Why Macbeth is a Tragedy

Shakespeare makes his play, Macbeth, a tragedy by incorporating ideas and desires we can all relate to. Macbeth is told his future in three parts: who he currently is, what is to come in the very near future, and his destiny to be “Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” After discovering that his fate truly is foretold when he is promoted to Thane of Cawdor, he naturally begins to wonder how much more of the witches’ predictions are true. What makes Macbeth a tragedy is how Macbeth could not resist the urge to obtain what he wants, even when his life is already heading towards success.
When Macbeth is promoted, his life is on the rise; people are recognizing him for his bravery and loyalty. Most people want to lead successful lives, so Macbeth’s striving ideal is very easy to relate to. However, Macbeth does not stop here. Instead, he reaches for more at whatever costs, even murder. Macbeth’s story is a tragic one because he cannot stop his greed, his own ambition. He puts aside his morals for his desires. At one point Macbeth convinces himself not to murder Duncan for numerous reasons. Unfortunately, he allows Lady Macbeth to persuade him to carry on with their plan because she challenges his manhood and assures him that it is worthwhile. Macbeth’s transformation is tragic because he was once a good man who corrupted himself by his own dream to be king.
Macbeth is a tragedy for all that is lost – Macbeth’s humaneness, Lady Macbeth’s sanity, and all the lives of the people they murdered. Macbeth cannot resist the withes’ promise. He destroys his once respectable image for power that quickly transforms him into a tyrant. Even Lady Macbeth, who is seemingly the most evil and driven of all the characters, cannot bear all the blood on her hands, and then dies because of it. It is tragic how countless innocents are murdered. The death of Macbeth is tragic, despite how awful he is by the end of the play because in the beginning, it is obvious to the audience that he was a good man with all the potential to be great.