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Macbeth's true tragic flaw, the force behind his ambition, is his gullibility, his willingness to trust the witches and his wife; no matter how terrible their ideas may be. By the end of the fourth scene Macbeth is already beginning to acknowledge the witches' words as truth after Malcolm becomes Prince of Cumberland, the heir to throne, "(Aside) The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies."(1.4.48-50) Less than a day has passed, and already Macbeth is beginning to believe in the words of the witches, Satan's representatives on Earth. Despite centuries of tradition that tells Macbeth that witches are evil, and therefore lie, he is already thinking that what they say is true. While talking with his wife about her plans, Macbeth says, "We will proceed no further in this business..."(1.7.31), and then, less than fifty lines later, they are working out the details of their nefarious scheme. Macbeth quickly accedes to his wife's wishes, displaying his willingness to trust his destiny in the hands of others. If Macbeth had not placed so much trust in his wife and in the witches, perhaps he would not have become ambitious and killed a man he loved and admired. His gullibility is his true tragic flaw as it is the cause of his ambition and the weakness that allows evil to take root in his

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