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In Shakespeare's Macbeth, how is Macbeth's ambition his hamartia?

As a reminder, hamartia refers to a character's tragic flaw. Macbeth's ambition is his hamartia because it is responsible for his downfall and death in the final scene of the play. 


Consider, for instance, that Macbeth's ambition drives him to embark on his bloody quest for the throne, an enterprise that begins with killing King Duncan and progresses with further, ruthless murders. Macbeth's ambitious, bloody thirst for power turns him into a tyrant and forces...

As a reminder, hamartia refers to a character's tragic flaw. Macbeth's ambition is his hamartia because it is responsible for his downfall and death in the final scene of the play. 


Consider, for instance, that Macbeth's ambition drives him to embark on his bloody quest for the throne, an enterprise that begins with killing King Duncan and progresses with further, ruthless murders. Macbeth's ambitious, bloody thirst for power turns him into a tyrant and forces his former allies to turn against him and, in the end, to destroy him.


It's interesting to note that the witches' prophesy doesn't actually say anything about killing King Duncan. The witches famously predict that Macbeth will become king, but they don't specify how; Macbeth is the one who chooses to murder his way to the top. Though there's no way to know for sure, it's possible that, had Macbeth chosen to wait and do nothing, King Duncan would have died of natural causes. Furthermore, it's not preposterous to imagine a scenario in which Duncan's sons were unable to assume the throne. Since Macbeth was a favorite of Duncan's, it's also not unreasonable to assume that Macbeth could have been crowned king in the absence of Duncan and his sons, thus peacefully fulfilling the prophesy. As such, Macbeth's bloody conquests can be seen as a product of his own ambition, which in turn proves this quality to be his tragic flaw.  

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