Very few treasures survive through the centuries and are immortalized as something so influential that it still affects us today with thunder. Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare in 1606, is one of the rare treasures that has marked history as one of the most famous plays of all time. This remarkable play was written for James VI of Scotland who came to the throne of England in 1603. Because of the relationship between James VI and Shakespeare, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth for James VI. The play centers on the main character, Macbeth, who is a Scottish general consumed by his ambitions to become king after hearing a prophecy from witches that he would succeed to the throne. Blinded by his ambition to become king, Macbeth becomes a tragic hero and commits evil acts leading to his own downfall. Macbeth is a lesson in how every action, whether bad or good, will result in a reaction that is right. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth, who is already the Thane of Glamis, has been praised as noble, loyal and fearless. . After fighting against Norway and the Thane of Cawdor who betrayed the Scottish king, Duncan, Macbeth is rewarded with the title of Thane of Cawdor while the previous Thane of Cawdor was to be executed due to his betrayal. “No more than the Thane of Cawdor will deceive our private interests: go pronounce his present death and, with his ancient title, salute Macbeth. » (Act I, scene II, lines 63-65) From the first act, the audience grasps the idea that Macbeth's world is a just world. Those who are loyal will be rewarded and those who betray or commit heinous acts will be punished. The play teaches the audience that if you betray the king and act... middle of paper... easily corrupted by ambition, which leads to the pitiful ruin of the main character. All tragic heroes have an Achilles heel, a flaw so obvious to the audience that will devastate and degrade everything the character stood for. “My soul is already too charged with your blood. » – Macbeth (Act V, scene VIII, lines 4-5) Moments before Macbeth is killed by Macduff, Macbeth explains how the deaths of so many people are in his hands. Macbeth secures his position as king by eliminating everyone who poses a threat to him, but because he has been so impulsive that he never realized that the greatest threat to his position as king was himself. The tyrannical man he ruled caused so much malice towards Macbeth that everyone wanted Macbeth's head. The second time Macbeth killed Duncan, he was destined to die like a cow in a slaughterhouse unaware of what was coming..