that has happen Macbeth finally gains insight about himself and life. ...My way of life has fallen in to sere, the yellow leaf and that which should accompany old age, as honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have, but in their stead curses, not loud, but deep mothered honor, breath which the poor heart would fain deny and dare not-..(171) He realizes that being king is not everything that he thought it was. He also realizes that he doesnt have anything else to live for once his wife has died and the prophecies have come true but, he decides to fight bravely till the end. At about this point in the play, the hero will realize the error that is bringing about his fall. He alone is to blame, he alone has erred, and has accepted it but it is too late. Once recognition occurs, death speedily follows. Usually, the hero will provide us with a particularly moving display of courage or at least nobility of heart . ...Lay on, Macduff, and damned be he that first cries Hold! Enough! (187) Macbeth does so by nobly fighting Macduff. With this kind of display, we are left with the feeling that indeed Macbeth was a monster who should have been destroyed, accompanied by a kind of melancholy recognition on our parts that he also had greatness in him: nobility, strength, courage. If only those qualities could have been re-directed--if only he hadn't made those mistakes. And we can say, good, he's gone-- but what a waste!...
