In the suspenseful drama The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare tells the story of an overly ambitious nobleman's sinful rise to power and his terrible, deadly fall. Macbeth, the main character and antagonist, begins the play as a loyal captain. Duncan, the king of Scotland, praises Macbeth, declaring him a “worthy gentleman” (I.ii.24). Later, three unnamed witches appear to Macbeth and his faithful friend Banquo, and the witches prophetically hail Macbeth as Lord of Glamis, Lord of Cawdor, and King henceforth. Of this bold and disturbing statement, only one is currently true about Macbeth, but the proclamation lights the fuse of a time bomb of lofty ambition in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth aids her husband's vaulting ambition, his hamartia, or fatal flaw, by encouraging him to kill Duncan while he sleeps in their castle in Inverness. After the murder, the king's two sons flee, making them the prime suspects and leaving the throne wide open to Macbeth. Macbeth becomes paranoid and responds with blood to any possible threat to his throne, which is evident in his murderous actions against Banquo after the witches say that "you will get kings, though you be none" (I.iii.67 ). Macbeth believes that the only way to avoid this prophecy was to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, who managed to escape the murder unlike his father. After the ghost of Banquo appears at a dinner party, Macbeth visits the witches. The witches inform Macbeth to beware of Macduff, a nobleman opposed to Macbeth's rule, who cannot be harmed by any man born of woman and who is safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth successfully orders the murder of Macduff's family. Then, Macduff joins forces with one of Duncan's sons... middle of paper... Ady Macbeth's making ultimately saves Macbeth from these out-of-the-ordinary acts. Macbeth seems to have a terrible, natural, chronic attack, but in reality he reacts under the power of the guilt that comes from Banquo's murder. Overall, Macbeth appears to be a helpful and supportive friend to Banquo, but turns out to be the sole cause of his death. In Macbeth, Shakespeare combines appearance with reality and the supernatural events of the witches, the floating dagger, and the ghost of Banquo. lead to Macbeth's death. The witches' predictions appear comforting and ultimately reveal harmful traits that lead to death. The floating dagger and Banquo's ghost both seem real to Macbeth, but the delusional Macbeth's violent imagination produces them. Out-of-this-world events have the complete and absolute ability to shape one's worldly life.