An Aristotelian tragedy is one in which the protagonist's downfall is due to a fatal flaw. From the Greek perspective, this flaw usually involves "pride", or the belief that the protagonist is destined to overcome anything and everything. Another plot development that is necessary is when something unexpected happens and sends it on an entirely different trajectory. When one of them becomes the cause of the character's disappearance, the story takes the form of Aristotelian tragedy. However, the protagonist is most often seen as a hero. The audience sympathizes with the protagonist and shares his fears or at least pities him. William Shakespeare created a large number of Aristotelian tragedies in his works, but Macbeth is not one of them. William Shakespeare's Macbeth does not follow the form of Aristotelian tragedy because Macbeth is an anti-hero who follows the movements of Aristotelian tragedy. Shakespeare's genius in Macbeth is to take someone the audience does not initially sympathize with - nor respect as a role model - and have him go through the same experiences a hero would encounter in a tragedy - thus revealing even more on "everyone" and forcing the audience to feel a pity they wouldn't normally feel. In this sense, Macbeth is the tragedy in each person's life as they struggle to make decisions regarding "success" rather than doing what is "morally right." The temptation Macbeth faces can be seen as his willingness to believe and defend his “manifest destiny”. ' to become king as was the case with the three witches and the manipulations of his wife, Lady Macbeth. Although Macbeth knows the difference between good and evil, his “moral compass” fails him when faced with these temptations to fill “his…… middle of paper……e”. In Shakespeare's clever manipulation of the Tragedy format, Macbeth's own ambition is not the reason for his ultimate failures. Instead, the blame should be directed toward his wife's ambition, the prophecies of the three witches, and his own susceptibility to believing the prophecy wholeheartedly. (In fact, it is easier to see his wife, Lady Macbeth, as Macbeth's true Aristotelian tragedy. Her ambition is his fatal flaw, and she is responsible for the deaths of himself, Macbeth, Banquo, and King Duncan. ) Ultimately, what makes Shakespeare's Macbeth so relevant across the centuries is the question of developing an internal "moral compass" to guide one through life or depend on the influences of your environment to chart your path. In the age of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Shakespeare's Macbeth highlights the tragedy that can be part of our lives.