide their fate and, consequently, human nature. Macbeth and his best friend Banquo perfectly embody the distinctive destinies to which their actions have led them. Both were exposed to the witches' prophecies, but their choices after this encounter triggered and fueled divergent solutions. When Macbeth begins to fear that Banquo will discover his dark ways, he says, "Our fears in Banquo are deep / And in his natural kingship reigns what would be feared." They were both good men who encountered the neutral words of the Weird Sisters, but it was the moral value they put into those words that set them apart. Banquo was cautious and even suspected Macbeth's "foul play" in light of recent events, but he never let his ambition cross his conscience. He is the light that contrasts with Macbeth's darkness, and even when he has done nothing wrong, Macbeth's actions fueled by his excessive ambition have interfered with his ability to see reality correctly, causing him to turn against his best friend and kill him. The torch that Banquo held as he was dying represented his light, and when he died, that torch went out with him. However, this unnecessary action did not change Banquo's prophecy that his relatives would take the throne, demonstrating the irrationality in Macbeth's decision making. But Macbeth's actions not only affected Banquo but also others, such as Macduff. Once corrupted by greed, his free will shows how he has neglected all moralsfor power. Such an act occurred when Macbeth killed Macduff's family, then met him on the battlefield, stating: “Of all other men I have avoided thee / But recover; my soul is already too charged / with your blood." Macbeth was filled with too much guilt to shed any more blood from Macduff. This encounter, along with the entire Battle of Dunsinane, is the indirect result of his actions. Malcolm sought the battle to avenge his father and reclaim the throne that Macbeth illegally took. Macduff, on the other hand, sought revenge for the inhumane murder of his family. Macbeth soon killed the servants as well, proving that his choices had created these repercussions, which consequently led to his tragic downfall. Of course, Macbeth's actions were not the only ones of great impact. Lady Macbeth's thirst for power also crippled her judgment, leading her to make unethical decisions that took their toll. a heavy impact on humanity in the play. This is demonstrated when Lady Macbeth receives Macbeth's letter concerning the witches, saying “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; / Yet I fear your nature; It is too full of the milk of human kindness. From the beginning it is clear that Lady Macbeth holds more authority on the throne, even if that is not what it seems to the audience. It is she who guides Macbeth on his path of self-destruction. Here we see that she thinks he is too nice to put in the effort to take the right opportunities to get there and plans to influence him to get what she wants, power. She forcefully pushes him to kill Duncan, without any sympathy or guilt as a result. This, in turn, made her the result of excessive bloodshed, which consequently killed many besides herself and Macbeth. It turned Macbeth into madness and madness, into excessive ambition, things that could have been avoided or handled peacefully, but it was their fate after all. Ultimately, it is the witches who heavily influenced Macbeth's actions as well as the play as a whole. . When Banquo speaks to Macbeth after their encounter with the aforementioned witches, he says "Good lord, why do you begin and seem to fear / Things that seem so right?". The Three Witches also indirectly controlled Macbeth's actions throughout the play through deception. When Banquo says this, it is dramatically ironic as the audience knows that in reality the witches' prophecies are not right and instead very disgusting. Specifically, when the witches planted the idea of ​​King in his head, it unleashed an ambition within him that was doomed to fail. Then, using half-truths about Burnam Wood and people born of women, they made him feel that he was immortal, which was an appearance that made him miss the reality of the situation, that no man is immortal. These acts of deception and wickedness directly show the serious efforts made to expose the corrupt human nature found in this play. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay “What has been done cannot be undone”. The heinous acts committed in Macbeth illustrate the powerful significance of tragic flaws, but his individual acts truly show us the contrast between the good and evil of humanity. The evil that inhabits Macbeth and Lady Macbeth cannot be undone. Eventually it was fueled enough to abolish them both, striking down others in the process. This shows that human nature cannot tolerate evil and that these underlying messages are still relevant in modern society. They teach the world to keep its own shortcomings in check and make thoughtful decisions, considering all consequences and effects. This is why Macbeth is critical, because he uses satire, attracting., &.