In the essay "the tragic hero: from oedipus to batman," macbeth's hamartia (reason why the tragic hero causes tragedy to happen) is his ambition to become king. the essay continues: in shakespeare's macbeth the hero is a thane (a minor ruler) in scotland. he's the ambitious type though, so he murders the king of scotland and becomes king himself. this crime leads macduff, another thane, to cut off macbeth's head. in your response, argue for the idea that macbeth's hamartia is actually hiswife'sambition, not his own ambition. be sure to use specific details from the play to support your idea.

Read this excerpt from "edward jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination.” smallpox was introduced to europe sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries and was frequently epidemic during the middle ages. the disease greatly affected the development of western civilization. the first stages of the decline of the roman empire (ad 108) coincided with a large-scale epidemic: the plague of antonine, which accounted for the deaths of almost 7 million people. the arab expansion, the crusades, and the discovery of the west indies all contributed to the spread of the disease. unknown in the new world, smallpox was introduced by the spanish and portuguese conquistadors. the disease decimated the local population and was instrumental in the fall of the empires of the aztecs and the incas. similarly, on the eastern coast of north america, the disease was introduced by the early settlers and led to a decline in the native population. before it reached the new world, smallpox played a role in