tragic flaw is revealed quickly in his speech, mixed inextricably with his god-like qualities, while Macbeth's tragic flaw of lust for political power has not yet been awakened when we see him first. We hear of him as "noble Macbeth" (Macbeth I,2,69). But when the witches speak to Macbeth about becoming king, he is put into a state of apparent dread, which surprises Banquo: "Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear/ Things that do sound so fair?" (Macbeth I,3,54-55).
This seems to indicate that Macbeth, even if only on a subconscious level, recognizes in the witches' prediction some exposure of the overriding ambition and drive for power which simmers latent in him. It is as if he possessed something of a the self-knowledge of the gods with respect to his tragic flaw, but, as we will see, he is incapable of doing anything but exercising the flaw and bringing himself and everyone around him misery.
There is something in Macbeth which warns him against the awakening yearning in
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