Macbeth uses drama and literary techniques fleshed out in the play to explore key themes of the fallenness of man, ambition for power and also delves into themes of gender roles. Macbeth's downfall is a cautionary tale of the dangers of unchecked ambition .

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Macbeth is similar to Hamlet, except while Hamlet’s reasoning and drive for overtaking the position of the throne are defensible to an extent (i.e. as revenge for his father), Macbeth possesses a more nefarious and greedy motive, and both of these characters are arguably moved by supernatural phenomena (witches, ghosts). Further, the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy in the sets of predictions that the witches give Macbeth and the way in which he chooses to fulfill a prophecy show the true nature of Macbeth.