Throughout Shakespeare's tragic play of Macbeth, Macbeth makes several bad decisions. By the end of Act V, the consequences of these decisions catch up to Macbeth, and result in his mental deterioration and downfall. Macbeth's character traits are the driving forces in this mental deterioration. These character traits include his blind ambition, his guilt, and also his false hopes.
             Macbeth's tragic flaw, his blind ambition, is a large contributing factor to his mental deterioration. In the course of the play, Macbeth has a tendency to make decisions out of his desire for power. One example of this greed is when the three witches prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and later, king of Scotland. When the first prophecy comes true, Macbeth becomes over powered by greed and murders Duncan so that he may become king. In a letter sent to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth states that, " 'Hail, king that shalt be!'/ This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest/ partner of greatness; that thou mightest not lose the/ dues of rejoicing" (I, v, Ln.9). In this quote, Macbeth hints to his wife that he has plans to become king, which is a clear sign of his greed. Killing Duncan proves to be a bad decision when Macbeth's guilt causes him to suffer from hallucinations and a lack of sleep. Another model of Macbeth's blind ambition is when the three witches proclaim that Banquo's son, Fleance, will become king. Macbeth, being the paranoid character that he is, feels threatened by this and orders both Banquo and Fleance to be killed. In Act 3, Macbeth says that, "and mine eternal jewel/ Given to the common enemy of man/ To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!" (III, i, Ln.72). Macbeth's ambition is to remain king for as long as possible and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. However, killing Banquo only causes Macbeth to further deteriora...